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Last time I went to Ozette it was an early start at 4am and the fish did not really bite well until later so I used that for an excuse to sleep in a little and headed out around 7am this time. Getting to the lake it was atypical flat calm but with a good overcast. I put in at Swan Bay and it was so shallow I could not back my little truck in far enough to float the boat off before water would flood into the cab, so I got wet and put the heave ho to the back end of the boat and managed to wiggle it off and put my back out to start the day. Next I broke off the start rope on my outboard and spent a good half hour taking the top of the motor apart, luckily I had a spare rope in my emergency can. Finally getting things squared away, my back screaming at me and no pain killers on board with grit and determination I set out to find the Perches Gigantus Ozettes and maybe my casting would work out the kinks in my back. Usually by 10am we have a breeze on the lake, but this time was different and it turned out to be the absolutely slowest start I have ever had on this lake, not even so much as a squaw fish. It wasn't muggy but I could smell the rain in the air and my sinus told me that the barometric pressue was plummeting, that explained the off bite. The clouds began to darken and soon enough it began to sprinkle, I switched up tactics and went to deeper water and strait jigging and happily began to catch a few dinks, then after hearing from the eagles for the past couple hours of how lame a fisherman I was, I began to get bit by the squaw fish, that quieted them down. With a switch in the wind now beginning to blow from the WSW and bringing heavy rain, I was snugged up in my rain gear, not that it mattered much since I was still wet up to my thighs from launching and barefoot at that. The rain brought out the Elk and the deer along the shore causing me to give way to thoughts of what I had yet to do to get ready for hunting season when bam! Hello Gigantus, about time! Slowly I began to put 7" and up Perch on the ice and after the eagles had their fill of squaw fish I kept some for my next maggot farming project plot in my garden. Well it never let up once it started raining just got heavier, much like a fall rain but it was at least somewhat warm. For a slow start I finished strong with several Perch over the 11" mark. Daylight dimming I gave it up wet, tired and very sore I headed in to find that it had rained so much that I had no problem getting my back roller deep enough to ease the boat onto the trailer. Ahhh yes another homecoming to filleting fish in the dark :) Khahowya!

The Quadfather

7/18/2011 2:00:00 PM

So what is your largest perch out of Ozette so far? I follow these Oz. reports very excitedly. That sucks about having to back in so far and nearly swamping your cab. I had the same experience about 4 weeks ago at Palmer lake in Okanogan county. When I launched the water was exactly 1" below my vehicle's door jam, a little dicey!
So I am assuming that you live in Sequim or PA? Even so, that is a journey to get out there. Have you ever fished Dickey, near Ozette??

BMGW

7/18/2011 3:37:00 PM

Heya Quad, a little over 13" is my best out of there but I personally saw one my friend from Forks caught that was pushing 14.5", I live between Sequim and PA and I have gate priviledges access to the Dickey but I just have not used it for fishing as of yet. I kinda hung up my steelheading gear as I have killed a good many over the years and have some nice photos to show for, my passion now is Crappie. The Crappie in my pond are putting on weight fast, they are now over 7" and choking on billions of toad tadpoles, I should have a few 10" by next fall and can't wait to show them off. Palmer ehh, supposed to be a very good Crappie lake...

knotabassturd

7/18/2011 3:59:00 PM

Awesome writeup! Love living vicariously with some of these successful reports.

islandbass

7/20/2011 12:49:00 AM

What a great report! Crappie are on my list of fish to catch. I hear that Dolloff Lake in South King has a good population there.

Knota, vicarious is definitely the word! x2

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