Skin in the Game with Dec Hogan

Dec Hogan is a romantic. And like all romantics his approach to life – and consequently, fishing – deals in emotions, aesthetics and relationships.

"I can still feel it now,” he says about the first steelhead he hooked. We’ve all heard those words, but for Dec it’s more than a memory of the pull on his line: it’s a feeling in his heart, and it’s a feeling that he shares with others.

Though life often takes us where we’re meant to be, the realization or actualization of that reality often lags. Such was the case for Dec. Although a keen angler, outdoorsman, birder and amateur naturalist since his early childhood in California, it took him years before he stepped into steelhead waters.

A move to western Washington in the mid-1980s, while in the Navy, opened the invitation. After arriving at the Whidbey Island base, Dec found a lifelong friend and equally-enthused and aspiring steelheader in Scott O’Donnell – nowadays a fellow spey casting instructor and steelhead guide. Following his Naval service, Dec moved to Mount Vernon, WA, thereby establishing his home waters as the ‘S-Rivers’: Puget Sound tributaries the Skagit, Sauk, Skykomish and Stillaguamish. "Big, wild, rustic, swift, and beautiful rivers filled with swing water and wild steelhead,” he recalls of those exploratory days. "My heart still pounds when I think about them."

There, two local establishments drew him deeper into the mix: predictably, the outdoor store Ed’s Sport Shop; and perhaps less so, the library. In the former, he found a steelheading mentor in Charlie Gearheart, and in the latter, he found volumes of northwest steelheading literature – from legends like Roderick Haig-Brown, Trey Combs and Bill McMillan, plus regional names like Enos Bradner, Claude Kreider and others. Dec read and re-read and, in those pages, he found feeling and beauty – and he found himself.

Finally, he was ready.

Dec’s drive and aptitude for the pursuit were apparent and magnetic, and he soon found himself within a circle of anglers now considered pioneering architects of the Pacific Northwest’s Spey Revolution. Eventually – inevitably – he was called upon to guide. What followed was nearly 15 years in the game, fishing and working nonstop on the S-Rivers, with seasonal stints in Alaska, and on the Grande Ronde and Deschutes.

Within that same small circle was a young George Cook, now the legendary and long-lived Pacific Northwest sales representative for RIO Products, Sage, Redington and other brands. "Geo" easily remembers his first personal encounter with Dec and Scott, during which they 'declared for the draft,' and informed him of their intent to become steelhead guides.  

"Dec went from being a freshman to a graduate student to a professor in a very short time," Cook remembers. "In the modern steelheading era, he’s one of the greatest in the game and possesses an intimate, effective understanding of casting, flies, fishing dynamics, river systems and history – everything."

There may have been a few who matched him, but no one beat Dec for time on the water. "At first our success was simply because of how hard we fished. Those early days seemed short, even though we’d fish from the crack of dawn until dark," Dec recalls. "I wish I could fish with myself from back then…I’d have my clients make their own sandwiches while I rowed between runs!"

His understanding of steelhead, spey casting and the great rivers of the Pacific Northwest continued to advance, and the number of meaningful, shared experiences with clients accumulated, but they didn’t come without emotional and physical sacrifices. Constant seasonal river work kept Dec away from his young family. The low-numbers, high-reward nature of steelheading required intense mental resolve and repeated, fresh ways of maintaining positivity – for himself and his clients. Working while sick or injured, and back-to-back-to-back seasons of steady exposure to extreme elements, slowly took their toll. Dec recognized he wasn’t getting younger.

More than once he reconsidered, but the people and relationships kept him going. As the years and fish encounters stacked up, Dec’s experience transformed into confidence which, in turn, resulted in the same for his clients.

"I had to get my clients to buy in and believe that if they just go with the program, everything will go great... and I am the program," Dec says with a chuckle. "From early on, I realized that the people I fished with made it all worth it. Recognizing their accomplishments – whether it’s a fish in the net, a good spey cast or fishing confidently and comfortably – brings me incredible satisfaction and joy."

Spey casting at that time was also in a period of rapid development and, armed with a few new Sage models courtesy of Cook, Dec’s abilities rocketed. "He took new spey casts in the northwest, like the Snap T, to new levels and made them prestigious," George says. "I watched Dec cast across the Kanektok in Alaska, two times in a row… while wearing Nikes on the gravel bar. And I know he did it because the fly hung in the willows both times." When Dec dislodged the fly for the second time, he kicked in a mend and the fly swung only a few feet before a bright Chinook snatched it. "By that point, his casting and guide-savvy had become truly staggering."

Seasons and years passed, and Dec’s geographic and professional callings evolved. As always, he followed his heart – this time to Utah, to be with his now-longtime wife, Amy. The move put significant distance between him and the rivers and the fish he loved, but in Utah, Dec was able to dedicate three years to writing a book. The result is a body of work now beloved by steelheaders everywhere. A Passion for Steelhead is 300-plus pages of exquisite steelheading lore, and he covers everything from flies and presentation to the take and the seasons. Inspiration runs throughout, but also a healthy dose of practicality:

Forget about shortcuts. You need river time. Maybe these are hard words for you to swallow, but there’s nothing wrong with having to pay your dues; it’s called life. Experience is the keystone to success. Everything you do associated with steelhead fishing adds to your experience bank, including reading this book.

When the chapters of his opus were complete, metaphorical chapters opened and fell in order: a career as a firefighter and EMT was a logical (and stable) next step following Dec’s training in the Navy. His calm under pressure and people skills fit the bill, and the days-on, days-off schedule allowed him to embrace another new role: teaching.

Instructing spey casting, Dec quickly learned, isn’t guiding. But with the absence or possibility of a fish in the net, he was able to connect with his students in a novel yet mutually fulfilling way. Interacting with anglers now focuses singularly on learning. Dec teaches the fundamentals of spey casting, while also tailoring his instruction for students’ interests and abilities. Equally impactful, in his classes Dec is 'just' another steelheader – he shares stories and jokes, along with his unwavering enthusiasm for fishing.

Taken altogether, we find that Dec hasn’t cut anything short. From the Navy to steelhead guiding and firefighting, where stakes, risks and rewards are high, Dec has persevered and excelled. As to time in the game – at sea, river time, time teaching others, and time on the front line – Dec stands alone. And his romanticism for the pursuit hasn’t diminished a lick.

Last winter, after 21 years of service, Dec retired from firefighting. Now 63, one might assume that his traveling-instructing days would wane, leaving more time for himself on cherished waters. But instead, his sights are focused downstream, where lies more of what makes his heart race and his fire burn: more time on the water, more instruction with friends new and old, more beauty, more feeling. More steelhead.

"It’s the world biting back," Dec says, about the grab itself. "And when it happens, the world is beautiful and complete."