Catching a SUPER RARE TROUT?? (Threatened Species Pt 1) || THE COLORADO SERIES

[@mountaingoatgreg1691]

That water looks sooo clear. A sight fishing dream as long as the wind stays down. Casting to rising trout is always a blast!

[@hardmanfishing]

Yep it doesn't get much better! Fishing these high elevation lakes is just on another level of fun. Thanks for watching Greg!

[@flyfishincrazy]

My son, my dad and I went out to CO in 99 to fish for Greenback cutthroat in the Sawatch area. Was incredible. Even saw a wolf. Great video that brought back great memories.

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you!! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video.

[@estebencampos146]

Wolves have been gone since the 40’s. It was probably a coyote

[@flyfishincrazy]

@@estebencampos146 may have been

[@allosaurus5771]

my balls hurt

[@that_guy_297]

​@estebencampos146 lies. The west coast has wolves.

[@christopherbrooks8561]

Support Trouts Unlimited! They are a big Labor & money resource for these exact initiatives.

[@hardmanfishing]

You're preaching to the choir! I am a part of Trout Unlimited back home. I know how much work goes into trout on the east coast and I can only imagine what its like in Colorado.

[@chinooks_]

I recommend wetting your hands more than you do in that vid, like a full hand dunk, trout have very sensitive skin and if its a threatened species and ur gonna release it after, make sure ur hand is completely dipped and wet before handling it

[@kayleydorey6798]

agreed

[@guyswithflies2034]

use the net! shouldn’t be bouncing fish off rocks either.

[@tightliningmd]

I like the history in the background man. Glad this video is doing so well for you man. Well deserved my guys. So awesome to see you thriving out West. Great job making a real treat. Awesome to see the versatility. I can't wait to get to the point where I can travel west and fish. Very excited for the opportunity. Keep going gentlemen and tight lines!

[@hardmanfishing]

Thanks Mike! Fishing out west is such a blast but it is completely different than what we are used too. I hope you get out there one day and have just as successful of a trip as we did!

[@michaelsmith7193]

Wow, what amazing fish and beautiful habitat! Delighted you guys are having such a great adventure - and happier still that you’re sharing it with us!

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you so much for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed our adventure.

[@waikarimoana]

Great video and thanks for showing us your part of the world, thumbs up and greetings from New Zealand.

[@hardmanfishing]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Hopefully I can make it out to New Zealand one day. Thanks for watching!

[@bellabear653]

@@hardmanfishing while you are in that part of the world go fish Tasmania in Australia for some large browns as well. N.Z has great fishing and Tasmania is great for fly fishing for browns.

[@kevinkeller6898]

Great video. THANKS for handling and releasing these spectacular fish so carefully and quickly, and for using good nets. You are great examples!

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you! The fish are the number one priority in the videos. Thanks for watching!

[@Michael65429]

How many times did you bounce that first one off the rocks? Disgusting... just unsubscribed. Really disappointed with you guys, purposefully fishing for an endangered species and now more people are gonna want to do the same. Not cool guys 😡

[@williamkaylor1191]

Agreed. Harrumph!

[@robleary3353]

Trout fishing by fly is always a special thing to do. The preperation, the enticement to take your fly, that anticipation when you land the perfect cast in front of the fish your going for and then having caught it, not having the heart to keep it and return it. Nice vid guys. Maddog Melbourne Australia

[@jarrettlandreth285]

Those are some beautiful trout in some beautiful country, Rocky Mountain alpine lake and stream fly fishing is so surreal, do it once and you’re hooked for life! Makes me miss Colorado man

[@hardmanfishing]

I'm definitely hooked man! It was such an amazing experience and I can't wait to do it again. Thanks for watching!

[@caseymcclure9683]

One of the best videos I've seen. Been having a rough day today and seeing this put the first smile of the day on my face. Thank you and I'm glad you guys had a wonderful time! Greenback Cutthroat are jewels!

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you video could help you get through a rough day. I hope all is well. Greenback cutthroat are amazing and officially one of my favorite fish to catch!

