We had the chance to sit down with Derek DeYoung and get to know the guy behind the art a little better. We talked fishing and painting, of course, but also stepped outside of the usual questions to get a feel for what makes Derek, Derek. Check out the full interview below.
Abel: How do you like your coffee?
DeYoung: Strong and in large quantities, no sugar… sometimes I add some milk.
Abel: What's your morning routine?
DeYoung: I head to my Studio early, prepare to paint & design on the iPad, or make changes to the Gallery showroom. Then I walk dogs with Janell and open the gallery at 11.
Abel: What’s your favorite song to play on the guitar?
DeYoung: I don’t know that many songs.. a lot of times I just mess around playing chord progressions. Lately I’ve been playing “Wagon Wheel”.
Abel: What’s your favorite fly of all time?
DeYoung: At this point in my life, I am a sucker for Dry Fly Fishing and I just love the versatility of a tan chubby size ..maybe 12 or 10. I love watching a fish come up and inhale that thing!
Abel: What fish could you exclusively paint the rest of your life?
DeYoung: Probably a Warmouth…or maybe a brown trout. Ha ha ha, of course it would have to be Brown Trout
Abel: What got you into art and painting fish species?
DeYoung: I was into art ever since I can remember. I painted my first painting with my Dad using a set of Oil Paints he had since he was in high-school. I was hooked. I began painting fish because I spent my entire childhood fishing the Bayou in front of our house and nothing sparked my imagination like fishing did.
Abel: Pets - we want to hear about the pups.
DeYoung: Janell and I currently have two small dogs. First, is Leo, the Lhasa Apso. He has been within ten feet of me for 97% of his life. In the other 3% …even closer. He can be a real asshole, but he’s very intelligent and he pretty much trained himself.
Then there is our 8 month old puppy, Scribbles. He was born to be a Gallery dog! He loves people. He’s maybe not so intelligent, but he is extremely sweet and just loves to play with his toys. When we get home from the Gallery he gets every single one of his toys out of his toy baskets. He will play with each one of them for a small amount of time before moving onto the next one. It absolutely cracks me up.
Abel: What’s one place you could fish over and over and never get tired of?
DeYoung: I look back on my angling life and there are many places that I would love to fish over and over, although I do believe variety is the spice of life and I love to explore. Given one spot, I would choose to fish in the vicinity of the 26 foot hole, Gulf Side, Big Pine Key, Florida. It has so many different types of fish. Game fish, jacks, sharks, Goliath grouper, I could be entertained there for a lifetime.
Abel: What’s one fishing moment you’ll never forget?
DeYoung: Unquestionably, I got a Keys Slam all by myself fishing in the FL keys. It started with a huge Redfish on Fly. A couple of hours later I found a school of Permit, and managed to land a small Permit on a live Blue Crab. Once I caught that, I made the run to a spot I’d been catching some Baby Tarpon, but when I pulled in, the conditions were terrible. The tide was super low and the late afternoon light made it impossible to see fish. After a few minutes, I saw one bubble hit the surface and I cast to it and it indeed was a 5 lb Tarpon letting oxygen out of its lungs and I got lucky and caught it. Is that a Keys slam? I don’t know, but it was a big day for me.
Abel: If you could go fishing anywhere tomorrow — no logistics, no limits — where are you going and what are you chasing?
DeYoung: I’m gonna answer this one based on places that I’ve fished in the past. I think if I could go fish anywhere I’ve already been tomorrow (with no logistics involved) I would go fish north of Puerto Natales, Chile. Fishing terrestrials in the spring creeks there …it is absolutely the most fun Fishing I’ve ever had. Huge brown trout smashing dry flies in creeks the width of your dining room table.. so fun!
Abel: What’s your favorite Abel reel and finish of all time?
DeYoung: My favorite Abel reel and finish would have to be the original super six N 6 weight with the brown trout copper john face artwork.
Abel: If you could design an Abel finish with absolutely no rules, what would it look like?
DeYoung: I think it would be cool to do another brown trout face with a detailed scene in the mouth of Yellowstone Park.
Abel: What’s your go-to cocktail?
DeYoung: I teeter between a good glass of Cabernet.. and a glass of whiskey and Diet Coke. I think the whiskey and Diet Coke thing came from my Dad (that’s been traditionally his drink).
Abel: What does Crafted for Chaos mean to you?
DeYoung: Having fly-fished some crazy places and had some incredibly tense moments while fighting fish, I think I have a pretty good understanding of what Abel Reels are crafted for, and what they can handle. You can’t just stop a Tarpon during it’s first run. You have to just tire it out. To do that you need a reel that you can count on that has a strong drag and a smooth drag, and eventually you’re able to flip that tarpon upside down. Then it’s time to get down, grab the leader and go for a grip on the jaw.
Rapid Fire
Abel: Brown trout or tarpon?
DeYoung: At the end of the day, Brown Trout are my favorite, but it is so darn close. I love both for different reasons. I love both for where they live & how they strike, but at the end of the day I grew up an hour and a half from the river, where the first Brown Trout in North America was planted. They are in my blood!
Abel: Dries or streamers?
DeYoung: I love to tie Streamers and I like to fish dries. If I had to choose, it would be dry flies every time. I’m getting older, I don’t need to throw a 300 grain line all day anymore although I still do it on occasion. I would prefer a day of throwing hoppers to just about anything else.
Abel: Wade or float?
DeYoung: Great question. I do both a lot (at the end of the day). I’d prefer to wade. It gives you the most intimate connection to the water you’re on and I guess that’s something that means a lot to me. If I am in a boat, the smaller the boat the better.
Abel: Sunrise or sunset?
DeYoung: I would say there’s nothing more special than fishing at sunrise, but I would take either one.
Abel: Beer or cocktail?
DeYoung: Both would be wonderful.. ice cold after a long hot day of fishing the flats, but I think at this point.. I would go cocktail.
Abel: Montana or the Keys?
DeYoung: This is a very tough call. I love both for such different reasons. I have such amazing memories and amazing fish caught in both places, but I love mountains and wildlife and I think Montana has got to be my number one pick.
Abel: One more cast or call it a day?
DeYoung: Always one more cast.. and if you get a bite on that cast, then five more. That annoys some people but it’s always been my rule.
Learn more about Derek and his art at his website and follow DeYoung on Instagram at @derek.deyoung.