# Toughest fighters



## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

What is the toughest fighter when you're reeling it in, pound for pound? I'm biased towards catfish, because that's what I target the most when I'm fishing, but I would have to almost say that bluegills are the toughest pound for pound. They could be the size of your thumb and they'll still fight like the dickens.


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

Smallmouth bass. They fight hard, and jump high, "the gamest fish that swims!"


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

Smallmouth bass fight pretty good, so do largemouth bass. I almost want to say largemouth fight harder then smallmouth. I don't catch enough of either one to say which one fights harder, but no matter what both fight pretty good.


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

Boo to you Mr. Rock, I say BOO!

Nah just kidding though smallies have a place near and dear to me, they both fight incredibly, LMB do that bulldogging weed run, and can get some great leaps, but those smallies, their streamlined muscle-packed body lets em rip through the water. I just got into LMB fishing, and boy is that topwater action a BLAST!


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

From spring to fall I fish at least a couple times a week. Usually its at night when I go for catfish and bullhead. Depends on the time of day for me. If I fish around sunrise then that's when I go for bass. In the late morning and early afternoon I go for panfish. Where I fish I do that because that's when they bite for one, and secondly because there's such a good variety there that I try and do some of each when I'm able to. I just got my work schedule changed so I'll be working 10PM to 6AM fulltime now, which takes away a lot of catfishing for me, but when I get outta work I'll be doing quite a bit of bass fishing and panfishing.


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## Blake Hermel (Sep 10, 2002)

I would say bass and lake trout, and channels on the river


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

I'm thinking I'll stick with the bluegills, because no matter how big or small they get, they'll fight every bit as hard as a catfish. Fishing though I prefer going for the catfish and bullies but bluegills are fun to catch too.


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

Yeah, if there was a 5 lb bluegill, that may be the toughest fish in the river, give the smallies a run for their money.


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

Yeah no doubt about it. I still say that if a bluegill is the size of your thumb they'll give you all they got. You'd swear it was bigger then what it really is. I've had three inch bluegill fight like they were three pound cats.


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## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

I guess I've never had as many lures lost or lines break as I have with those "gators of the north" For overall speed and brute strength (not to mention down-right brutality) I pick the northern pike.


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

I've never caught a northern before but I think I hooked into one last April. All zig zagging and all that fun stuff. Never got it to shore to get a look at it, so it could've been a carp for all I know but I've never had a carp or catfish do that before, and I've had people tell me pike do that.


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## win4win (Sep 8, 2003)

One word for ya.....

TARPON!


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

Isn't that a woman's whatchamacallit?


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## DavidG (Mar 28, 2004)

Toughness=bowfin
power=carp or buffalo
just plane hard to land = longnose gar


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## goose killer (Mar 26, 2004)

I think catfish and muskie's are the hardest. You get a 20 pound catfish on it puts up one hell of a fight. Muskies also put up a hell of a fight.


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

I've caught channel cats that weigh a pound or two that fought like you thought it was 5 or so pounds. Bullhead fight pretty good too.


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## johnsona (Dec 4, 2003)

i'm gonna go with nj on this one-smallies all the way. I haven't found much that fights as tenaciously as a 4 or 5 pound smb. The next closest would have to be channel cats, they give you everything and then some.


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

Silver salmon!


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

I've never caught a salmon or trout before, but I'm sure they fight pretty dang good. Smallies and largemouth both fight pretty good too. Which do you think fights better, smallies or largemouth?


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

> Which do you think fights better, smallies or largemouth?


Hands down smallies!!


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## Brad Anderson (Apr 1, 2002)

Norts. After catching 100 5 lbers in a given day, ya'll will agree with me.

They fight ever harder when ya foul hook em', right NJS.


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## larkin (Sep 28, 2003)

i would agree with rock ...bluegill fight the hardest


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

Yep, even the littlest squirts will fight harder then your big ol' fishies.


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## texasguy (Jun 17, 2004)

ya know the world record bluegill was 5 pounds 4 ounces, caught in california in '54. Geez! I havent caught bass much larger than that!

pound for pound bluegill are the toughest.BUT, smallies fight the best. no question about it.

If smallies could weigh as much as a blue cat or a flathead, that would be the superfish.

not very many smallies here texas!


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

texasguy, I'd have to agree with you. If smallies had the weight of blues or flatheads I probably would fish for them more. I tend to fish more for catfish and bullies personally, because you could catch a cat that's only a couple pounds and they'll fight five times that.