[@danielhornick7684]

These guys are by far the best I've seen, I've been fishing for wild trout for 30yrs in wv n va I've never seen anything quite like they do

[@altonwilliams7117]

Nice!👍 They are scrappy little fighters. We saw cutthroat trout whipping up on a big rainbow trout and running it out of their little territory.

[@OpportunityFishing]

Heck yeah! Looks like you guys did it right. Greenback are probably the prettiest cutthroat, but the Colorado River and Snake River Cutts are much larger on average in my experience. Great video looking forward to the next one.

[@hardmanfishing]

We caught some Colorado River Cutthroat... but they're not out until next week. But thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@hydraxc2478]

I've caught only Bear Lake and Bonneville Cutthroat. The Bear Lake cutthroat were all quite large. Maybe 2 to 6 pounds on average. Never caught a small one. Bonneville Cutthroat were much smaller.

[@hardmanfishing]

@@rudyb5553 Lohantons are the enormous cutthroat! They're definitely on my bucket list.

[@vonster22]

The largest and wildest trout that I have caught since living and rafting the Rockies is the Big Horn River...But its all good....

[@benstiles5765]

Amazing video guys, super excited for you guys to get a chance to fish for such a rare and special trout nevermind to catch them in native habitat , that's so cool. Amazing amazing fish ty so much for sharing this video . Can't wait to see what you got coming up next. Thanks again guys

[@hardmanfishing]

I'm glad you liked the video! It was so fun to make the video and I'm just glad I can share it with you guys!

[@AnotherFishingAdventure]

Gorgeous river and fish! That is an amazing adventure. Video editing is on point😎

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you so much!! Glad you enjoyed the adventure

[@lauragrimany3515]

Cuttrout are the treasure of the rockies. I love them

[@nativesflyfishing8779]

Awesome video. So happy you got to meet up with our boy Matt. He is the Colorado cutthroat king lol. Great job, we appreciate your work as always. Love the net shots !

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you so much! Matt definitely knows where to find the cutthroat and the nets looked awesome out there on the mountain! Thanks for watching guys

[@davidatkins6919]

So glad to see everyone successful and catch those greenback cutthroat trout, all I can say is WOW!

[@andymason703]

Beautiful fish guys! Love you're show. Its real and genuine. Keep up the good work.

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you so much!!

[@Osnyfishingadventures]

Man that looks insane up there!!! So wish there were more mountains in my part of pa! Hahaha crazy how there is almost no trees over there on them mountaintops in Colorado and Yellowstone! Keep the great video coming! Them greenback Cutties look like so much fun! Maybe one day can make it over there, tight lines and look forward to the next one!!!👍🎣🐟💦

[@hardmanfishing]

Dude its a blast out west! Thanks for watching man, I'm sure you'll make it out there one day.

[@avshockey6633]

There are no trees above about 11,500 ft. in Colorado. Conditions are just too harsh for trees to grow up there. The most common term you will hear about it is the "timberline." You can actually look at higher peaks and see a defined line where the trees stop growing. We have 58 mountains in Colorado that are 14,000 ft. or higher, and a few of them you can even drive all the way to the top. Here's a video of a guy driving to the top of Mt. Evans. He passes the timberline right around the 4:30 mark. It goes pretty abruptly from trees, to no trees. It's the highest paved road in the US, and the fun part about it is that there are no guard rails. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nX6apGOZmt6Yo7c

[@danpearce4547]

Great video, really need to get back into trout fishing seeing as I'm living near the Test, Itchen etc. English chalk streams (as if I could afford it)! Cheers.

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you!! Glad you enjoyed the video. Hope you can get out there and catch some!! Tight lines

[@troutowl]

One of the coolest fishing videos I’ve watched, and the trout are so beautiful! Congrats what a day!

[@antoniomora1255]

You said you were un Heaven and indeed you were!! You accomplished your mission of finding and gazing that beautiful and rare variety of cutthroat in a pristine scenery where they are native. A sunny day, the unbeatable landscape of the mountains of North America with that brutal untamed beauty...oh man what a fishing trip recorded in such a marvellous video!!! Pure bliss and looking forward to finding another hiding gorgeous creek with its own subespecies of beautiful trout. Wow...

