River Cutthroat Trout help

[PsoasHunter]

We bought some property on the Humptulips river last year and I've read there are cutthroat trout in there, but I have never fished for cuts before. I grew up fishing lakes, I taught myself salmon fishing in rivers in college, but have never targeted cutthroat. When are the best times of year to target them? A simple google search says spring and fall, but are there certain clues that make you want to hit the river? What are your favorite tactics/baits/techniques? jig and floats? bait? spinners/spoons? all of the above?  Are they more likely to be in deep holes, or pushing quick water? I'd think holes as they're not working upstream like kings, but I have no idea.

I'm not looking for specific spots, I'm mostly interested in fishing off my own property or the near vicinity.  There are a few holes in our stretch of river. We're above the hatchery if that's helpful information for targeting fish.

Any and all info is appreciated.

Also, I'm at an age where I could afford a guided trip to glean some of this info instead of spending years trying to figure it out the hard way like I did chasing salmon. If you have experience with a good guide on the Hump, that's appreciated info too. Thank you.

[BigGoonTuna]

They're mostly sea runs in there, which tend to follow the salmon up in the fall.  Most of the effort for cutthroat in that area seems to be in the lower tidewater stretches of the rivers (you'll see guys pulled off along the highway on the Hoquiam and Wishkah rivers in the fall plunking chunks of sucker meat for them), they usually call them "bluebacks".

I've caught them above the 101 bridge but I've never really targeted them in that particular river since I'm usually after steelhead or salmon.  I suspect that if they're around you'll do well with a little mepps or vibrax spinner.  Look around log jams and other cover and you should find them.

[metlhead]

A favorite that I look forward to each year. Cutts will be in the river all year but mid August is when the sea runs show up.My go to is 1/8oz spoons worked around stumps and rocks in deeper soft water adjacent good flows. I can move fast and cover lots of river. They are not shy on a first cast

[birdshooter1189]

My go to lures would be: Roostertail in 1/8oz or 1/6oz sizes.  Kastmaster "spoon?" in 1/8oz size.  Torpedo float bobber, then 24-36" leader and a fly hook. Size 12 adams or similar.

[ASHQUACK]

One if my favorite ways to target them is a nightcrawler on a single hook through the head drifted with a small split shot. Cutts are voracious feeders and will attack the worm as it floats by. I've also use a sand shrimp tail under a float and probably the single most effective is drfiting a single egg or egg colored soft bead.

[7mmfan]

Sea run Cutthroat are high up on my favorites list, they are beautiful and very aggressive and fun to catch. As has been said, mid-August on into the fall is prime time. I prefer to fish spinners for them, small #2 Mepps or Blue Fox. Roostertails work great too. Small, light spoons can be super effective. I stay away from bait because they will inhale it. Bait caught cutthroat are almost always hooked too deep to release. Fish around cover, logs, rocks, etc. Drop offs and riffles. Remember, they're ambush predators, so anywhere you can look at think something might be hiding there is likely water. I used to fish them a lot on my local river and there was a huge stump/log garden area that I could spend hours in just casting spinners to cover and catch lots of fish.

[Boss .300 winmag]

🤔

[Taco280AI]

I haven't targeted them, but have caught quite a few on nymphs down deep.

[PsoasHunter]

Lots of great info on here so far, thank you.

[finnman]

My personal favorite trout of all time.
My family settled on the banks of the Chehalis River downstream of the mouth of the Satsop River.
Raised potatoes on the south bank. My grandfather and his brothers all fished the river and streams for cutts and salmon. My favorite uncle, Toby we called him, but his name was Carl after his dad, was the die hard fisherman, he taught my dad and his brothers and us nephews an out the “giant yellow bellies” of Grays Harbor! Oh the tales!
Back then it was catching…so it was Colorado spoons or Indiana spinners with a piece of worm. Or a drifted worm under a bobber, or salmon eggs, or mepps spinners.

We had an uncle whose aunt owned a nice farm house on the banks of the Hump. We spent several years there as a family swimming and fishing for cutts and salmon. That place was a gem.

Anyway…. it’s all nostalgia now. Enjoy it while it’s there! Make memories…at the end of the day…that’s all we got.

[MeatMissile]

#1 or #2 Mepps spinners or a float and 1/16oz wooley bugger jig when using spinning gear.  On a fly rod, I like to swing streamers.

[metlhead]

Even Kwiks that don't fit!

[Mtnwalker]

There are smaller resident cuts in the hump year round but the sea run start showing up any day now. We've done well on sea run as early as mid june below the hatchery, but like others said august is prime time on through fall. One of my favorite fish as well, big time nostalgia from my youth chasing blueback with grandpa (pretty sure blueback is a local thing cause that means sockeye to most others )

[wadu1]

Back in the day I used Dick Nite spoons. The blue and chrome size 2 worked the best, cast or troll them.

[finnman]

There are smaller resident cuts in the hump year round but the sea run start showing up any day now. We've done well on sea run as early as mid june below the hatchery, but like others said august is prime time on through fall. One of my favorite fish as well, big time nostalgia from my youth chasing blueback with grandpa (pretty sure blueback is a local thing cause that means sockeye to most others )

Yer dern right! My great uncle and grandpa referred to sea runs as blue backs. Cool to hear others make local references as well! 👍🏻