OUTPOST.

--Oening festivities: The Rainbow Days Trout Display Festival takes place at the trout season opener Saturday in Bishop at Main and Academy streets.

The festival will feature displays and prizes for the largest and best fish.

Intake II, Pleasant Valley Reservoir, Owens River, Crowley, June and Convict Lakes are the most popular fishing sites ready to host anglers this opening weekend.

There is plenty of affordable lodging in the Bishop area, but vacancies are running low. There are campgrounds available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Information: Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce at [phone] or www.bishopvisitor.com.

--Biggest derby around: The 17th annual Western Outdoor News Lake Havasu Striper Derby is set for May 12-14. The derby is a two-person team fishing event for striped bass on Lake Havasu.

More than $70,000 in prizes and trophies are awarded, including a grand-prize drawing for a fully-rigged bass boat to be given away via a drawing. Contestants don't have to catch a fish to be eligible to win the boat.

This annual derby attracts nearly 500 anglers each year and most are able to catch stripers on baits and lures. Lake Havasu has one of the highest populations of striped bass of any waters in the nation.

For more information and entry forms, call Kirk Sumida at [phone], ext. 30.

--Fund-raiser: The San Gabriel Valley Chapter of Quail Unlimited is holding its annual fund-raising banquet and dinner May 6 at Coco's restaurant in Arcadia.

The cost is $60 per person ($85 per couple) and includes dinner and an annual Quail Unlimited membership. There will be two raffles, including a special raffle for a Ruger Red Label 20 gauge.

For more information, write Quail Unlimited, San Gabriel Valley Chapter, P.O. Box 932, San Gabriel, 91778 or call Mary Morris at [phone] or Tim Bovard at [phone].

--More fund-raising: The Hemet Valley Chapter of Ducks Unlimited will be hosting its 20th annual fund-raising banquet Saturday, May 13 at Harrison Hall in Perris. There will be more than 20 guns raffled and a live and silent auction.

Individual dinner tickets, which include an annual DU membership, are $50 per person, $75 a couple. Juniors - or greenwings - are $35.

For more information or to order tickets, contact Slim or Glenda List at [phone].

--Mooring tips: Polyform U.S., a leading manufacturer of fenders and mooring buoys, released the following set of guidelines in which boaters can achieve a proper mooring technique.

--Good communication is a must - Although moorings can be a one-man job, they certainly are more easily handled by the captain and his crew. Because a mooring lies low in the water, it may not always be visible from the helm. It is essential that a member of the crew gives the captain clear and precise directions. It's also a good idea to remember to face one another and speak in a calm and courteous tone. Hand signals can be incorporated.

--Approach the mooring slowly - The captain should view the mooring approach in the same manner in which a cat sneaks up on a mouse. First he needs to eye his target, then slowly and cautiously creep up on it. The captain and crew should always keep in mind a mooring is anchored to the ocean floor. Therefore, if for whatever reason the captain decides to make a second, third or even a fourth approach at mooring, it's OK, it's not going anywhere.

--Picking up in the morning - When picking up a buoy-style mooring, always use a boat hook to pick up the buoy by the top ring. Then shackle the mooring pennant (the line that attaches from the mooring chain to the boat) to the mooring chain shackle, rather than to the buoy itself. This puts all the strain on the anchor chain, rather than the buoy. Some moorings are marked with a ``can'' buoy or other floating device. The mooring anchor chain is not connected to the floating marker, but rather to a stick or rod. The captain or a crew member will want to pick up the stick, pull up the anchor chain and shackle his mooring pennant to the chain or cleat - the stick. The captain will also want to make sure the turnbuckle is secured to the shackle to prevent opening. Electricians' plastic tie wraps are an excellent means of securing a shackle.

--What makes a good mooring system? - A good system uses a suitable anchor, preferably a large mushroom anchor or cement block that is connected to a heavy chain at length 1 1/2 times the depth of the water at high tide. A lighter chain is shackled to the heavier chain at a length equal to the depth of the water at high tide, which in turn is shackled to the buoy or stick. The heavier chain remains on the ocean floor and comes into use as added support when the sea gets rough.

--Safety in mooring - In a hard blow, the holding power of the mooring can be increased by lengthening the mooring pennant (tie). This increases the scope of the mooring providing greater holding power. To minimize the risk of fouling another moored boat, the captain will need to check the positions of the other boats in the moorage first. In adverse conditions, a second mooring pennant (line) can be run to the top eye as a safety in case the primary pennant (line) chafes through or fails.