[@hardmanfishing]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Thank you so much for watching

[@ericw3229]

I was in Rock Mountain National park in 2001. There were lakes and streams with Greenback Cutts then I wasn' t able to fish them unfortunately. I only gmhad an afternoon to fish there. It is a great story of recovery.

[@MrAdrenaline00]

Crazy. The guy Matt is on my softball team. I knew I recognized him.

[@hardmanfishing]

Heck yeah! Matt is an awesome dude!

[@joeg5414]

Nice! I live near Durango. Fly fisherman's paradise really 😀 I have quite the list of some pretty amazing spots within an hour of me.

[@EcouragingGodStories]

Great video, guys. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Precious lifetime memories!

[@alecrutt476]

I fished for the elusive green back cutty in the Colorado Rocky Mountain national park. Hiked quite far to a lake. It was amazing fish almost every other cast and was most definitely the most beautiful fish I did and will ever lay my hands on. Super glad that you guys got to experience this same experience and excitement. Great video as always hardmen. Keep it up 🤘🏻tight lines!

[@hardmanfishing]

Thanks man!! Glad you got to experience some greenbacks as well. Such beautiful fish. Glad you liked the video and thanks for watching!

[@bssaassin1900]

Nice video and beautiful fish but why would you put the rainbow back? If you're fishing a stream where the nonative rainbows cause issues for cutthroat recovery then it seems like the rainbows belong on a frying pan in a little riverside catch and cook.

[@hardmanfishing]

Well there is a wall built between where we caught the rainbow and the cutthroat that was put in by the CWP to separate the two species. That fish was caught near the trail head while the cutthroat were caught miles up the stream.

[@flytying2873]

I helped stock these at Herman Gulch 5 years ago-amazing video!

[@yuliiavolodicheva2446]

Thank you for nice video, wonderful nature, that you release this beautiful fish and for very good music.

[@k9s4conservation65]

Beautiful fish! I caught a few in a different (secret) location in August! They have SUCH a cool story/history and it is so great to be able to catch them in their native habitat now!

[@hardmanfishing]

I know! Thanks to the volunteers and the CWP for saving these beauties. Everybody should get to experience the places these little guys take you! Thanks for watching

[@brycejohnson3347]

Have you looked into getting a tenkara rod for this kind of fishing? Anytime a fish is closer than 15 feet, I always find it more effective to use.

[@hardmanfishing]

Yeah I've thought about it. I probably will try it some time, just never had a tenkara rod so I've never had the ability to do it.

[@Frenchylikeshikes]

I do not fish, but I clicked on this video just for the landscape from the thumbnail. Beautiful !

[@efmfishing4944]

Dope Intro!!

[@hardmanfishing]

Thanks man!

[@Thefishingplumber]

Nice fish! I've always been more inclined to saltwater its an hour trip for me but i try freshwater more.

[@hardmanfishing]

I love saltwater about as much as freshwater. I guess it depends on where you are. But freshwater fishing can be unreal just because of the places the fish take you.

[@kellykinsey2224]

We have a lot of cuts in Montana on the Boulder river

[@WIZERD51]

Great Video. Those are some pretty trout.

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you! Glad you liked the video!

[@kevindubartell4442]

Great video! I was fortunate enough to catch my first Colorado greenback cutthroat today.

[@gladysman24133]

Nothing like fly fishing! And that’s incredible guys,beautiful trout and I’m sitting here in envy,wishing I was there, way too go guys,enjoy!👍 and don’t know how anyone could give this a thumbs down? Probably just people who wish they could be there?

[@EM-ig7ib]

Very very nice!....Once declared EXTINCT!...What a treasure...What a video...Nice Job!!

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@franklinfocus]

Badass! Such a beautiful fish!!!

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you so much!

[@shaynecompton1602]

Beautiful fish and video, it looked like so much fun! Thank you!

[@hardmanfishing]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching!

[@rickjames5641]

Hey! Can you try to fish spinney reservoir in colorado while you're here?! They have huge trout there!

