Hardman Fishing Adventures

This is a Best of 2023 Compilation video. I made a best of 2022 compilation last year and the video did so well I figured I'd make a second one. Thanks for all of the support in 2023! Over the past year Andrew and I have had some incredible moments, and todays video is meant to capture a few of those moments and put them into one video. From New York to West Virginia, and all of the way out to California, this video has a little bit of everything. I just wanted to take a moment to thank you guys for all of the support in 2023. It took me a little over 3 years to hit 10 million views and then in just one year we have 6 million and counting. You're the best! I hope you have a happy holidays and a wonderful new year!! Lets see what 2024 brings us. #trout #troutfishing #flyfishing #fishing #outdoors #compilation

I caught a big brown trout while fly fishing with a streamer! #trout #troutfishing #outdoors #nature

Kokanee Salmon, Which are the landlocked version of the sockeye salmon, were first introduced to Colorado back in 1951. They are found in approximately 26 lakes and reservoirs across the state. Unlike trout, Kokanee salmon spawn only once in their lifetimes, they make their migration after reaching maturity which takes approximately 3-5 years, where they migrate up the river, spawn, and then die shortly there after. They can even begin the decay as they're still alive leading to some frightening looking fish. Thanks to the vigilant efforts of the state of Colorado the Kokanee population is stable leading to some incredible fishing opportunities. Let me know your opinions on foul hooking fish down below! I hope you enjoyed the videos and thanks for watching!

Streamer fishing is all about time on the water, the big fish are out there, it's just whether or not all the right factors come together at the right time for you to trick one of these wise fish into eating your fly. Most of the time things don't go your way, but when they finally do, suddenly all that time spent becomes worth it. And on this trip that was the case with Andrew landing a 24 inch brown trout. When catching one of these giant brown trout you know that decision to tie on that streamer was the right one and the chance you took that day paid off. I hope you guys enjoy this video, thanks for watching. #fishing #troutfishing #flyfishing

SHOULD YOU FISH FOR TROUT DURING THE SPAWN? Troutbitten Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2h99YzHLgIwbEMTDu9n6ZG Brown trout have a way of making anglers lose their minds. There aren’t many other fish on the planet that can cause such division among the anglers that chase them. The passion these fish seem to invoke in people is probably part of the reason that they’ve been so successful, with brown trout living from Georgia, to Maine, and all of the way out to Rocky mountains and the Sierras. These fabled fish are arguably not only the most popular trout in the US, but also the world. Okay so let’s not beat around the bush… This video was filmed on October 15th. And I know some of you are already hopping on your keyboard to leave a comment about how I shouldn’t be fishing because of the spawn… Which is exactly what I plan on talking about in this video. But before we go to far lets go over a brief timeline of the brown trout spawn. The fish generally start pairing up anywhere between September and October as they push up the creeks or look for their favorite spawning gravel. The spawn itself, or at least what most people consider the spawn, then starts and usually goes from November into December before a majority of the fish are done. Once the fish are done spawning the eggs sit on the nests, or redds for several months before they hatch. The fry then hatch and dodge predators for the rest of their lives pretty much. Now obviously this happens differently across the US, with some fish spawning as early as October or as late as February in some tail-waters. But the general timeline you need to know is the fish pair up, spawn, and leave the eggs on the redds throughout the winter months. In other words the spawn is a long drawn out process. I’d just like to say that I am in no way advocating for anyone to fish while the trout are spawning, and in some areas it’s even illegal. HOWEVER I think that education is far more important than making blanket statements about what people should and should not do, and I find it hilarious with some of the hypocrisies that we as anglers tolerate, and even spread, without putting much thought into it. And one of them is what I just mentioned.. people avoiding November only to fish December and January.. or whenever post spawn is where you fish. When in reality I could argue that running through a redd post spawn is not only more detrimental because they all should theoretically have eggs on them, but the redds are also more difficult to identify during that time of the year because of sedimentation and other factors. Not only that but the brown trout this time of year are skinny, worn out, and generally in bad shape after spawn. So if you’re going to take the moral high ground and not fish for spawning brown trout, you should probably take the winter off too. The next hilarious point I’m going to make is rainbow trout… and how literally nobody cares. I mean spring time is when the highest volume of anglers are on the water, which perfectly coincides with when the peak spawn is for rainbow trout, and even cutthroat if you live out west. Yet nobody says you can’t fish in the spring? Not once have I read a comment about how I’m fishing during the rainbow trout spawn? But here I am catching rainbow trout after rainbow trout, struggling to keep them off of my fly. Also let’s not forget that during the spring is when a high majority of the baitfish spawn, such as suckers and chubs, which are the main forage for brown trout. So you’d think if we loved brown trout so much we’d care about their forage too right? I know this is ridiculous but I’m trying to make a point. What it comes down to is that if you truly wanted to leave wild trout alone and let them spawn without interruption, you wouldn’t be fishing from October to May, and then with water temps becoming an issue you really shouldn’t be fish a lot of rivers in July and August. Which leaves… let me check.. June and September? This assumes you have both wild rainbow trout and wild brown trout in your river system, or some similar combination, But my point stays the same. I think us as anglers, especially fly anglers who practice catch and release, feel we have some moral high ground while fishing and that we do no harm. But in reality fishing, much like hunting, is an activity where we are inherently effecting the fish in a negative way. So I think we all need to take a deep breath, relax, and let people enjoy these fish. And if you love them so much that you feel the need to only fish for 2 months out of the year, then more power to you. But as long as people are following the laws and regulations let them have fun and try to educate rather than demean them. Because the more people we have enjoying fishing the more people we have to protect the fish when the time comes. Thanks for watching. #fishing #troutfishing #flyfishing

