Fly Fishing for a True River Monster! (Musky Fishing)

I CAUGHT MY FIRST MUSKY ON THE FLY!!
I’m not going to lie I bought my 10 wt musky fly rod well over a year ago. I’ve tried multiple times to catch one on the fly and came up empty handed. It’s not that I don’t know how to catch them… the fish has been an obsession of mine and on and off since I was in high School.. but catching one on the fly is bordering on stupidity. The fish are difficult enough to catch on conventional gear, without added difficulty of fly fishing. But when I got a text from my buddy Nate asking if I wanted to float a section of river with him and Beau from natives fly shop, I was all for it.
After several hours of fly fishing I finally found what I had been looking for... the fish of 10,000 casts! We celebrated as soon as the fish hit the net. It's a memory I won't soon forget. We netted a total of 3 muskies on the day!
That’s how musky fishing is. Hours and hours of nothing, filled with a few moments of chaos that will make it seem like all of the casts were worth it. Beau did have a chance at one musky on the day but lost the fish after a brief fight. So that’s the story of my first ever musky on the fly. I’ll probably be making more of these videos in the future because after my float with Nate and Beau has reignited my passion for the fish of 10,000 casts. If you liked the video, let me know in the comments below! And as always, thanks for watching.
#muskyfishing #fishing #flyfishing #fish #outdoors #nature

[@markhopkins3825]

Fun time for sure! Beau has a great thing going with his guide services and his cool Fairmont, WV fly shop “Natives”.

[@hardmanfishing]

I couldn't agree more!!

[@t9056]

wow i didnt know that....i live in buckhannon and will def check it out...was about to order my first flies but will def support local now

[@strzeleckistreams]

Yes!!! I’ve been waiting for this 🎣 cheers from Australia 🇦🇺

[@patjordan1955]

That is a beautiful fish! Thanks so much John for sharing!

[@timedmonds2315]

Nice fish! Love the silence just before it hit the net! Priceless!

[@jshada58]

Nicely done. Another amazing catch. Enjoyed it.

[@tonywalkingstick8883]

That is sooooo awesome Jon. I am proud of you and thankful for your channel just to be able to see you catch that girl monster musky. God bless and always tight lines.

[@hardmanfishing]

Thanks Tony!!

[@yert.fishes]

I became so obsessed with musky on fly a couple summers ago I bought a 10wt before ever learning to so much as cast let alone hours of grinding for a musky. Watching this video has totally motivated me again to make it my goal this season. Lots of learning so wish me luck. Thank you for another sweet vid!

[@hardmanfishing]

That's awesome!! Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed!

[@OHCreekFishing]

Truly an accomplishment to catch one of these on the fly! Tight lines man! 🎣

[@Paulpoission]

Wow what an awesome trip!!

[@henryleslievermont6004]

That's a monster fish!! Enjoyed 😀

[@HUNTNECKS]

Awesome video man! What an accomplishment to catch a musky on a fly!

[@계곡과산천어]

So beautiful fish. Thank you for your video~

[@larryhudson4511]

What a great day to be out with friends!

[@mathiascontois5270]

That's awesome. Great video! No we just need everybody in the world to stop screaming, "Lets GO", after every exciting moment.

[@mattc7782]

Muskie on the fly is one of those boxes very few anglers would be able to check off. Nice !

[@charliechild9361]

Terrific accomplishment. I absolutely love muskie fishing. Never been humbled more in my life but when you do get an opportunity at one, it’s like no other freshwater fish.

[@hardmanfishing]

Couldn’t agree more!! Thanks for watching

[@charliechild9361]

@@hardmanfishing you’re welcome. You’re content is 🔥🔥🔥

[@blueridgeflyguy9551]

Wow! Congratulations!

