Year after Year the Humptulips River Never Disappoints.

If you're looking to be in one of the best guide boats on
the river this season be sure to get a date reserved as
early as possible.  Most people booked their 2024 trips
the day after their 2023 trips, etc!

Each year we find the best group of guides available to
ensure you have the most fun and best success catching
lots of salmon.

We are very excited and looking forward to another
great season!

Dates are filling fast for the 2024 Season, so
remember to get your Humtpulips 2024 Trip
Booked asap!

The Humptulips River originates in the Olympic
National Forest as the East and West Fork. The
name comes from the Humptulips Indians, part of
the Chehalis tribe.  Some say the word
"humptulips" means "hard pole" why others say it
means chilly region.

Either way the Humptulips river to us means " Big
Fall Chinook Salmon!"  This is one of our favorite
fall fisheries due to the large number of big Fall
Chinook, hard fighting silvers, and the aggressive
Chum Salmon.

The Humptulips Salmon fishery normally starts mid
September and runs through December. The Chinook
fishery is best up to Mid-November and Fresh Coho
keep showing up through December!  This is a great
chance to catch a trophy King Salmon, a trophy
Coho Salmon, and alot of hard fighting action.

Humptulips, Copalis Crossing, Pacific Beach, and
Ocean Shores are some of the small towns
surrounding the Humptulips River.  The nearest
cities are Aberdeen and Hoquiam, located at the
mouth of the Chehalis River on Grays Harbor. Don't
for get your clam shovels, the Humptulips River is
just a short drive to the Ocean Beaches!

Humptulips River
Where to fish What to Use For Success And More

The main techniques used for fishing the Humptulips
for salmon include: bobber and eggs, twitching jigs,
using bait divers, spinners and casting wiggle warts.  
The popular target species of King Salmon is easily
caught using bait divers from a boat or casting
wiggle warts but one of the most exciting ways to
catch a king salmon is using a bobber and eggs.  Bait
fishing is a thrill and to see the red tip of your
bobber go down makes your heart skip a beat every
time.  Some of these techniques will not work in all
conditions and an experienced licensed fishing guide is
the best resource to ensure you have a productive
day on the water.

The first fall salmon to enter the Humptulips are
the King Salmon.  There will usually be King Salmon
in the lower river in early September.  You can
float from the 2nd lowest public launch which would
be the Humptulips Dyke Rd.  (Directions below)
You can also bank fish at the lower river spots also
outlined below.

Once the first good rain of the season hits - that
will bring coho salmon into the system and move
the King salmon further upriver.  The 2014 season
had an early rain which brought a few coho into
the system in late September and moved some fish
above the Humptulips Dyke Rd - However, excessive
dry weather the next few weeks limited fishing back
to the lower portion of the river.  Keeping an eye
on the USGS Stream Flows and Weather Forecast
are key elements to planning a successful trip on
this river.

The Washington State Department of Fish and
Wildlife sets the season for the Humptulips River
Fall Salmon season usually in late Spring or Early
Summer.  For the 2015 Season the retention of
King Salmon has been limited to the months of
September through Mid November with additional
opportunities to catch Coho through December.

If you are interested in booking a licensed fishing
guide for the few remaining weeks of the October
2024 King Salmon Fishery you can do so by going
to the booking website for several Washington
State Fishing Guides
If you're fishing from a drift boat you have a few
options for getting back to your vehicle at the end
of the day.

There are several locals who offer shuttle services
on the river.  In the past people have used Mick
'360-249-3127' or Rocky '360-249-0523'.  We
don't endorse either or get paid for giving your
their information.  Use of these persons is at your
own risk.  Although several of our affiliated fishing
guides have used both services successfully for many
years.

You can also hitch hike back to your vehicle once
you float down the river.  There are many
fisherman around - especially on the weekends during
the peak season of September-November.  Again use
your best judgement.

Some fisherman bring a moped or scooter and drop
it off at the drop out launch which is then waiting
for them to use to drive back to their launch
vehicle at the end of their float trip.  

You can also have a fishing buddy drive his car and
leave it at the take out spot, but it's a long drive
for 2 vehicles from Seattle/Tacoma/Portland.  This
along with several other factors makes hiring a guide
the easiest option at times.