Fly Fishing North Carolina and Virginia for Brook Trout, Brown Trout, and Rainbow Trout! The southern range of the Appalachians has been one of my favorite places I’ve ever visited. It’s just a slightly more extreme version of the mountains I call home, with peaks towering well over 6000 feet in elevation. The water flowing through these deep hollows and ravines is cold, incredibly clear, and holds an abundance of wild trout. It’s been over a year since I last fished North Carolina, or anywhere in the southeast for that matter. So when I saw a 3 day weekend on the horizon I messaged my buddy Micah and asked if he’d be interested in doing a little back country camping trip… and before I knew it we were pulling into the parking lot, packing our backpacks, and hiking into the mountains. Southern Appalachia has some of the most impressive waterfalls I’ve seen on the east coast. So one of our goals for the day was to make it up to a set of falls that I had marked on my map. We ended up making it to several sets of waterfalls, all of them impressive in their own right. One of the best parts of camping is the serenity of waking up hearing the wind whistling through the trees, and creek flowing over the rocks. Having no cell service is always a blessing and enables you to get away from the fast pace of the world we live in today. Spending this long weekend in the mountains is good for the soul. We ended up catching 3 species of wild trout. We caught a native brook trout, a wild rainbow trout, and a wild brown trout. All on the fly and all caught in the Appalachian mountains of the southeaster United States. Fly Fishing in the Southeastern United States is always a treat. I think after watching this video you’d probably come to a similar opinion as I did after finishing this trip. And that was that the fishing wasn’t the greatest… but getting away for a weekend and spending it in the mountains of southern Appalachia is good for the soul. Of course we didn’t catch anything large, and I could use a dozen different excuses like low water, spawn, or the fact that we were fishing during the first major cold front of the year. But even in perfect conditions the fish don’t always cooperate. So I think it’s important to be able to have fun regardless of how the fishing goes and to enjoy your time in the mountains. I truly hope you enjoyed this video, and if you’d like to see more like it let me know down in the comments. And as always, thanks for watching. #troutfishing #flyfishing #fishing #camping

