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Edmond, OK: As I sit on a bass boat in a secret “honey hole” somewhere in central Oklahoma, I am watching the sun set on fisherman and country singer Devin Derrick. I think it was three casts ago that he said, “Just one more cast, and we’ll put the boat up.” After spending a day with this Nashville recording artist who was recently produced by John Carer Cash (yes folks, that’s Johnny and June’s son, but we’ll get to that later), I’m not sure which is his true passion: country music or bass fishing. He is fortunate to be able to combine the two at the upcoming Oklahoma Wildlife Expo at the Lazy E Arena. The Expo is scheduled for September 26-28, 2008. This is the fourth year the Oklahoma Wildlife Department has hosted the event. Last year over 42,000 attended. Devin is following the lead of last year’s entertainer, Blake Shelton. Blake is also a native Oklahoman and outdoors man. Devin will be speaking about some of his experiences as an outdoors man, and along with his band Devin will perform on both Saturday and Sunday.
Devin grew up in the music industry with a singer/songwriter father and a grandmother involved in many aspects of the industry. Devin laughed as he told me a story about the club his parents’ owned when he was a child. It was such as family business that at three months old, his crib was right beside the stage where they had live music six nights a week! He started his music career when his parents put him on stage at age 5 and from that point on, he was hooked (pun intended!). Believe it or not, Devin told me that even having started singing so young, he’s been fishing longer than he’s been singing.
Q&As with Devin Derrick:
Q: How often do you get a chance to fish?
A: Not often enough! I travel with several rods, and I’ve been known to research an area to find a nice farm pond and have the driver to pull the bus over so I can throw a line in. Most people are understanding since I always ask permission first. It’s a great way to relax when I’m on the road.
Q: What kind of fishing do you like?
A: I’m really into large mouth bass, but it depends on the area that I’m in.
Q: What’s the biggest fish you’ve ever caught?
A: I have a 9.5 lbs bass mounted on the wall in the tour bus. It’s a conversation piece, but it also really paints a picture of who I am.
Q: What about the one that got away?
A: Well, I could tell the story of the time I was fishing in a really overgrown mossy pond, and I cast my line right into massive.....beaver! Nope, it wasn’t what I was expecting either! It was a little crazy actually. It took off with the lure, and I wasn’t giving up my rod so I just held on. I use braided line, so it didn’t break. Strange way to test a line. Don’t worry folks, the beaver got off the line pretty quickly and I was back to catching real fish in no time.
Q: Do you have any secrets or tips that you will let the readers in on?
A: Hmmmm.... I do have some tricks up my sleeve. Let’s see, I use braided line and big hooks. You aren’t going to catch a big fish unless you use a big hook. Same goes for the strength of the line. I don’t want to loose a lunker because my line was too thin. I also keep a few different rods ready with different lures. That way I don’t have to waste time switching out lures if one isn’t working. I usually have a worm hook, a jig, and either a spinner bait or chatter bait. You can catch more fish if you are prepared. Oh, and most of all, think like a fish.
Q: Do you use any specific brands?
A: I have a few brands that I stand by. I love my reels. I use Shimano Curado reels. They are smooth. I like 6’6” graphite rods. Castaway and Falcon both have great rods that are reasonably priced. I like Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp or Gamakatsu Worm Hooks in a big 5/0 size. I like Spiderwire 50lb braided line. When I’m not on the bus, I keep my rods and tackle in a Thule cargo carrier I got from Sportsman’s Warehouse. I’m sure there’s more, but those are some of my favorites.
Q: Do you fish in many tournaments?
A: I’ve been in several, and I’ve won them all except one. I hope that I will be able to start fishing in a lot more tournaments this coming year.
Q: Tell us more about your singing career. How did you get involved with the Cash family?
A: It’s been a long process. Back in 2002, I was in Nashville. I heard a knock on the door and a man said he noticed the Oklahoma tags on the tour bus. He asked for a demo and told me he worked for Johnny Cash. I gave it to him, but didn’t think much about it until several years later. It turns out that the man really did work for Johnny and Johnny had passed along the demo to his son and asked him to follow me. It wasn’t until after Johnny had passed that I got the call from John Carter Cash saying that he was interested in producing me. It just kept getting better after that.
Q: What was it like to record at the Cash Cabin Studio?
A: It was amazing. I recorded in the same studio that Johnny Cash recorded in and his son, John Carter was on the other side of the glass. Amazing. If you’ve seen Johnny’s video for “Hurt,” you’ve seen where I was at.
Q: What is John Carter Cash like?
A: He’s a really laid back guy...unassuming. If you just met him, I doubt you’d know that he was a Grammy award winning producer. Rent the movie “Walk the Line” and go to the deleted scenes. He was in the scene where “Johnny” delivered his first record to a DJ and it broke. The DJ was John Carter. You wouldn’t recognize him in real life if you saw that scene. He’s a big guy and an outdoor enthusiast. He even has several hunting and fishing pictures on his website.
Q: Where can we get a copy of your CD “Honkytonk Mood”?
A: I’ll be sure to give you one, but the readers can order off of the website http://www.devinderrick.com or download off of sites like itunes, rhapsody, etc. It’s also in several stores like Hastings.
The sun has now almost set, and Devin is trolling us to shore. I’m a little sad to see it end. All in all I had a great day visiting with Devin Derrick talking about music and fishing, and after listening to his CD, I’m sure we’ll be hearing more of him. Speaking of hearing him, I encourage you to check out the Oklahoma Wildlife Expo. It’s the state’s largest indoor and outdoor recreation event, and in addition to hearing the Devin Derrick Band, Expo visitors will be able to fish, shoot shotguns, kayak, ride mountain bikes and ATVs, see and touch wildlife, attend dog training seminars, and have a chance to win a variety of prizes. Devin wants everyone to know, “I’m really looking forward to the Expo. Expo admission is absolutely free, so there is no excuse not to come join us.” Thanks Devin. No excuses here. Count me in!