What Is Humpy Hollow? The Pink Salmon Hotspot Explained

Humpy Hollow is a name known by Puget Sound anglers — even if you won’t find it on a navigation chart. It refers to the stretch of water between Mukilteo and the southern tip of Whidbey Island, running roughly from Possession Point to the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry line. It's technically part of Possession Sound, but locally it’s better known by its nickname — Humpy Hollow — thanks to the millions of pink salmon (aka humpies) that migrate through every odd-numbered year on their way to the Snohomish, Stillaguamish, and Skagit Rivers. We’ll dive into their biology and run timing in a future post.

Running about 4.5 miles long and plunging to depths of 600 feet, this stretch of water offers some of the most accessible and productive nearshore salmon fishing in western Washington.

This site is built around Humpy Hollow but also includes coverage of Possession Sound, the nearby hotspot Possession Bar, and other launch points into the Central Basin and Admiralty Inlet. Together, these areas make up one of the most diverse and exciting fisheries in Puget Sound.

Beyond pink salmon, the broader area offers incredible opportunities to target:

• Coho and Chinook
• Lingcod
• Dogfish
• Sand dabs (flounder)
• Dungeness and red rock crab
• Spot prawns
• Squid

This blog — The Hollow Log — is part fishing journal, part resource hub. It’s a place to share what makes this fishery special and help more people enjoy it the right way.

Stick around. The fish are closer than you think.

— Josh