[@agib1368]

Awesome man!! I’ve always wanted to try for one on the fly. My year is booked already, but definitely going on my list for next year!!! Thank you my friend of the fly

[@hardmanfishing]

Thanks for watching!! And glad you enjoyed

[@appleseeD552]

DUUUUUDE, for your 1st Musky??? That's nuthin short of AWESOME bro.🤯👍 Well done man, well DONE!😃👍 Seriously would enjoy you goin after more of these monsters. Keep the vidz comin my friend. Peace ✌😎

[@hardmanfishing]

Well I've caught musky... just not on the fly!! But thanks John!

[@andreaarcara3250]

Well done. Bravo!

[@lace.and.camo.youtube]

Hell fricking yeah!!! Haha this is amazing 💙

[@lawrencemacd63]

Cracking Muskys guys we just have the northern pike over here in Scotland keep the videos coming Lordy 🐟🎣🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇺🇸✌🏻✌🏻

[@geoffroznak7019]

Good job and a fun day! I hope you do more of these.

[@hardmanfishing]

I'll definitely try my best!

[@clanman8278]

That's amazing man. Thid video couldnt have come at a better time. I was also planning on attempting to catch my first musky ever this year. I've spent all winter getting gear and studying up, and I hope to take the boat out the first week of April.

[@hardmanfishing]

March through May is always so good for musky!! Glad you enjoyed the video

[@nollol9460]

It’s incredible seeing someone fly fishing for pike and muskys

[@todd4630]

What an awesome fish!!! Great freakin job!

[@ShawnGattis]

The fly is big as a pigeon ! 👍🏻🤩⭐

[@seanhansen9383]

Love the nod to John Seals for the flies. He’s an awesome tyer

[@flyfishing4life]

John is one of the goat 🐐 musky and bass fly tiers!

[@WildBlueDiscovery]

Awesome my friend!! Congratulations !!!

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you!!

[@dilonpedro6865]

SICK a literal dream fish!!

[@vincenta.1677]

Very cool fellas ! Giving me ideas bout the fly rod, we've got a fine Musky river in my neighborhood 👍

[@anglingwithPride]

Can't believe you caught him a fly! Great looking fish

[@dxiques]

Great video and wonderful storytelling!

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you!

[@BrightonSpeciminHunter]

Hi from UK, great vid, nice fish, good work

[@kockarSO]

Great video. Same thing here with the pike...hours of nothing, and then a few of them in a few minutes.

[@robertwilcken8431]

Way to go man!

[@boxingstarcmbballer8797]

Awesome video ! We all definitely gonna like it. You can even make it longer show more of the footage . I don’t mind 20-30 min video . Glad ya got on one of them beasts! Big missiles right there 🚀!

[@hardmanfishing]

I'll definitely keep that in mind for future videos. I wouldn't have minded it to be a little longer, but I just couldn't do much to make this one longer.

[@richarde1355]

Beautiful backhand cast at the start of the video, very nice!

[@hardmanfishing]

Nate knows what he's doing!

[@darrelbaillie7829]

❤ Awesome day. Serious fish those musky. Probably similar to catching tiger fish in South Africa 🇿🇦. Serious fighter and plenty of teeth.

[@urslvr]

Interesting watch! Good job, that's a hard catch and I couldn't do it myself haha 😅

[@obozomustgo5449]

Jon, it's great watching you fish for other species, especially muskies. When I was at Va Tech, we used to go for them in the New River. Only ever hooked one on a bull frog we caught, and of course it broke me off. There is great smallmouth fishing in that river, too. They're much easier to catch. More species other than trout would be great to watch.

[@hardmanfishing]

I've caught quite a few musky in the New! And I plan on getting into smallies and musky more this year for sure.

[@littlesilver2205]

@@hardmanfishing What is the name of that Clear storage box in the center of the boat you keep all your musky flies hanging in that is really sharp, is it hand made can you purchase it.

