Hardest fighting fish

[catman529]

So we all know the best tasting fish is walleye and not crappie.... but,

What do you consider the hardest fighting freshwater fish, for its size?

Of the ones I have caught I think the common carp has to be the hardest fighter. Smallmouth bass or catfish come in second... cats can be inconsistent though, some just shake their head and others fight at least as hard as a carp.

Oh and I wish skipjack would get as big as a grass carp. Then we'd have a real freshwater tarpon... and a year's worth of cut bait in one cast....

 

[ImThere]

Wild trout not one of those sissy farm raised ones

 

[bigluresonly]

Hard to beat the fight of a large striper. No other fish comes close imo.

 

[RUGER]

For their size, bream hands down.

 

[Setterman]

Hard to beat the fight of a large striper. No other fish comes close imo.

I agree, stripers are the meanest freshwater fish I have caught. Smallmouth would be second, but fall well short of a stripers power.

 

[Cottontop]

Get a pound and a half shellcracker on an ultralight with 4 pound test and you will have your answer.

 

[muddyboots]

A 3 to 4 lb smallmouth. I dont know what it is about that size. They are just very angry fish.

 

[Baxter83]

Hard to beat the fight of a large striper. No other fish comes close imo.

I agree, stripers are the meanest freshwater fish I have caught. Smallmouth would be second, but fall well short of a stripers power.

I'll ditto this again! Smallmouths put up a heck of a fight, but I'd say if you hook a 4lb smallie up to a 4lb stripe tractor pull style, the stripe would drag that smallie out to the deep end of the lake and keep going

 

[jb3]

smallies or trout from a creek.

I've caught some carp on the caney and it was like reeling in a log. It took a while on an ultra light, but they don't put on a show like a smallie or trout.

 

[WVBulldog]

Carp over 15 lbs and a close second would be trout. I have lost several rod/reels to carp. Pole launches off the bank like a missile, even with a rock on the pole.

 

[caretaker]

I have caught large carp. I have caught large stripe. I have caught large trout. I have caught large smallmouth and large mouth. I have never caught a large bream. I would love to latch onto a 5 pound bream. A 20 pound bream would most likely wreck most rod and reals. I have to vote for the bream as the oz.per oz. winner.

 

[easy45]

For there size bream takes the cake smallmouth are also up there , as for a big fish striped bass(rockfish) is the hardest fighter I've caught, I would like to give a honorable mention to the bowfin

 

[RUGER]

What amazed me the most about what few stripe (rockfish) I have caught in my life was the fact that yes, they fight... well it is like setting the hook on a bullet from what I remember.

What amazed me was that they were literally to the point of death when I got them to the boat.
Talk about giving it all you got, wow.

 

[rutnstrut2]

For the size I would have to go with trout second smallies

 

[jakeway]

Put my vote in the Striper column. I used to think Smallmouth, untill I hooked my first Striper. Smallies fight long and don't give up, but they just aren't as strong as rockfish. .

 

[catman529]

thanks all, now I really have to catch a striper. I just sat in my boat yesterday 20 yards from another boat where they were striper fishing and watched them get one maybe 15+ pounds. I have caught striper in saltwater only, but no bigger than 19 inches. I don't remember it being the most memorable fight though, but it did fight... caught it on accident while flounder fishing.

 

[moondawg]

For their size, bream hands down.

What I was going to say. Especially on a light/ultralight rig.

 

[stik]

NOT crappies

 

[RUGER]

NOT crappies

= wet sock.

 

[chunkandwind]

Pound for pound a Ky Bass would have to be up there.

 

[catman529]

NOT crappies

= wet sock.

crappies fight better than rock bass imo. Rock bass do hit hard, but most of the time they just stiffen up as you drag them through the water.

 

[Hollar Hunter]

Definetly nothing like hooking a 25lb + rockfish. When you hook a fish and it pulls you and a 17.5 foot boat you know you have a good fight on your hands! Especially when you catch them before they try to spawn and their all fat and healthy in like jan or feb...

 

[Kimberman]

Smallmouth.

 

[ImThere]

Hoping to test the striper theory soon at joe wheeler

 

[CATCHDAWG]

Stripers and wild (not stocked) trout. Hoping to get on some stripers this weekend!

 

[RUGER]

Guess I am learning why so many people fish for trout.

Never caught one but it sounds like I would like it.

 

[moondawg]

I have caught some trout that were pretty good fighters.

 

[catman529]

I haven't caught a wild trout and now I am curious, because the stocked trout just shake back and forth really fast when you catch them

 

[Kimberman]

I call BS on the trout. I have caught them up to 24", and none have even come close to a 3+ pound smallmouth. I even took a die hard trout fisherman river smallie fishing, and on his 1st smallie he remarked on how much harder smallmouth fight, and the smallmouth was only 12".

 

[catman529]

I call BS on the trout. I have caught them up to 24", and none have even come close to a 3+ pound smallmouth. I even took a die hard trout fisherman river smallie fishing, and on his 1st smallie he remarked on how much harder smallmouth fight, and the smallmouth was only 12".

smallmouth do fight darn hard. Have you ever hooked into an energetic 5 pound carp? I haven't hooked into a 5 pound smallmouth though so I can't say really which fights harder, for its size.