Fly Fishing for pre spawn Brook Trout! This is fly fishing at it's finest. Fall in the Appalachian Mountains is magical. The air cools, the water temperature drops, and the brook trout come alive and start moving up the creeks to prepare to spawn. As the leaves change colors… so do the brook trout. And it could be argued that there is no more beautiful fish in the world. The patterns on a native brook trout are mesmerizing and their colors are incredible. I will often times state the opinion that the brook trout is the most beautiful fish on earth. But I want to specify that not all brook trout have the ability to carry that title. Most stocked brook trout, and even the brook trout I’ve seen out west, couldn’t sit in the same room with a native Appalachian brook trout. The blue halos, pumpkin orange bellies, and pink spots set these fish apart from the rest. There is truly nothing else like it. This video was dedicated to the native Appalachian brook trout, which in most areas in the northeast have started spawning by now. In other words it’s best to leave them alone for a month or two just to let them do their thing, so that there are plenty of brook trout in the streams for years to come. These fish are the gems of the Appalachians and should be treated as such. Thanks for watching! #troutfishing #flyfishing #fishing

Fly Fishing with Streamers for BIG Brown Trout!! I was trudging up the creek completely miserable… and quite honestly I should have turned around a half hour ago. At this point I was so wet that I couldn’t keep the water from running into my eyes, my hoodie weighed twice what it had at the beginning of the day, and I might as well have been wet wading. I was becoming increasingly cold but this wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling. The more miserable I became the better I felt like my chances were of finding what I was after. So I kept pushing, and then, almost as if the fish wanted to reward me for my stupidity, I happened. As usual, on this particular day of streamer fishing I was playing the weather. With the pressure beginning to drop and a major storm front pushing in I knew I had to be on the water. It was one of those days where at some point the bigger fish would have to become active, I just wasn’t sure when. As I fished hole after hole I began to lose confidence… then, as if someone flipped a switch, I started seeing brown trout in almost every likely spot. After a handful of nice fish I figured I better grab the gorpro and document how insane the day had become. I hope you enjoyed this video, it was much less story driven and much more action oriented. Those were some of the most incredible streamer eats I’ve ever personally put into one video, and I think you’d be hard pressed to find any video anywhere with as many cool eats. Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you on the next one. #flyfishing #troutfishing #fishing

Fly Fishing Yosemite National Park!! It’s not too often that you see something that is so breathtaking that it almost defy’s belief. And as one of America’s most popular National Parks, Yosemite has a way of defying belief over and over and over again. Whether it’s the towering granite cliffs of Yosemite valley, the 2400+ foot waterfalls, or the ancient giant sequoias this park has a way of making you feel small. I’ll be honest, Andrew and I just wanted to visit the Yosemite because I mean… who doesn’t? Of course there was no way we weren’t going to be fishing while we were there. So we decided to see how many creeks we could catch trout out of while we were visiting the park. With absolutely no knowledge of what type of trout would even be in the creeks and rivers of Yosemite, we were going in blind. BUT it didn’t take long to get on the board. In between creeks we decided to check out the mariposa grove of Giant sequoias because seeing these trees has been on our bucket list for as long as I can remember. And they didn’t disappoint. These giant sequioas are incredible and something you have to see to truly understand how impressive they are. Each tree needs at least 500 gallons of water a day, can live well over 3,000 years, and their bark grows up to 3 feet thick to protect them from fires. There’s just nothing else quite like them. After we decided to stop staring at giant trees we finally got back to fishing… As we entered Yosemite valley I realized why so many people visited this national park. These granite cliffs are mind blowing, and no picture or video will ever do it justice. It is one of, if not the most impressive thing I’ve seen in nature. From El Capitan to the half dome, it has to be one of the most impressive valley’s on earth. It’s hard to find the words to describe how small you feel as you’re staring almost directly above you to see the tops of these towering cliffs. It’s breathtakingly beautiful and something everyone should get to experience at least once in their lives. And just like that our California trip was over. We managed to catch 5 different native species to California and visit one of America’s most iconic national parks. This was one of the most difficult, but also most rewarding trips I’ve ever been on. We hiked over 100 miles in one week and got a taste of what the Sierra’s have to offer. I sincerely hope you enjoyed this series and as always, Thanks for watching. #yosemite #flyfishing #outdoors #fishing