[@ADKflyguy]

Awesome vid. The water felt familiar though ive never fished musky south of Vermont. As for a piece of water that size I wouldnt say you're at a huge disadvantage fishing a fly over conventional. I think in current flies may perform better, light natural materials have action without having to burn it back, keeping you in the zone longer. Certainly single hooks get better penetration than a trebled hook as well. Thanks and welcome to the tribe.

[@pakitoceronpescayaventura8809]

Goood carnal !!🎣😎 greetings from Mexico

[@ecologygarden]

great vid 👍

[@lukem7347]

Awesome!!

[@TravisDuff]

So sick!

[@MattVavrochFishing]

Cool video dude, as a fellow musky nut that was sick!

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you man!!

[@Conorkinsella]

I love your vid

[@johnseals6459]

Awesome day on the water!!!👊

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you!! If you're the one who tied several of those flies then they were awesome.

[@felixpolnasekjr.9049]

Caught over 300 in a 20 year span Nice catch keep the lines wet n tight . I got ya beat on smallest musky of all time I caught one on a jitterbug that was about the same size as the lure LOL

[@coltonthorpe7812]

Hearing "let's go" every 15 seconds is getting real old real fast. Grats on the musky on the fly though. Nice fish.

[@Znr_fishing]

Awesome

[@pawpaw9044]

YES MORE MUSKY

[@wesleycaruthers4972]

Awesome day on the water… Still waiting on my first WV musky on the fly.

[@hardmanfishing]

It'll come soon enough!! Just have to get out there

[@bengibson2383]

Awesome video, you always make the best videos, you ever trout fish Tennessee at all?

[@hardmanfishing]

I haven't but I'd like to here before too long

[@PHARRAOH]

I was fly fishing the Ufa River in Russia in 2007 and using a lime green Clouser and catching pike every other cast.

[@hardmanfishing]

yeah pike are (supposedly) easier to catch. But I don't have them around me

[@rodbelding9523]

Yeah you said it perfectly, these fish will drive you insane, but when you finally get one there's no feeling like it.

[@thebhutaneseway3591]

You should try some golden mahseer fishing.

[@mynameisnotcory]

Holy crap man, what an amazing accomplishment! I thought catching big carp ona 7wt was cool!

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you!!

[@mickemike2148]

Congrats! I'm thinking that you should perhaps use a two handed salmon rod instead? Spey casting is perfect for this.

[@jjm4643]

Cool fish! talk a little about those flies

[@rohaniusgutius7922]

Im a bit disappointed u didnt do the river monsters intro 😂that would have been fitting

[@hardmanfishing]

That’s such a good idea 😂 maybe I’ll do that in one of the next musky videos

[@tobieTyler6007]

Your in somebody's back yard bark!!! bark!!!!! bark !!!! bark !!!!!¡ bark!!!!!!! bark !!!!!! bark!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@cartersmith8560]

small alligator with fins ........ in some places they count a swirl behind your lure or fly as a measure of success

[@hardmanfishing]

100%

[@elitecallofdutysniper]

love the musky man hope it was a good fight also, was wondering what rod and reel you are using

[@hardmanfishing]

it was a TFO big fly with a lamson liquid reel.

[@filemonoutdooradven7957]

Wow! Good job! 👍🏾 I definitely want to try that! Did you use a floating or sinking fly line?

[@hardmanfishing]

Sinking! Thanks for watching

[@jeffreyrayborn1871]

