Humptulips River Salmon Fishing 2023

The Humptulips is the crown jewel of the Washington coast salmon fishery. Accessible, distant, but not too distant, you will encounter many many fellow anglers on the Humptulips River this fall.

Another plus that draws avid salmon anglers from all over are the numbers and size of chinook and coho. It’s not uncommon to find chinook in that 20-30 lb range, and maybe even bigger. Coho can reach mid to upper teens in size as well.

One of the best ways to fish the Humptulips is in a drift boat. Whether with a buddy who has a boat or with one of the many guides you can hire, fishing your way down the Humptulips always makes for an absolutely epic adventure.

There are many bank fishing opportunities as well and popular access points around the hatchery, Hansen Rd, etc. Other places to access public fishing spots will be near boat launches further down.

The Humptulips River originates on the southwest flanks of the Olympic Mountains and winds its way south, southwest to dump into the north end of Grays Harbor.

There are healthy runs of wild salmon on the Humptulips that spawn in the upper reaches of the system, but also a state run hatchery that raises coho and chinook.

Chum salmon can also return in great numbers to the Humptulips river system. These salmon can show up in huge numbers and be very aggressive, making it hard to get to other species of salmon on some days.

Let’s take a look at a couple of new features I’ve got up on the blog to help you understand run timing and how many salmon are returning at the hatcheries

Automatically updating graph of the Escapement Report for the Humptulips River
Historical run timing graph providing a visual of when salmon normally return to the Humptulips River

Here are the latest posts about the Humptulips River on the blog:

Table of Contents

Updated Status of returning Fall Chinook on the Humptulips River

These graphs will automatically update as fish start to return to the hatchery

Historical Run Timing of Fall Chinook on the Humptulips River

Chinook salmon will begin to stage in the lower reaches of the Humptulips in September, and if you can access these fish from the bank or with a kayak, fishing can be really epic.

You do need to be mindful of netting days however as that can really lower your odds of success.

That first big push of chinook into the hatchery is usually timed with a surge of freshwater in late September or early October.

Updated Status of returning Coho on the Humptulips River

These graphs will automatically update as fish start to return to the hatchery

Historical Run Timing of Coho on the Humptulips River

Coho salmon can be found very closely timed with when chinook return, though slightly later and new pushes of fish will often continue long after the chinook run dwindles. Late October and early November are absolute prime time for this run of coho.

Forecast for 2023 Humptulips River Fall Chinook

Humptulips Fall Chinook Escapement History 2023

Escapement history just counts fish at the hatcheries that report escapement, total runsize combines escapement plus estimated catch of hatchery fish.

This is the return map published as part of North of Falcon, you need to look for Humptulips River on the map and interpret the color.

This is the forecast map published as part of North of Falcon, you need to look for Humptulips River on the map and interpret the color.

Forecast for 2023 Humptulips River Coho

Escapement history just counts fish at the hatcheries that report escapement, total runsize combines escapement plus estimated catch of hatchery fish.

This is the return map published as part of North of Falcon, you need to look for Humptulips River on the map and interpret the color.

This is the forecast map published as part of North of Falcon, you need to look for Humptulips River on the map and interpret the color.

Forecast for 2023 Humptulips River Chum

This is the return map published as part of North of Falcon, you need to look for Humptulips River on the map and interpret the color.

This is the forecast map published as part of North of Falcon, you need to look for Humptulips River on the map and interpret the color.

Fishing Area code to record on your Catch Record Card

Area Code	Fishing Area
358	Humptulips River (below forks)
361	Humptulips River, East Fork
362	Humptulips River, West Fork

Fishing Regulations for the Humptulips River Salmon 2023

These reflect what’s been made available electronically to the public regarding permanent fishing regulations on the Humptulips River

from mouth (Jessie Slough) to Hwy. 101 Bridge including all channels, sloughs, and interconnected waterways CRC (358)
All species	Aug. 16-Nov. 30	Single-point barbless hooks required. Night closure.
Trout	Sat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31	Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout: min. size 14”.
Other game fish	Sat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31	Statewide min. size/daily limit.
Salmon	Sept. 1-Sept. 30	Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release wild Chinook and wild coho.
	Oct. 1-Oct. 31	Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6. Up to 2 adults including no more than 1 Chinook may be retained. Release wild Chinook and wild coho.
	Nov. 1-Dec. 31	Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6 including no more than 1 adult. Release Chinook and wild coho.
from Hwy. 101 Bridge to confluence of East and West forks CRC (358)
All species	Mar. 1-Mar. 31	Selective gear rules.
	Aug. 16-Nov. 30	Night closure. Single-point barbless hooks required.
	Dec. 1-Mar. 31	Internal combustion motors prohibited.
Trout	Mar. 1-Mar. 31	Catch-and-release.
Trout	Sat. before Memorial Day-Last Day of Feb.	Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout: min. size 14”.
Steelhead (hatchery)	Sat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31	Statewide min. size/daily limit.
Other game fish	Mar. 1-Mar. 31	Catch-and-release.
Other game fish	Sat. before Memorial Day-Last Day of Feb.	Statewide min. size/daily limit.
Salmon	Sept. 1-Sept. 30	Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release wild Chinook and wild coho.
	Oct. 1-Oct. 31	Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6. Up to 2 adults including no more than 1 Chinook may be retained. Release wild Chinook and wild coho.
	Nov. 1-Dec. 31	Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6 including no more than 1 adult. Release Chinook and wild coho.

Always make sure you fully understand the fishing regulations and check emergency regulations to avoid a costly ticket.

Emergency Fishing Regulations for Humptulips River Salmon 2023

The above permanent regulations for the Humptulips River are subject to change at any time and without being updated on this blog. One must consult the WDFW Emergency Regulations before any trips to ensure they are in full compliance with state laws regulating fisheries.

How to fish for Salmon on the Humptulips River

With both Chinook and Coho Salmon, there are several ways to target them in a small – medium sized, good water clarity river like the Humptulips, but below are my favorite techniques:

Casting spinners
Float Fishing
Twitching jigs – scroll down to twitching jigs section of the guide.

You should also read our guide to river fishing for salmon.

Here’s a video on float fishing for chinook salmon that may help you:

Also, take a look at this simple video about twitching jigs for coho:

Below are some links to buy rods and reels on Amazon, as an Amazon associate, we make a small commission if you use these links, which is a great way to support the blog content and you pay the same price on Amazon regardless.

If you’re looking for a good float rod, I would recommend reading my article about the best fishing rod for salmon as I break down my favorite rod specs. However, if you’re just looking for a helpful link on Amazon, here you go:

Pair the above rod with the below casting reel and you have a great setup!

In terms of the perfect rod for throwing spinners, I would go with the below rod:

Here’s my favorite twitching jig rod:

And this spinning reel:

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