[@hardmanfishing]

We didn't fish the reservoir but we fished the dream stream (Colorado series part 1) and we fished above spinney which I probably won't make a video from. There are some MASSIVE fish in there though I can confirm. I may or may not have lost the biggest fish of my life in that area.

[@hepic1443]

Nice Work for nature

[@BigRyTheFlyGuy]

Hi there! Just stumbled upon your video. I enjoyed it thoroughly! I wasn't able to read through all the comments, so not sure anybody caught this already. But for you guys and anybody watching, I should let you know these are not Greenback cutthroats (but they're close relatives). These would be considered West Slope Cutthroats (these appear to be Colorado River cutthroats specifically). There can be so much confusion surrounding these two species ( genetically they are similar , but distinct enough to be considered separate species) and sad to say early efforts to repopulate endangered native Greenback cutthroat trout botched the operation. CPW acknowledges they actually planted Colorado River cutthroat trout all over the state by accident, instead of the intended Greenbacks. There's an entire story behind that that you can read up online, I won't bore you with the details here. There are only a few places that exist in all of Colorado that pure-strain, native Greenbacks truly exist. And at least one of those areas (perhaps the most well-known, too) is off-limits for fishing. This is certainly not to take away from the validity of your video, because you're not trying to bamboozle anyone obviously. These cutts are pretty easy to confuse, it happens quite often! I do think as anglers we can all learn more about the fish we are fishing, and I thought I'd point that out for the scientists in the crowd.😉

[@hardmanfishing]

Yep you’re correct. At the time this video was filmed (over 4 years ago now) I was fully convinced I was catching greenbacks because I knew it was an area the CPW had stocked them in. But turns out they made a mistake and weren’t even stocking the correct fish to begin with. And in all fairness go myself the fish are VERY difficult to differentiate anyways. I have gone back to Colorado and actually caught a greenback now, which was pretty cool. But unfortunately the video didn’t do as well so most people get recommended this earlier video 😂 anyways I hope you enjoyed it regardless! Thanks for watching.

[@BigRyTheFlyGuy]

@@hardmanfishing Ahh, okay my friend! I definitely did not want to come across as a fishing, "Todd," but I love the dialogue in the name of science. It's all for learning, what knowledge we can attain to be better anglers can only help, right? Thank you for not jumping all over me, again no offense meant at all. Glad to know people still exist that don't immediately resort to verbal judo, lol. They're all still GORGEOUS cutthroats, no matter the species. I'm pumped you got into Greenbacks eventually (aren't they just a gem?). I will definitely be looking for that tie-in video, would love to see you land your Greenback! Take care and best of luck out on the waters! 😀

[@brucevaldez7501]

You guys should come down to the Grand Mesa while your down in Colorado it's got 5 type of trout

[@hardmanfishing]

We unfortunately aren't in Colorado at the moment! But I'll keep that in mind for the next time we head out!

[@roadkingthor8421]

CO native and avid trout fisherman. I'm about 95% sure I know where you're filming from. Beautiful hike and lake. Great Vid.

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you! I'm sure if you've been there you probably do recognize it and it is an absolutely wonderful place. Glad you liked the vid!

[@Ihelpfixipodtouchs]

F......... lake

[@hardmanfishing]

@@Ihelpfixipodtouchs You should just name it so I can find that lake too...

[@Ihelpfixipodtouchs]

@@hardmanfishing Are you still in Colorado? I'll share some info with you guys.

[@hardmanfishing]

@@Ihelpfixipodtouchs Unfortunately not. Probably won't make it back until next spring/summer

[@jeffreylea2319]

Awesome trip report and as usual great shooting. BTW the Greenback Cutthroat weren't TOO bad either. LOL

[@hardmanfishing]

LOL Glad the greenbacks were acceptable! HAHA thanks for watching!

[@lanekejr3209]

Bro u have to do the wyo cutt slam! I have one more and it’s so fun!

[@hardmanfishing]

I'd love to do it one day!! I want to fish in Wyoming in general. But thanks for watching!