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## Chris Schulz (Sep 7, 2004)

bluegills!

:beer:


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## NEHONKERZ (Jan 17, 2005)

I can't belive nobody has mentioned a WIPER! :lol:


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

Okay I'll bite, what's a wiper?


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## NEHONKERZ (Jan 17, 2005)

striped bass/white bass hybrid


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## Remmi_&amp;_I (Dec 2, 2003)

What about a Ling ? I have caught a few (on accident) and those things wrap themselves around the line and make it feel like you are pulling up an anchor!


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## Goldy's Pal (Jan 6, 2004)

Wing dams on the Mighty Miss, no question. :lol:

Smallies or channel cats. :beer:


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

Okay, I'll bite again, what's a ling?


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

Fresh water cod or burbout, eel-pout, many names. They fight like crazy and are fugly! They have a tail section similar to eel! Great tasting fish boiled or deep fried especially out of cold water.

Bluegill or small mouths tough call but I would have to agree that the fight a 1 lb bluegill puts up is probably better than a 1 lb smally but not by much!


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

Oh okay, I've heard them called eelpouts and burbots, never seen them in person or in an aquarium or whatever, but I've seen pictures of them online. They are ugly as sin but I have heard they put up a great fight.


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## duckslayer (Oct 30, 2003)

Northern Pike.....Cant dismiss the initial tap-tap-ziiiiiiiiiiing that they give you from the get go and then the tug of war up to the boat....and when you think its all over, there they go again, barrel rolling, jumpin, its an awesome site, i love it....


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## mrbuster (May 24, 2005)

For me it's a toss between Salmon and Striped Bass....


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

I caught my first longnose gar Saturday and if it wasn't for that fact that line that was wrapped around his beak was tangled in my line, I think the fight would've been better. He was thrashing pretty good, just line from a previous fisherman where he snapped the line got tangled in mine. Like I said, it was still thrashing good. If my hook was the one in his mouth, the fight would've been great!


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## wirenut (Dec 1, 2005)

NEHONKERZ said:


> I can't belive nobody has mentioned a WIPER! :lol:


That's what I'm talkin' about :wink: Pound for pound the fightinest out of saltwater. ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz!


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## MoCarp (Nov 22, 2005)

texasguy said:


> ya know the world record bluegill was 5 pounds 4 ounces, caught in california in '54. Geez! I havent caught bass much larger than that!
> 
> !


???? thought it was ketona lake alabama


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## MoCarp (Nov 22, 2005)

all fish that fight hard are good fish--now best in fresh water?

pound for pound bluegills and smallmouth can really pull--but have you ever caught one that ran 65 yards of line off your reel?

that leaves 3 fish in the usa-- wipers, carp, great lakes salmon -kinda cheating cause they are saltwater land locked as is 1/2 the genes in wipers
so I guess that leaves carp

now in the world?

hands down the mansur from northern india


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## Ejoe (Oct 23, 2005)

Carp fighting hard? Like a potato sack!
Seriously, the hardest fighting freshwater fish in my opinion are any of the trouts, followed by the Northern.


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## MoCarp (Nov 22, 2005)

Ejoe said:


> Carp fighting hard? Like a potato sack!quote]
> 
> ``I've been putting a lot of time into carp, trying to figure out how to catch them,'' he continued. '`And I've been doing extremely well. It's a fascinating fish, and most people don't realize you can catch them on purpose.''
> 
> ...


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

I caught a couple carp this year, about a month ago in the same week, and I tell you what I hadn't caught any in about ten years I'd say for one reason or another, I forgot how fun they were to fight with. Both of them felt like Mack trucks at the end of my line. Especially the first one, hit me up like it wanted to take my whole pole in even with it propped up against a railing. Real fun to catch, then when you land them you wish you had a big ol' catfish at the end instead of those sweet succulent lips looking up at you.


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## MoCarp (Nov 22, 2005)

normally I catch some pretty good channels when carp fishing--keep one or two for a fish dinner

can usally tell its a cat--cause a carp of 12 pounds and up takes a might longer to land :wink:

pretty soon you find yourself disapointed when its a cat  --thats when you know your hooked as a carper :lol:


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

See, I'm just the opposite, though I can't say I'm totally disappointed when I catch a carp. I don't know what it is, but to me its almost seldom that I catch a carp. Probably has been ten years since I landed one up until last month. Nice fight, I forgot how much fun it was to catch them son of a guns. I do prefer to catch catfish though, because at least they can be a better fish dinner.


