THIS WEEKEND

The weather may again put the kibosh on the fishing in tidal rivers for yellow and white perch -- and tidewater pickerel fishing is closed until April 30. So if you must catch a fish this weekend, perhaps it is time to look at the stocked trout waters that have no closures:

* Garrett County -- 1,000 trout were to be released in the Youghiogheny River; 5,500 have been stocked in the North Branch of the Potomac; 500 were to be stocked in Herrington Lake.

Allegany County -- Rocky Gap Lake received 2,000 trout this week.

* Washington County -- Greenbrier Lake was stocked with 1,000 trout over the past few weeks.

* Carroll County -- Piney Run Reservoir has received 1,000 trout.

* Baltimore County -- Avalon Pond was to have been stocked with 250.

Howard and Montgomery Counties -- King's Pond, Centennial Lake, Elkhorn Lake all have been stocked over the past few weeks.

* Montgomery and Prince George's counties -- Melwood Pond, Lake Needwood, Tucker Pond, Cosca Lake and School House Road Pond all have been stocked over the past few weeks.

Anne Arundel County -- Lake Waterford was to have been stocked with 1,000 trout this week.

Among the Special Areas that were scheduled to be stocked are Deer Creek in Harford County, Patuxent River, Morgan Run in Carroll County and Town Creek in Allegany County.

If you don't like the idea of catching hatchery trout, yellow and white perch are mixed now in many of our tidal rivers.

However, the yellow perch fishery is closed in many rivers and restricted in others. Check the Maryland fishing guides for lines of demarcation between tidal and fresh water and for open and closed waters.

There are no restrictions on white perch when fishing with hook and line. But since the perch are mixed and pickerel may be found in the same waters, use barbless hooks or crimp the barbs off normal hooks.

The Patuxent river is open for both perch, for example, but yellow perch must be 9 inches and barbless hooks must be used.

Good areas for white perch are the Patuxent, Chester up toward Millington, Choptank toward Red Bridges and at Martinak State Park, the Tuckahoe, the Blackwater near the wildlife refuge bridges and the Pocomoke near the state parks. Grass shrimp or bloodworms are good bait for the white perch.

Shoreline fishing at Liberty, Prettyboy and Loch Raven reservoirs continues to pick up on crappie and bluegills, with bass fishing slowing.

Bass fishing -- fished very slowly on the bottom -- in the upper tidal Potomac has been decent on minnows or artificial grubs. The Upper Potomac around Dickerson power plant has been producing catfish, crappie and bass.

Fishermen or boaters headed out on Chesapeake Bay this weekend are again asked to keep an eye out for whales from the Bay Bridges to Bloody Point. A whale was sighted in the area earlier this month. If a whale is sighted, please call 1 (800) 628-9944.

CALENDAR

Tonight: DNR wildlife Division public meeting on proposed 1992-1993 hunting and trapping seasons, bag limits and regulations for upland game, furbearers and forest game. 7 p.m. District Court Multi-Purpose Center, first floor conference room, 201 Baptist St., Salisbury.

Tomorrow: DNR wildlife Division public meeting on proposed 1992-1993 hunting and trapping seasons, bag limits and regulations for upland game, furbearers and forest game. 7 p.m. Department of Natural Resources, C-1 Conference Room, Tawes State Office Building, 580 Taylor Ave., Annapolis.

Saturday and Sunday: Anglers' Sport and Fishing Expo sponsored by the Anglers of the Miles River Yacht Club. Exhibitors from Talbot County and other areas of the Eastern Shore will be displaying and selling fishing tackle, new and used boats, services of guides and outfitters, marinas, marine supplies, sports clothing, etc. Miles River Yacht Club west of St. Michaels.

Saturday: Friends of Big Hunting Creek dinner at the American Legion Hall in Thurmont, 7 p.m. (cash bar opens at 5 p.m.). $12.50 per person. Call (301) 447-6278.

Sunday: Fisherman's flea market sponsored by the Pleasant Hill Fire Company and the Northern Maryland Bass Masters, Pleasant Hill Fire Company, on Hanover Pike four miles north of Manchester, Md. Door prizes, boats, new and used tackle. Call (717) 632-5010 or (410) 239-3152.

PLANNING AHEAD

Wednesday: Maryland Fly Anglers monthly meeting at Ridge Gardens Apartments community hall on Old Harford Road, 7 p.m. Featured speaker will be Lefty Kreh. The public is invited. Call (410) 825-2695.

March 26: Public meeting at the Bel Air library to discuss regulations on baits and tackle that may be used in the Susquehanna River in the Conowingo Dam area. 6 p.m.

April 1 and 4: Maryland Basic Hunter Safety Course at the Howard County Fairgrounds. Pre-registration and fee are required. 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on April 1 and 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 4. Call 461-3007.

April 1: Monthly meeting of the Kent Island Chapter of the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen's Association, 7:30 p.m. at the American Legion Hall on Route 8. Speaker will be Joe Mann, a charter boat captain, on the the development of navigation. Call (410) 643-7041.

April 4: Maryland Fly Anglers annual Gurney Godfrey Dinner at Towson State University. The program begins at noon with exhibits, demonstrations and photo and fly tying competitions. Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. The keynote speaker is scheduled to be Gary Borger, who will present a program on the four seasons of fly fishing.

April 4: Spring Thunder, a program on turkey hunting in Maryland, sponsored by the Cumberland Valley Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Foundation Federation and the North American Rod and Gun Club, 10 a.m. at the club on Belvedere Road Extended in Hagerstown. Hunting and safety seminar featuring state turkey calling champion and guide Ron Bohn, DNR update on the state of Maryland's turkey management program, shotgun patterning clinic and turkey shoot in open and junior classes. Admission is free. Call (301) 824-2625

NAMES AND PLACES

* Harry Rehmert's Fly Fishing Clinic of the Chesapeake has been extended by Dundalk Community College, with classes beginning April 26 and May 2. The Fly Casting System for the Chesapeake (April 26) will run through May 31. The Fly Tying Clinic of the Chesapeake (May 2) will run through May 30. Rods and reels will be furnished. There is a fee and course materials may be required for the fly tying clinic. Call (410) 477-4096.

* Leo "Buck" Doran of Belcamp, Frank Ippoliti of Mt. Airy and Bruce Jones of Gaithersburg are Maryland anglers entered in the Bassmaster Texas Invitational this weekend at Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Jasper, Texas.

* If you fish the Susquehanna River from the Conowingo Dam to Rowland Island, be certain to attend the Department of Natural Resources meeting at 6 p.m. on March 26 at the public library in Bel Air, 100 Pennsylvania Ave. The topic for discussion is bait and fishing regulations. The aim is to reduce by-catch mortality of striped bass.

* The DNR public meetings on proposed hunting and trapping regulations for upland and forest game and furbearers in 1992-1993 close out tonight and tomorrow night at 7. Tonight's meeting will be held at the District Court Multi-purpose Center, 201 Baptist St., Salisbury. Tomorrow night's meeting will be held the Department of Natural Resources, C-1 Conference Room, Tawes State Office Building, 580 Taylor Ave., Annapolis.

(To have an item or question included in the Outdoor Journal, write Outdoors Editor, Baltimore Sun Sports Department, 501 North Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD 21278.)