Scott Low: The Trout Guide Who Plays the Blues

Scott Low used to drink for free in every bar from Athens to Atlanta, until he traded the whiskey bottle for a fly rod. Now he guides trout, plays the blues, and runs a camp in Clayton, Georgia that he calls borderline a charity. On The Foam is Home, Firstwater's fly fishing and craft beer podcast, host Nathan Schieber sits down with Scott at Hatch Camp, his private trout water and music stage, recorded on the anniversary of Hurricane Helene. They talk about partying with Larry Bell in Kalamazoo, burning out after a thousand guide trips, why $500 for four hours keeps people off the water, and what Helene did to the river one year later. Scott closes it out with a song from his new record, The Grateful Blues. Join the Outsiders: https://firstwater.tv/outsiders IN THIS EPISODE How Bell's Brewery and Kalamazoo shaped a blues musician Why Scott traded the whiskey bottle for a fly rod Why a thousand guide trips burned him out, and how he's finding the magic again Why $500 for four hours of fishing keeps people off the water What Hurricane Helene did to Hatch Camp one year later CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:04 Kalamazoo, Bell's, and old school craft beer 1:17 Partying with Larry Bell 3:57 Coming up in the Michigan music scene 7:59 Eleven years dry 9:33 Trout Bum Troubadour 9:54 Burning out on guiding 10:38 You have to feel it 12:37 Learn it all to forget it 14:42 Getting ghosted by Hollywood 15:26 Blues is trauma 19:26 Beer, music, and things you can't recreate 22:13 Euro nymphing is a cane pole 23:56 If the grid goes down 25:31 Hurricane Helene, one year later 33:58 What the creek looked like before us 35:25 What it really means to guide 36:07 Fly fishing should be for everyone 36:54 The $500 guide trip problem 41:44 Appalachian Tai Chi 43:18 The Grateful Blues 44:32 What Hatch Camp is for 51:59 Love thy neighbor 53:01 Let your kids get dirty 57:41 Go find wild fish 59:00 Bigfoot and zombie flamingos 1:04:01 Minglewood Blues, live MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Scott Low music: https://scottlowsongs.com/ Hatch Camp:   / hatchcamp   Bell's Brewery: https://bellsbeer.com FISH WITH US North Georgia trout, blue lines, and wild browns: https://firstwater.tv/outfitter#our-b... PROTECT THE WATER Trout Unlimited: https://www.tu.org These folks protect the rivers we fish. Throw them a few bucks. FIRSTWATER Firstwater is an outdoor culture company built on fishing, storytelling, and good company. Watch more: https://firstwater.tv Questions: hello@firstwater.tv For Those Outside. #FlyFishing #CraftBeer #TheFoamIsHome