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## ugly_stick101 (Dec 22, 2005)

Yeah i have to agree catching carp is hard work...they are good fighters when they are big. I have fun catching them. I used to catch them all the time when i lived in Yankton, SD. I used to fish on the James River and the Missourri River. They are pretty big there. I think the biggest one i caught was like 15lbs. But yeah if you go fishing for the fun of it you will love catching carp. :wink:


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## qwakwhaker883 (Jan 19, 2005)

How do you guys fish for carp? There are a bunch of lakes around my house that are just stacked with them, and I though it might be fun to get out there in the spring.


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

I've heard of people using what are called "boilies" if you've ever heard of them. I've heard of people threading corn kernals on the hooks. I've always caught them on nightcrawlers, but saw one person "accidentally" catch one about a foot long that was caught on a minnow believe it or not. My two carp I caught this year were about 14" and 12", about 2 lbs. and a pound and a half respectively.


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## MoCarp (Nov 22, 2005)

HOW DO YOU CATCH CARP--HMMMMM

thats alot to answer--many ways--but way to much to post here on one single method--

but bottom fishing with a hair rigged kernal of boilied field corn is a good place to start

the CAG forum has a topic just on baits you might check out--just google up the letters CAG and the word carp it will take you to it

carp fishing can be as complex or as simple as you want to make it

put one you get the hang of it 7-8 pound carp are small and you catch them all the time with fish over 30 pounds possable


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## carptracker (Jan 7, 2006)

Getting back to the OP: the hardest fighting freshwater fish, pound for pound. Wonder how many times that question has been brought up. Having well over 200 species on my life list, I think I can address this question some, but there are still lots of fish out there that I don't know about. As MOcarp alluded, few freshwater fish can compete with most saltwater fish in that arena. And if you exclude salt-run fish and fishes with saltwater fish genes, that leaves out most of the hardest-pulling fish in freshwater. I'd have to say mountain mullet, also known as tepimachin, would be the hardest-pulling fish I have ever caught in freshwater, pound for pound. These are salt-run fish (catadromous, like eels), though. But you can catch them high in the mountains in small streams in the tropics. Unlike trout, they never jump when hooked, but man can they pull. Incredible fish and I highly recommend anyone who likes to flyfish to search down these guys and catch a couple. They are not big fish - the biggest one I ever caught was a little over a pound. But they are capable of incredible feats of strength for their size.

For fish with no "saltwater" genes, pound for pound, I think white bass fight pretty good and that the gars might be considered here also. Strangely, small gar do not fight hard at all, even on light tackle (they just kind of flop around) but even moderate sized ones can take a two- liter jug underwater and keep it there longer than any catfish other than the bigggest bruisers. But the winner in my experience would have to be one of the characin family (Piranhas, pacus, machacas). If you like a jumping fish, then machaca would be the most fun I have ever caught. Imagine catching a fish that leaps like a tarpon or ladyfish in small freshwater streams far from the salt.

Saltwater, in my experience - for strength and endurance - roosterfish, followed by crevalle jack. For exhilarating, jumping fight: tarpon, ladyfish.
First screaming run: king mackerel or maybe bonefish. Unfortunately I have not yet experienced wahoo or any billfish, so I can't say where to put those exalted species.


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

Longnose gars definately are fun to catch. I've only hooked into two of them. The only one I landed was 26", that thrashed around real good when it got close to the peir. The one I didn't land was about 40", and he tugged pretty good the whole way to the dock. Got him all the way to the dock, my buddy tried to net him but got as far as the beak into the net, then the gar moved to the right and tugged himself off the hook. I was sooooooo mad. I bet alligator gars are even more fun to land


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## MoCarp (Nov 22, 2005)

the gar I catch seem to do a lot of jumping--not much pulling

I loved catching "jacks" when I was a kid on the coast

but the toughest buggers are the little spadefish jeeze if they got 20 pounds you would need marlin gear

I have caught tons of great saltwater fighters--only one close in freshwater are carp--mainly cause of the tendency for long hard runs
even a small carp gets 6-7 pounds big fish almost always out pull small ones!


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

Steelhead!!!