awesome video! I have an 8 weight fly rod and have been looking for flies for musky and pike. I live in wausau wisconsin (dead center wisconsin) I have had lots of fun with huge lures casting for pike and muskie. but only have 1 muskie . and all my pike i have caught are nothing like the very first one i hooked and got to the boat but couldnt get in the boat. sighs . she / it had my biggest rapala crosswise in its mouth and only 1 inch stuck out either side of her mouth when she first came up in view by our boat. dads net (for bass and walleye) wasnt big enough! her snout was in the bottom of the net but we couldn't get her gill plates past the metal loop of the net. soon enough the hooks finally came out and she sank slowly out of site. I sat in the front of the boat shaking for at least 30 minutes as dad kept promising to get a bigger net by the next fishing trip. LOL my muskie although only just leagle at 34and 1/4 inch that year, was another heart stopper. out with my friends dad in their boat on the wisconsin river, about 2 hours casting. my friend chris was casting towards the shore, and i was casting deeper water. chris and his dad both had dark shadows follow but not strike their lures . i made a long cast across an area that looked like a boil from a sumerged ? rock , stump , car ?? (LOL) any way , my lure dove to 6 feet, and i could just barely see the tail section wobbeling . the whole trip in i kept watching. changing speed now and then , pausing once or twice. then just as i was getting ready for the figure eight by the boat (lure was maybe a foot deep) i saw a gaping tooty maw engulf my lure! so close it looked like it was coming out of the water for me! god my heart stopped ! then a splash and a tug that nearly pulled me over the edge! gaining my balance the stif rod thumped and whipped as the fish dove straight down. all i could do was hang on to the throbbing pole . then nothing but weight ???? did it hook me into a tree down there? it felt like pulling up a rock. when the 3 of us saw him we all let out a deep breath. it was small but maybe leagle and our first boated muskie in a year. again my body was shaking for a long time but it felt awesome getting my 1st muskie . and it was their first boated one in a year. so we were all feeling good. i have tried with many of the biggest streamers i can find here, but have only gotten small 18 to 20 inch pike to hit my flies. what are you using as leader??? because it does not look like the floro/wire rig i found . maybe thats why i have had bad luck, too visible. what are you using as leader material for your flyfishing for musky/pike?? thanks , jeffrey rayborn

[@hardmanfishing]

My leader is just a heavy floro carbon leader!! I've also used some cortland bite tippet as well (I don't remember what they call it).

[@t9056]

the musky shop which is the biggest in the country is in wisc....they also have an app and on yt just type in the musky shop....its absolutely insane...every lure u could think of

[@williamcrawford7857]

Nice to see you fish for something that doesn't have an adipose fin.

[@hardmanfishing]

I'll have to start making more!

[@outnode366]

Any videos on tying those patterns? They would work well on the giant Murry cod i get here.

[@hardmanfishing]

I’m honestly not sure…

[@user-by6yc8yl7v]

These fish will make you feel like you're the most powerful angler on Earth and then they will make you feel like you're the weakest human to ever walk this planet. All within 24hours, and that's if you're lucky 😊 Subbed

[@hardmanfishing]

Yep you're 100% correct! Thanks for watching and for the sub!

[@Musky888s]

What net are y’all using here? Nice job guys! Great stuff!

[@hardmanfishing]

Catch Cam Nets!! Beau (one of the dudes in the video) makes the net

[@juans3728]

Wow Dude, that's a big fish Dude, it's a Dude fish Dude, you should call these videos The Dude Fishing Adventures.

[@Conkee1711]

You guys should use barbless hooks when releasing.

[@hardmanfishing]

For musky? You're out of your mind

[@colbymyers6278]

Im curious as to what your line setup is. Looks like floating line with a sink tip but I can’t tell what the other rods are spooled with. Out west for stripers we throw a shooting head with simillar streamers.

[@hardmanfishing]

I was actually using line specifically designed for musky / pike. Cortland and SA both make the specialty style line, I personally use cortland's line. But I've heard good things SA as well. It was sink tip line, mine was more of an intermediate, but we had other rods on the boat with various rates of sink tip line.

[@colbymyers6278]

@@hardmanfishing thanks I’ll check it out

[@knoxtique]

Saw them being caught on Top Knox Fishing on utube herein Tennessee

[@hardmanfishing]

Yeah you've definitely got musky in TN!

[@mattcroston9587]

I recognize that spot in the thumbnail, are you from that area by any chance?