[@cynthiakranz1899]

Enjoyed your video, when fishing in Colorado I caught my first and only cut throat 40 yrs ago. A very old trout historian said at the time fisherman tried to wipe them out thinking they were not normal

[@hardmanfishing]

That wouldn’t surprise me although I’ve never heard that. Now they are protecting them at all costs

[@bpong151]

Nice video! I’m new to fly fishing. Do you like the Simms Flyweight boots? I’m thinking to pick them up. Would you recommend them?

[@hardmanfishing]

So far I have no complaints! I got them specifically for the trip to Colorado but I’ve used them a ton since then and put on some serious miles. If you’re an active fisherman I definitely recommend them

[@bpong151]

@@hardmanfishing Thanks! I just picked them up yesterday. Really like them!

[@andrewvogrin1074]

Theres a spot in the Rockies National Mountain Park i fish that has these bad boys as well. Try using little bit bigger flies with gold/silver spinner wings to reflect the sun. You'll catch one damn near every cast.

[@hardmanfishing]

We tried several slightly larger flies and had no luck. For some reason they wanted tiny flies on that day, although I 100% believe you! Thanks for watching!

[@andrewvogrin1074]

@@hardmanfishing Fish are picky little buggers. Can go out one day and catch 10 fish then use the same set up & bait on day 2 and not even a nibble. Glad you guys got out there, had some fun, and caught a few beauties. Maybe ill see ya out there one day.

[@hardmanfishing]

@@andrewvogrin1074 Couldn't agree more! And you never know, it's a small world out there. If you see me come say hi!

[@notyouravaragesavage1776]

Sure are some amazing fish guys love the history and awareness you spread with this video i am a avid trout bandit and love smashing hog browns and rainbows in the Adirondacks there are some sweet brook trout here as well... Awesome fish tho epic bucket lister Bro

[@outasightgear]

Really great fishing video!! Superb!!

[@lanekuchinsky7908]

Fall trout bite is on!

[@hardmanfishing]

We love it!!

[@gioelelapo7588]

From Italy i can Only sai great job as Always

[@hardmanfishing]

Thanks!! Glad you liked it

[@sergecouvrette9400]

Great vidéo guys.

[@lordpeterjohn1]

Great video! Did you guys carry bear spray or other form of grizzly deterrent while in Colorado?

[@hardmanfishing]

I mean we carried protection but Grizzly bears have been considered extirpated from Colorado. Not saying its impossible but highly unlikely!

[@medtech1a]

Great video. What a beautiful country side just to fish with friends, way up high in the mountains.

[@hardmanfishing]

It was an amazing day with good scenery and even better friends! Thank you so much for watching.

[@pashootist5354]

Float tubing the lakes for the Greenback is a lot of fun.

[@hardmanfishing]

Yeah we didn’t get to do that but I bet it would’ve been a blast! Only issue is climbing up the mountain with the float tube 😂

[@richyoung4051]

"were high"... lmfaooo

[@MrMannymoe32]

Great video guys really enjoyed it...

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video

[@connor4778]

Great music choices!

[@cooperduke7302]

Are you guys at Cottonwood Lake?

[@daviddurham3052]

Awesome guys! Congratulations on an amazing adventure.

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you!! Glad you thought it was awesome!!

[@silvertipgaming2841]

Loved ur start

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you!

[@DownstreamDownrange]

Talk about clear water holy smokes ! Nice video my dude 👍

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you so much! Glad you liked it

[@radyscabral5478]

its that a bamboo rod you buddy has?

[@FirstCastMedia]

Awesome as always bud! Looks like SUCH a fun trip I would LOVE to do that someday!

[@hardmanfishing]

It was a fun trip!! Thank you so much for watching!

[@ianwhitehead3086]

Gorgeous trout!

[@flyer037]

I caught a few native greenbacks about 10 days ago! I was SERIOUSLY sucking from the altitude! It was part of a 4000 mile, 8 state, 10 native trout epic road trip! Cutthroats are SO beautiful!

[@hardmanfishing]

They are absolutely gorgeous!! Thank you so much for watching the vid!

[@tvictorio21]

I see that flying WV, go mountaineers!

[@hardmanfishing]

YESSIR!! Thanks for watching!