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

Gars do tend to jump at least a couple times reeling them in. They're still fun to fight with. A carp fight is better I'd say because of them pulling. Sheephead are fun too since they pull out at a pretty good clip too.


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## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

MoCarp said:


> normally I catch some pretty good channels when carp fishing--keep one or two for a fish dinner
> 
> can usally tell its a cat--cause a carp of 12 pounds and up takes a might longer to land :wink:
> 
> pretty soon you find yourself disapointed when its a cat  --thats when you know your hooked as a carper :lol:


I was cat fishing on the Red, when I thought I hit pay dirt with a giant fish. Took me a good while to get it in. Man was I disapointed when I pulled in an 18 lb carp. He faught like hell, but that was pretty much it.


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## rockinmichigan (Jan 26, 2004)

I'm the same way when I'm catfishing. I like the fight that a carp gives, even when they're only a couple or so pounds. But just when you think you have a decent sized catfish on the line, the carp will show its head and blow kisses up at you with those lovely lips of theirs. I prefer something that is a little bit tastier at the dinner table. But like I said, the best thing and only good thing about carp to me is the fight.


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## carptracker (Jan 7, 2006)

I like common carp on a flyrod in shallow water. That's a little like bonefishing, though pound for pound a bonefish pulls WAY harder than a carp of the same size, at least for the first minute or so. Carp have a lot of stamina that boneys don't really have, in my opinion. I have trouble getting carp to hit my fly, though. I'm not quite up with trying to soak a corn imitation in a can of corn, as some do. But sometimes I can get them to hit a hare's ear darted right in front of a pod of feeding fish. I've never caught anything over about 5 pounds that way.

On casting tackle I think in deeper water I think carp fight OK for a fish of their size, but not really spectacular. A 1 pound white bass vs a 1 pound carp and my money is on the ******. And hybrids are tougher, of course. Although once I foul-hooked a large carp in the dorsal fin with a walleye plug and light tackle. THAT was a long, hard, but almost boring fight. I got tired of the darn thing bulldogging and just wanted to get my lure back and get on with fishing. It didn't run much hooked that way: it was just like pulling in a very heavy anchor that occasionally got even heavier.


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## Greg_4242 (Feb 21, 2005)

There is nothing like going down to a spillway in the spring with an ultra light rod, 8 lbs test and a 3/8 oz. jig and snagging 20 to 30 lbs buffalo and carp all day. NOTHING!!!


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## rowdie (Jan 19, 2005)

I've caught many different species of fish, and PUOND OF POUND, the toughest fighing fish over 5 pounds was a RAINBOW trout I hooked in MT on a lake...no current.


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## DOGKILLR (Oct 9, 2006)

go catch youself a BIG yellowfin tuna if you want a fight.


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## rclubb (Jan 2, 2007)

totally agree w/ dogkillr- tuna wins hands down


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## wiskodie1 (Sep 11, 2006)

i can say that yellow fin tuna fight like crazy, by the end of the fight your going to be feeling it, but the best show i have seen plus a fight that will rip your arms off, well that would be a trapon. both are salt water fish

as for fresh water, northern and muskie


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## Joltin_Joe (Oct 11, 2005)

As far as species available to us in the Midwest, my favorite is pulling big slime rockets through a ten inch hole via a tip up.

I get a big kick out of finally seeing a huge head through the hole after a hand over hand retrieve. You can get into some long battles with a big pike on a tip up.


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## Allen (Jan 22, 2003)

For a piss and vinegar fight, smallies are tough to beat. But I HATE the darn things!

So I gotta go with a chinook salmon. By the time I land them using light tackle on the Missouri, they are spent and I'm a half-mile downstream, or run aground.

After that, the carp are some of the most powerful in the state. But many different fish will put up a good scrap if you are using the right tackle. Try landing a 29 lb snapping turtle on 6 lb test. My wife did it out at Larimore dam. Even made her scream when it surfaced at the boat.


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## SNOOKGUY (Apr 28, 2007)

Unfortunately, I have never had the opportunity to catch many of the species you have mentioned. I have caught large mouth bass, blue gills, sailfish, snook, redfish, but the hardest fighters in my neck of the woods are the jack crevalle. They are very fast and very aggressive and never seem to tire even the little ones around 5 lbs.


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## patrick grumley (Mar 9, 2007)

20+ pound King Salmon on a wire dipsy or 10 colors out on leadcore. Your arms hurt, your back aches by the time he's in the boat.