Fly Fishing California for Lahontan Cutthroat Trout!! Redd's Flies: https://reddsflies.com The Lahontan Cutthroat is a unique fish. It’s the largest of the trout species native to North America, can survive in temperatures pushing 78 degrees, and can live in saltwater… something you wouldn’t think a landlocked trout could do. Having originated in the high deserts this is one unique looking trout, so when we had to hike another 4 miles to find some open water we didn’t complain too much. But this creek was tiny.. so small in fact that at first glance we couldn’t see the water because of the overhanging grass. But when we came up to a Culvert crossing we immediately saw trout. That was some genuine excitement. Andrew then proceeded to sit down and drift the fly through the culvert and caught yet another cutthroat. These fish had either never seen fly in their life or there are so many that they felt the need to eat anything that touched the water. And these fish were big for the size of water they were living in… which is not surprising considering they can quit literally grow in excess of 40 pounds in lakes and rivers. But it didn’t stop there, this ended up being some of the most ridiculous fishing we’ve ever had. You can’t help but to feel fortunate when you’re plucking trout after trout out of a tiny little creek like this one. I’ve had some hard days of fishing, but this definitely wasn’t one of them. It made the hike up to this section of water worth every second. We honestly fished for less than 2 hours and felt like we had caught enough fish to last a lifetime, most of which we didn’t even put in the video. These Lahontan Cutthroat trout were some of the prettiest cutthroat trout I’ve personally ever caught. But to be honest this day was kind of a warmup.. because we knew that day 6 in California was going to find us hiking into the middle of nowhere in an attempt to catch the RAREST trout on earth. That’s right folks, you won’t want to miss the next video. #troutfishing #california #fishing #flyfishing #outdoors

Fly Fishing for the California Golden Trout!! Redds Flies: https://reddsflies.com It’s not often you get to mark something off your bucket list. But finally, After 2500 miles of travel, over 20 miles of hiking, and 2 days in the wilderness… Andrew and I were going to be doing just that. The California golden trout is arguably one of the most vibrantly colored and incredible trout on the planet and just being within their native range was something that seemed like a pipe dream only a few years earlier. Day 3 in California had us hiking up a mountain in the middle of the Sierra’s on a quest to finally land one of the most legendary species of trout. After going on probably the most scenic 3 mile hike of the entire trip, we reached the first spring creek of the day. This particular creek I had almost no information on, but couldn’t figure out why there wouldn’t be golden trout in it. This is what we like to call blue lining, which is essentially just fishing a blue line on a map with no real expectation of what would be in it. The worst case scenario there were no fish and we would head up to the more famous golden trout waters. And the Best case scenario was we find a hidden gem and catch our first ever California golden trout. We had done it. The legendary California golden trout that we had put so high on a pedestal was now yet another fish to land in our net. After finding the spring head on that stream we decided we’d hit a handful of other creeks within a close hiking distance. That landed us in some of the most incredible country we’d had the chance to fish this far in California. It’s hard not to fall in love with the variation of color on these little pieces of California gold. The second creek produced fish arguably even more incredible than the first… and after catching more than a few fish we decided to hit yet another spring fed creek. I figured we might as well catch fish in a few different areas to get a true taste of what the California golden trout had to offer… and this stream had some of the most incredibly clear water I had ever seen That creek was short but sweet. For some reason stalking through the bushes and site fishing has always been among my favorite ways to target trout.. and to do it in this pristine stream for the California golden trout was a surreal experience that I will never forget. After we finished fishing that stream we decided we had energy for one more creek, which was yet another unique stream all of it’s own. 4 creeks, 16 miles, and a set of priceless memories. And just like that the day had come to an end. There’s a weird euphoric feeling you get when you accomplish a goal that you’ve held for so long. The blissful happiness of the moment almost feels bittersweet, and before long you’re heading back down the mountain. As the memory quickly begins to fade I always set my sites on a new goal. Because without something to work towards I feel a sense of emptiness. Spending this time with my brother has also become more important to me as we get older. He now lives across the country so the time we spend together dwindles ever smaller year after year. The days of fishing together nonstop are over, and it signals the end of an era. So I couldn’t care less if this video got 0 views, because I can promise you I would come back and watch this video time and time again just to experience what we got to enjoy on that mountain in the middle of nowhere California. Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed the video leave a comment and let me know! #trout #troutfishing #fishing #outdoors #california

