Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 2 is my conversation with Will Taylor, a guide who splits time between North Georgia and Naples, Florida and is catching some of the biggest trout in the Southeast around Blue Ridge in Fannin County. We met through Instagram, fished together in the Keys, and recorded this right after. Will and I dig into the giant trout fisheries of North Georgia, how social media reshaped fishing, the future of fishing content, and how he is building his guiding career.
Listen now: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube · Press play in the player above to watch.
Will Taylor is a fishing guide who divides his time between North Georgia and Naples, Florida. He is known for guiding for unusually large trout in the Blue Ridge area of Fannin County, Georgia, which the state has endorsed as the trout capital of Georgia. He built his guiding business largely through Instagram and is focused on developing North Georgia into a true trout fishing destination.
Will guides in the Blue Ridge, Georgia area in Fannin County, which has been endorsed by the state as the trout capital of Georgia. Anglers there can drift the Toccoa, throw big streamers for browns on the Hiwassee, or chase big fish in small creeks, which is Will's personal favorite. He emphasizes private fisheries and conservation managed by a whole community of guides, not just one person.
Will and Tom talk about the mystique of North Georgia water, including the Soque River, where trout grow to remarkable sizes. Tom notes there seems to be something special about the mineral content, water, or insect life of that region, because feeding trout elsewhere does not produce the same growth. Will agrees the water and the type of fishery are a big part of it.
Will built his business primarily through Instagram and Snapchat, posting daily content from wherever he is fishing. He explains that the platform let him show people his fisheries and products and develop relationships that led to opportunities, including fishing with Tom in the Keys. He stresses there is a delicate balance between posting enough content and annoying your audience.
Will's point is that you do not have to deprive yourself of trout fishing all year waiting for a Western trip. He has had clients in tears thanking him for saving them thousands of dollars because they caught a 30-inch brown in Georgia and were at a Braves game two hours later. He still values the Western experience but argues the Southeast has world-class trout closer to home.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 2 with Will Taylor is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
This one started the way a lot of my favorite trips have lately: I found Will on Instagram, saw the trout he was catching in North Georgia, reached out, and we ended up fishing together in the Keys. We recorded this right after. What got me was the size of the fish he is catching in a part of the country most people overlook for trout, and the fact that he is building something bigger than a guide business there. He is trying to turn his community into a real destination, and I wanted to hear how, and where he thinks fishing content is headed.
Press play in the YouTube player above to hear it.
Will makes the case that you do not have to fly to Montana to catch a giant brown. He paints the picture of Blue Ridge and Fannin County, the Toccoa and the Hiwassee, and his favorite game of chasing big fish in small creeks. He also talks about the drought years that hit those fisheries hard. Hear him describe the water in the episode.
There is a mystique to the North Georgia fisheries, including the Soque, where trout reach sizes you do not see elsewhere. We get into why that might be, from mineral content to insect life, and why simply feeding trout somewhere else does not produce the same fish. Listen to that section.
Will is candid that Instagram is the engine behind his guiding. He talks about the daily grind of content, the balance of posting enough without burning people out, and how the platform put his fisheries in front of millions of eyes. We compare notes on how each platform behaves differently. Worth hearing in full.
Will and his circle constantly debate where the fishing industry is going, and his answer is that anglers themselves now control it. He talks about catch and release, conservation, and the responsibility that comes with putting your fishery in front of a huge audience. Press play in the player above for the full conversation.
Listen to the full conversation: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · or watch in the YouTube player above.
What I keep coming back to with Will is that he is proof you can build a real fishing destination almost anywhere if the fish are there and you are willing to tell the story. He is catching Western-sized trout a couple hours from Atlanta and bringing a whole community along with him.
If you have been saving up for a far-off trout trip, Will's story might change where you point the truck this season. Listen to the whole thing.
Press play in the player above, or grab Episode 2 on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Will Taylor · Blue Ridge, Georgia · Fannin County · Soque River · Toccoa River · Hiwassee River · Naples, Florida · Tom Rowland (host) · Saltwater Experience
The Tom Rowland Podcast brings you long-form conversations with the most accomplished anglers, hunters, conservationists, and outdoor professionals in the game. Listen to every full-length Tom Rowland Podcast interview.
Will Taylor is a fishing guide based between North Georgia and Naples, Florida, known for guiding clients to exceptionally large trout in the Blue Ridge area of Fannin County, the state-endorsed trout capital of Georgia. He built his guiding business and audience through social media, with a focus on developing the North Georgia region into a true trout fishing destination through private fisheries, conservation, and community-driven management.
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