[@laurieharper1526]

Great video. Really enjoyed it. I'm in the UK, so have no knowledge of muskies. Are they very rare, or just very cautious? I'm wondering why they are so hard to catch.

[@hardmanfishing]

They're the apex predators so there are just less of them in the rivers. There may only be one or two in each hole, and they don't feed often. They may have one big meal (a foot long bait fish) and then not eat for days.

[@laurieharper1526]

@@hardmanfishing Thanks. Makes sense.

[@TheALBIECHASER]

The James and the New R. has alot, been stocked since the 70s, nicly controlled fishery in VA for these trophies, come over an try it, lol bring your A game,

[@badm.d]

Definitely far from the hardest fres water fish to catch

[@scottschlemmer4787]

Is that fly commercialy available? Killer action striped bass would love it.

[@hardmanfishing]

I honestly couldn't tell you. If it is I'll be buying some

[@eross3003]

YOU GUYS REPPING WV OVER THERE?

[@MH-qb9ev]

Love the video other than the overuse of the term "boys"

[@The93ssfd]

what body of water is this?

[@tomturner332]

Where can I get one of those flies?

[@alexross26]

what do you do for a living? Are you a pro fisherman?

[@PAwader]

Why is that dog barking?! Good video

[@hardmanfishing]

Because we yelled after I landed my musky and got it all riled up LOL

[@PAwader]

@@hardmanfishing congrats!! I would have been pumped too!

[@markvincent8964]

Gotta get a 50 on the fly now bud

[@hardmanfishing]

I'm going to go for a 45 first. That's the trophy citation size for WV... not that I want a trophy citation but that's usually a good measure of what a big fish is for the water around here.

[@terrykoch1250]

How many dude's can you count

[@masonrice1439]

Man get some jaw spreaders and make you’re life easier , will save your flies too

[@kylemarkloff4451]

It might not be a record muskie, but that was definitely a record for most "dudes" said after catching a fish

[@hardmanfishing]

At least it was a record for something

[@tomobrien1038]

Dude, that dog barking in the background was SOOO ANOYING!!!!!

[@TheMarshallReed]

Guarantee I wouldn’t have noticed it if I didn’t see this comment. Now it’s pissing me off too.

[@hardmanfishing]

Sorry next time I'll try to get the random dog to be quiet when I film!! LOL

[@richardmcnamara8530]

Put the fish back in the water!!

[@pauledmonds3249]

No wonder you don't catch many with all the screaming and shouting going on in the boat. It's not a football game.

[@hardmanfishing]

You try fishing for days without seeing one and then try and stay quiet when one hits the net LOL nobody who likes fishing would be quiet in that moment I don't care who you are.

[@jameshall9505]

There is way better things to catch then musky they don’t fight. U need to try tarpon and you will never go musky fishing again.

[@adamcoons4700]

Been waiting for this video since I seen the picture on your instagram

[@Three_Rivers_Adventure]

I got my first pure strain Musky on fly back in 2021 on a Gunnar Brammers super jerk in shad color about 30+ inches. Only took me 15 years to get one 😂. This year I'm gunning for a 40 incher or 50 incher on fly and trying for a Tiger Musky on fly cause we have both strains in the Tioga and chemunge River here in upstate NY.

[@hardmanfishing]

I just caught a 49 on the fly this weekend! Good luck out there

[@Three_Rivers_Adventure]

@@hardmanfishing That's awesome my man!!! If you don't mind me asking what fly did you get it one ?

[@Three_Rivers_Adventure]

@@hardmanfishing 4 more days and I can go after Tiger Musky and Pike. June 1st is Musky season.

[@johncalabrese6467]

Jon, great day for you, boredom then excited chaos! kudos to you and your partners!!

[@hardmanfishing]

Thank you!

[@ShitboxNation]

yikes, learn how to handle fish.

[@hardmanfishing]

me: *handles musky for a decade and fishes with a musky guide and a fly shop owner* Random commenter: “wish yall know what you were doing”