In the Bucket #19 | Steelhead Spey Fishing Arts and Culture with Dec Hogan, George Cook, Scott O'Donnell, and Joseph Rossano
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Dave Stewart
4.7 • 530 Ratings
🗓️ 2 July 2025
⏱️ 116 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
#778 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/778
Presented By: Drifthook Fly Fishing, Visit Idaho, Intrepid Camp Gear
In today's episode of In the Bucket podcast, we're joined by George Cook, Dec Hogan, Scott O'Donnell, and Joseph Rossano—four deeply respected voices in spey fishing, fly culture, and steelhead conservation. With decades of experience guiding, designing flies, telling stories, and fighting for fish, this crew brings insight and emotion to every swing of the conversation.
We dig into the heavy realities facing steelhead today—closures, declining returns, and tough conversations around catch and release. George and Dec reflect on the evolution of gear and ethics from the early days of two-handers, while Scott shares hard-earned wisdom from guiding Alaska and beyond. Joseph brings an artist's lens to the discussion, weaving together fish, people, and talks about The Salmon School - one of his recent projects.
We also hear about legendary waters, once-booming runs, the responsibility of the angler, and how mentorship and storytelling can keep the heart of fly fishing alive—even as the rivers change. If you're here for history, honest talk, or a deeper connection to fish and community, this episode is for you.
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/778
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | But I'll never forget the first day. He goes, hey, we got a day off. Should we go fish in deck? |
| 0:06.4 | What? You would actually fish with me? And we went out and that guy, he fished that dry fly all day long, all day long. And he caught six fish that day on the dry line. |
| 0:18.1 | On a floating fly. Half of them were dead drifted. |
| 0:21.5 | So that whole, everything that I was intrigued about him all came to fruition. |
| 0:25.9 | And by gosh, it was true. |
| 0:27.3 | So. |
| 0:37.0 | Welcome to In the Bucket, the podcast that explores the culture of spayfishing in the Pacific Northwest, |
| 0:42.5 | a spectacular land of mountains and wild rivers, where every cast has a story to tell. |
| 0:47.1 | I'm your host, Brian Niska. |
| 0:49.8 | In today's show, we're going to talk to some true legends in the northwest spayfishing community. |
| 0:55.0 | We've got George Cook back for another episode, joined by Dech Hogan, Scott O'Donnell, and Joseph |
| 1:00.3 | Rosano. |
| 1:01.5 | I truly cannot overstate the tremendous contribution this group has made to steelhead |
| 1:05.3 | spayfishing arts and culture, spaycasting instruction, fly design, and many of the |
| 1:10.0 | tackle innovations we enjoy today. |
| 1:12.1 | This bunch has a long history of fishing together, so I'm excited to hear their stories. |
| 1:16.4 | Let's get into it. |
| 1:20.7 | Right on, folks. I am stoked for today's show. |
| 1:24.1 | We are blessed today to have George Cook, Scott O'Donnell, and Dech Hogan on In the Bucket. |
| 1:30.5 | George, why don't you go ahead and tell our listeners a little bit about yourself. |
| 1:34.2 | Well, good morning, jents. I'm George Cook. I live in Washington State, and I have been with |
| 1:40.9 | Sage Flyrod since 1987 and a rep since 1990 in Oregon, Washington, Alaska. |
... |
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