[@rkladis]

Curious, what brand is the blue net u guys r using. Great video. Beauty of a fish

[@TheCanyonFlyShop]

Catch cam nets!!!

[@willbroderick7165]

Lucky enough to say the greenback was my first fish on the fly when I was little and got me hooked on fly fishing

[@hardmanfishing]

That is awesome!! You are a lucky man

[@CrackTheCodeDaily]

Can’t believe you only have 18k subs like dude. You should have so many more man!

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you! We're a relatively new channel... maybe one day we'll have quite a few more subs! Thanks for watching

[@nickdavidson790]

Wow.. just wow... I'm super jealous.. i want to find some cut throat. Got none in Missouri

[@hardmanfishing]

I don’t have any where I’m from either... had to travel a ways! Thanks for watching

[@volcom514]

Added to the list! 🤙🏼

[@skv23]

What a beautiful fish

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you!

[@MrDrys]

Fishing is so fun

[@hardmanfishing]

I couldn't agree more!! Thanks for watching

[@ryans.6028]

I've personally hiked up the trail by bear lake to the very top lake! Beautiful scenery but didn't bring my fly rod so I didn't get to catch a Greenback.. Great video!

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you!! I'm glad you enjoyed the video

[@chitknapyt4522]

Wow! Great content my guy I love your vids

[@joshlundberg6750]

My brother and his buddies have noodled trout In the big horns. They climbed a mountain and there’s a pond that’s super clear on top and you just grab them. I

[@simeonelder9906]

were you guys using dry flys

[@hardmanfishing]

Yep!

[@monmixer]

Nice, he got you wooleybugged. Bet ya never caught on of those. That water is so clear.

[@hardmanfishing]

The water was amazing! Thanks for watching!

[@hectorcoria3650]

Really cool stuff guys.

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you!

[@gregwesthoff6206]

Where in Colorado were you fishing? Rocky Mt. Park?

[@hardmanfishing]

No sir!! Didn't make it there during my trip. I also wanted to avoid crowds if possible

[@Skyler_Deacon]

Yep... Looks like home.

[@isaacanderson5264]

dude great videa as always! but please tell me where you and your bro got the face sheilds, those things are dope!?

[@hardmanfishing]

Honestly man a buddy of ours got them for us before we left for Colorado. I have no idea where he got them! But thanks for watching.

[@100GTAGUY]

I wanna say those might be salt Armour or gator neck face sheilds.

[@factdesignbr]

U need 1 million subs

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you!!

[@astrolightsadventures4677]

Man I’d love to find places like this up here in the north west but I’m super new to fishing so have no clue where to even start

[@krainapstragailipienia9685]

Well done.

[@vonster22]

I live 3 miles from Bears Creek..Idledale Colorado ... I did not know that.. I will keep my eyes open for the beast.. I always catch and release when I fish there..

[@younglong4313]

What place had these amazing fish?

[@fUtube1212]

I fished many places in Colorado when I was younger, caught several species of trout that I had never seen.

[@ryanbaisden1288]

Was this in RMNP? I'm headed there in 2 weeks haha. I've caught CRC and Rio Cutthroat but I still haven't caught a greenback. They seem so amazing.

[@hardmanfishing]

No sir it was not. But I believe they are in there! Good luck man! And thanks for watching the video

[@ryanbaisden1288]

@@hardmanfishing yeah, i am fairly certain I will get into them there. The nice thing about Cutthroats is if you find them they're pretty aggressive.

[@hardmanfishing]

@@ryanbaisden1288 Yeah they're not too hard to catch if you can get on them that's for sure

[@KHÁØSGaMER1]

Ryan I reccomend downloading the cpw app a couple of lakes with real greenbacks are in there you can search for specific type of fish but for real decent size greenbacks be ready for 2 day hiking trip to mountain lakes and make sure you know the weather conditions way ahead of time

[@lukewilson3271]

GREAT VID!!! and great looking fish!

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you!!!

[@dogtower1414]

Man yall would love it here in Washington state

[@ironbrutesrage]

What area are you guys at? I live in Colorado and it looks familiar

[@WildBlueDiscovery]

Some nice greenbacks! Congratulations

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you!