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## schultz345 (Jan 8, 2007)

ive fished everything from muskie to bass to baracuda but the biggest fighters ive faught are catfish, after a night of catching them im sore as hell.


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## Milla Tha Killa (Dec 11, 2006)

DOGFISH

I would say DOGfish fight the hardest. i was fishing for muskie a 10 pound dog fish fight better then the 42 inch muskie i cought


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## sasklab10 (Jun 21, 2006)

ANY of the trouts...personally for me brookies, tigers, and lakers fight...a big old slew shark can go on some wild runs..never had the opportunity to catch carp


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## jackal_727 (Jul 12, 2007)

I have had the chance to fish all over the USA. I would give it to either the northern pike or the striped bass for fresh, but if your including saltwater, no doubt in my mind it would be the jack crevalle.


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## 308 (Jul 10, 2007)

Amberjack :beer: :sniper: :strapped:


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## ForeverAngler (Jun 27, 2007)

pound for pound, smallies.

Catfish will fight like mad once you get em near shore and they can see the light. The same goes for walleyes, the 2 I caught in the canal I thought were small bass till I got them near shore, then they all of the sudden came to life.

Pike fight damn hard for the first 10 minutes or so, depending on the size of the fish, and for that first instant, I don't think there's anything that fights harder. Muskies are included. My dad had a pike take all the line on his spool and run down the creek before he just stopped it and snapped the line. Estimate was at 40+ inches.

However, I think carp will put on the best fight overall. It usually takes me at least 10 minutes to land a 25 inch carp on 8 or 10lb mono. I've never hooked a carp over 13lb's but I'm sure that would be a blast.


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## marcor7 (Aug 7, 2007)

:lol: The toughest is the salmon both from salt and fresh water, because in order to catch one you need to have a very sharp hook, not just any ordinary hook but I mean the tough one, since they have a strong bony mouth. Careful handling is required too. :-?


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## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

For me.

Northerns and musky have the nest initial strike of any fish I catch, with the channel cat a close second.

Pound for pound, bluegills own. Seriously guys, how many times have you had a large bluegill on thinking it is a good sized walleye before you get it to the boat? They fight the whole way.

Channels are good overall. Good hit, they fight good the whole time.

For me, walleyes fight like crap, unless it's a giant.


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## Joe A V (Oct 3, 2007)

Stingrays are the toughest i faced. :bowdown:


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## ninjashoes (Dec 15, 2007)

I'm gonna have to go with carp also, had my toughest fight with a carp last year.


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## poodlepoker (Nov 23, 2008)

Halibut, or albicore tuners


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## juviekilla (Nov 11, 2008)

king salmon in the rivers of alaska all the way. followed by halibut


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

juviekilla said:


> king salmon in the rivers of alaska all the way. followed by halibut


Salmon actaully fight, a halibut is like bringing up a 6ft by 6 ft peice of particle borad weighing 100lbs.


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## juviekilla (Nov 11, 2008)

well depending on how much you have fished halibut,which in my case a ton you would know that when halibut are fished in the kelp under fifty feet of water you will have a run for your money trust me!!! 
no pun intended


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## headshot (Oct 26, 2006)

Of the types of fish I have caught the atlantic salmon and bluefin tuna are as good as it gets.


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## duckslyr (Nov 27, 2008)

anything saltwater is going to kick the tar out of freshwater anyday pound for pound. i think the best is catching a stingray on a medium weight rod with 8 lb test last year in mississippi


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## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

Sunfish... Hands down sunnies are fighters as far as weight goes. I caught one that was 1.75 lbs and it fought like a 20 lb carp. Generally speaking they're not exactly "fighting fish" but they can put up one good fight when they get big!


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## ruger1 (Aug 16, 2006)

duckslyr said:


> anything saltwater is going to kick the tar out of freshwater anyday pound for pound. i think the best is catching a stingray on a medium weight rod with 8 lb test last year in mississippi


That says it all! Love Saltwater fishing!


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## ndoutdoorsman (May 13, 2004)

I would have to say that sturgeon fight the hardest out of any fish i caught. Try landing a sturgeon of shore it takes some serious muscle in your forearms to pull up on the rod and reel in, plus they are smart too one minute they will be taking drag then second later coming straight at you and you ahve to reel as fast to keep up with them.


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## ILfurtrapper (Mar 29, 2009)

rock bass are pretty good fighters.


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