Fly Fishing California for the Kern River Rainbow Trout! Kern River rainbow trout are native to the Kern River and it's tributaries, from Lake Isabella upstream to the headwaters. In this video Andrew and I (Jon Hardman) attempt to catch this incredible native rainbow trout. After hiking around 14 miles we reached the upper end of the Kern River and made the realization that the river was high. This made the fishing very difficult. We were able to pick off a few of the kern river rainbow trout in the main river, including a really nice one. But we were saved by a small tributary towards the end of the day that produced multiple rainbow trout, including one particularly colorful specimen. This adventure was as much about the trout themselves as it was about the rugged wilderness of California's back country. This area is rough and unforgiving. We ended up running into 3 black bears and 2 rattlesnakes on day 2 alone. I think sometimes you downplay the situation you're in. In this case being 20 miles in the wilderness with black bears and rattlesnakes slithering through camp. Realistically one wrong step could have not only ended the trip, but ended our lives. It's something that we choose to ignore when we go on this back country type adventures, but is always a very real threat. But it's easy to ignore that when you know the legendary California golden trout is on the mountain just above camp. I hope you enjoyed this wilderness adventure, thanks for watching. #troutfishing #trout #california #flyfishing #outdoors #adventure

In this video my brother Andrew and I go fishing for one of California's Native trout... The Little Kern Golden Trout. Check out Redd's Flies: https://reddsflies.com Used Code "HFA" for 15% off your next order! Believe it or not this adventure starts around 5 years ago when the California golden trout first made it on to my “bucket list” of fish I wanted to catch before I died. Although the golden trout has been spread to several other western states, I knew that I wanted my first golden trout to actually be caught in it’s native range. Thus, the idea for the California trip was born. The more research I did, the more insane the idea of the trip became. Fishing around the highest peak in the continental US, walking through the forest with some of the oldest living organisms found in the world, and standing amongst the towering giant sequoias was just the tip of the ice burg. The challenges we had to overcome, the dangers we tiptoed around, and the pure adventure we something neither of us could’ve ever been prepared for. Trout fishing California was a little different than I expected. The ruggedness of the country we entered into was second to none. We backpacked into the wilderness and hiked around 11 miles on day number one. Now some of you may be thinking “hey that just looks like a rainbow trout” and essentially you’re right. You see the only difference between the little kern golden and the kern river rainbow is a barrier on the lower end of the little kern. In other words they’re essentially the same fish that have just been separated for a few thousand years. Having said that, The Little Kern Golden was supposed to exhibit some California golden trout type colors which we just weren’t seeing. So in an attempt to catch a more vibrantly colored fish we decided to head up a tributary, which ended up working perfectly. I hope everyone enjoyed this backcountry trout fishing adventure! Don't forget to leave a comment and let me know what you thought. #california #troutfishing #outdoors #fishing #flyfishing

In this video Andrew finds a small spring creek flowing through the mountains of Colorado. The spring creek ended up being loaded with brown trout making for an exciting day of fishing. If you enjoy these small creek videos let us know in the comments below. Thanks for watching!