There is good bank and boat launch access on the
Humptulips River which makes it easy to fish from
bank or boat.  Some of the most popular places to
launch a drift boat include:

HWY 101 Launch
This is located off of Hansen Rd from HWY 101.  
There is also a large gravel bar here which can be
accessed for Bank Fishing.  This is where Stevens
Creek dumps into the Humptulips River there is a
fish hatchery and this is a popular place for sport
fisherman to bank fish.

Reynvaan’s Bar Launch
This is located off of Kirkpatrick Rd which can be
accessed from HWY 101 near the Humptulips Store
or Ocean Beach Rd near Copalis Crossing.

Camp Bethel Launch
Camp Bethel Launch is located on Kirkpatrick Rd
right across the road from Camp Bethel.  There is
very limited parking here – just side of the road
parking.  Limited bank access at this location as well.

Humptulips Dyke Road Launch
There is another launch at the Humptulips Dyke
Road which is located off of Ocean Beach Rd.  
Some bank fishing is available at this location as well
as a nearby bridge which crosses the river.

HWY 109 Launch
The lowest fish and wildlife launch on the
Humptulips River is the HWY 109 launch.  This is
located directly east of the Humptulips River Bridge
on HWY 109 – which is the highway that takes you
to Ocean Shores.

If you book a fishing guide this season he will make
the determination prior to your fishing trip which
section of river will be most productive for your
fishing trip based on stream flows and how many
fish are where in the system.

One of the biggest things you can do to ensure
your success on your guided Humptulips River fishing
trip is to dress appropriately.  Humptulips River
guided fishing trips are conducted out of drift boats
and require you to walk in the water to get in and
out of the boat.  You will also want to fight some
fish from the bank and take pictures of your fish
standing next to the river or in the water.  While
in the summer time you can get by with river
shoes and shorts, in the winter you will want to
wear full rain gear with knee high boots or fishing
waders.  A popular choice of guides and recreational
anglers for apparel is Simms Waders, Jackets, Hats
and Wading Boots.

Another way to be prepared is to have a small
backpack or dry pack.  A small pack will give you
enough room for necessities during your 8 hour
float trip.  Lunch, sunblock, camera, extra sweater,
etc.  This will also leave enough leg room for you in
the boat to fight those big kings and lure feisty
coho to your jigs.  Coolers are recommended to
transport your catch home – leave the cooler in
your car during your trip – there is not room for
coolers on the boat.

You can book a licensed, experienced fishing guide
who will provide all the gear, bait and tackle you
will need for the day including a drift boat.  We
have excellent guides available at https:
//fishwaterswest.rezdy.com/

If you’d like to try it out on your own after
fishing with your guide you can try out some ideas
for products on the side bar.

General Information about the Humptulips River
The Humptulips River is located in Grays Harbor
County, Washington near the Pacific Ocean.  This
small river originates in the Olympic National Forest
from the East and West Forks.  The East Fork is
separated from the Wynoochee River by Fitzgerald
Peak and the East Fork is separated from the
Quinault River by the Quinault Ridge.  The East
and West Forks meet about 4.5 miles above the
HWY 101 Humptulips Bridge.  This rainforest
environment receives an average of 220 inches of
rain annually.

The main Humptulips River is about 20 miles in
addition to the 30 mile length of the West Fork
and 20 mile long East Fork.  The average discharge
is 1,344 cubic feet per second, which we often
refer to as CFS (cubic feet per second)  The
discharge rates are available on the US Geological
Survey’s Website which shows real time data.  This
can be useful to fisherman planning trips to the
river to fish or recreate.  LINK TO USGS
HUMPTULIPS  The recorded range for flow on this
river is between 82 and 37,500 CFS.  The river
can be fished productively at a wide range of levels
between 100 and 3500 cfs depending on many
factors including how many fish are in the system
at the time and if the river is rising or falling at
the time of fishing.  Clarity of the water is also a
significant factor when fishing at higher flows.

Variant names, according to the USGS, include Hum-
tu-lups, Humptolups, Humtutup, and Um-ta-lah.
The name comes from the Humptulips Indians, part
of the Chehalis tribe. Some sources say the word
"humptulips" means "hard to pole" while others say
it means "chilly region".  


253-389-0359

jessica@fishwaterswest.comMore information about the Humptulips River