In this video I attempted to catch the WILD TRIFECTA, aka catching a rainbow trout, brown trout, and brook trout. All of which must be wild, stream born fish. And to make it even more interesting I was able to do it out of one SMALL STREAM!! Doesn't get much better than that! Trout fishing the Appalachian mountains is a blast! Thanks for watching. #flyfishing #fishing #troutfishing #outdoors #nature

Dan's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DownstreamDownrange New York is known as the birth place of fly fishing in the US and a state I’ve had my eyes on for a while. Between the Catskills, the Adirondacks, and everything in between, New York has an overwhelming amount of good trout water. Recently I was able to spend 3 days fly fishing and exploring New York, and it did not disappoint. In this video I spent 3 days exploring New York, which wasn't nearly enough time. On Day one I was able to tour the @CortlandLineCompany facility and see how the fly line and tippet is made along with some of their other line and gear. On day two I floated a well known tailwater and struggled big time, which I guess comes with the territory. You can't always catch big fish when visiting a new state. Either way it was fun and I should give a huge shout out to Chris and Matt over at cortland for showing me around. On day 3 I decided to make the trip up to the Adirondacks just to visit an area I have had on my bucket list for a long time. The Adirondacks are a special place, and getting to fly fish for New York's state fish, the native brook trout, and catch a few was a blessing. The weather fought me the entire way but that's why they call it fishing I guess. I was also able to Catch a few little wild brown trout which was an extra treat. Thank you so much for watching and I'll catch you on the next video! #trout #troutfishing #flyfishing #outdoors #newyork

In this video Andrew is back fishing out west in a unique creek containing many beaver ponds leading to some diverse and interesting fishing conditions. With snow falling in the middle of June and a rod breaking mid day, many trials were faced. Four species of trout were still managed to be caught however, leading to a productive and fun day of fishing. Andrew should be back soon with more western content. I hope everyone enjoys the video and thanks for watching! #flyfishing #troutfishing #nature

FLY FISHING FOR HUGE BROOK TROUT It’s hard to describe to some people why a 12 inch native brook trout is impressive. I think I sound like a broken record when I say that usually a brookie fishing trip is as much about the location as it is the fish… but every now and then you’ll catch a brook trout that is worthy of legendary status. In the case of a fish I affectionately named “Goliath 2” both the adventure and the fish are equally as legendary. And yes, I named the fish after the original Goliath from 2 years ago which people still ask me about to this day. The original Goliath was never caught, so when I found this big brook trout in the middle fo the wilderness I was determined to catch it. After an hour of fishing Goliath 2 hit the net. Fly fishing for these backcountry brook trout is always a pleasure. I still feel lucky to have caught that fish. For whatever reason that day my hookup ratio was garbage and it seemed like Goliath 2 was the only real success story of the day. I hiked a total of 10 miles essentially to catch that fish, which was worth it. But to pretend like I was struggling on my hike out would be a lie. I hope you all enjoyed the story and as always, thanks for watching. #trout #troutfishing #fishing #flyfishing

Everyone has a big fish story or two. For a fish to make it to legendary proportions they learn the intricacies of every current seem, they’ve seen everything anglers have thrown their way, and they are the kings of their domain. These big fish don’t give up opportunities at them often… Which is why every fisherman cherish’s the moments spent with each one… and I’m no different. These are my big fish stories. The story of "Knee Knocker" is out now! #fishing #shorts #flyfishing #outdoors #nature

I posted a new film about my trip to Colorado last year. I spent 8 days fly fishing and filming in the Rocky Mountains. Go check it out and let me know what you think! #troutfishing #outdoors #nature #hiking #adventure

In this video I went trout fishing in the wilderness for native brook trout! These little fish rarely get over 10 inches but live in some of the most beautiful areas on earth. I was able to catch 2 brook trout pushing 12 inches in one small fishing trip, which is pretty incredible. Fly fishing fro theses little fish often results in some frustrating days on the water, especially when you're exploring new areas. I hope you enjoyed this trout fishing POV video! Thanks for watching. #fishing #troutfishing #flyfishing