Strongest Fighting Fish

[OnTheFly]

Just curious what other people's opinion is of what they feel is the strongest fighting fish. This is based on pound for pound. For instance; a ten pound rainbow trout against a ten pound brookie. Or a five pound bass against a five pound pike. Or a 50 pound halibut vs. a 50 pound yellow fin tuna. etc. If you don't have a single fish in mind then perhaps share some experiences through other comparasins.

Personally I feel that, pound for pound, the Bonita is the strongest.

 

[fishnquest]

I got into a school of skates once; must have been 35 years ago. Not too big, but until you get them flipped over, you do NOT reel them in. Impressive fighters, imho.

 

[TTFishon]

I caught a 13 inch bluegill once and I thought I had a 2 to 3 pound bass on.

 

[Troutier Bassier]

Bluegill, They are the Smallest Fish but They Fight like a Ford F-150 On a Ultralight Rod,
And Imaging if they got to 20 to 40 Inchs, People would have to use Sturgeon Rods,

Other then That, Sturgeon are Swimming Logs.

 

[OnTheFly]

Bluegill, They are the Smallest Fish but They Fight like a Ford F-150 On a Ultralight Rod,
And Imaging if they got to 20 to 40 Inchs, People would have to use Sturgeon Rods,

Other then That, Sturgeon are Swimming Logs.

Remember..pound for pound. 30lb sturgeon or 30lb. halibut?

 

[Drew9870]

20lb Carp vs. 20lb Salmon

I know I know, everyone (including me) would say Salmon because you can actually eat it, but Salmon and Carp are pretty comparable when it comes to the fight.

Some guy tried telling me that Bass fight harder than Carp yesterday :lol::lol::lol:, I don't dislike bass, but ain't no bass thats gonna grab your bait and make you think your gonna get unspooled, and your more likely to catch a 20lb Carp than a 20lb Bass.

 

[osmosis]

I agree that carp can fight very well.
lb for lb, a bluegill is a serious scrapper.
a 10lb bluegill would be extremely exciting.

 

[FishSchooler]

People say shad fight better than steelhead lb for lb...

 

[TTFishon]

People say shad fight better than steelhead lb for lb...

Never caught one but I've heard that too.

 

[Kodiak]

small mouth are pretty tough, blue gill are scrappy too....but to truely get strong fighting fish you must hit the amazon. They have spiecies down there that make our north american fish seem very weak by compairison. But in our country LB for LB I'm gonna vote for the rock fish, they routinely exceed thousands of LBS, they are in every fishery we have, and only a handfull are landed each season, my second choice would be the log fish.

 

[beaverfan]

Ah the Rock Fish, King of all fish! I succesfully landed a Rockfish Smolt on the Wilson one time! But I've hooked into some doozy's. Never hooked into a log fish...yet, but I've caught dozens of there smaller cousins the stick fish and the leaf fish. As far as "living" fish are concerned lb. for lb. I gotta give it to Suckers, there little beasts.

 

[osmosis]

the majestic granite grouper, very formidable opponent!

 

[fishnquest]

the majestic granite grouper, very formidable opponent!

Granite grouper, sounds like a rock-fighting mofo:lol:
Are you from Alaska? or is that south america?

 

[osmosis]

The dreaded granite grouper is a plague in all of our fisheries, Those suckers grab your gear and dont budge (most of the time), very few are landed every year .
I do fish AK often and would LOVE to live there, but I'm from Idaho origionally. However I've lived most of my life here in Oregon. Spent a couple years down in CA too, in Diamond bar/Pomona.

 

[adambomb]

I also would rank blue gill up there on my list, but I would have to give the number one spot to native cutthroat. I am still amazed how fast those little guys can head shake. If salmon and steelhead could head shake as fast as a ten inch cutt, we would be using steel braided cable

 

[fishnquest]

The dreaded granite grouper is a plague in all of our fisheries, Those suckers grab your gear and dont budge (most of the time), very few are landed every year .
I do fish AK often and would LOVE to live there, but I'm from Idaho origionally. However I've lived most of my life here in Oregon. Spent a couple years down in CA too, in Diamond bar/Pomona.

ty. I did not know that; sounds like the devil is in zion.
I grew up in Napa, SF bay area. Lived 3 or 4 years as a yut in sandy eggo. My mom's side is from Pocatello.

 

[osmosis]

steelhead and chinook smolt do the same type of thing as the cutts. I've always enjoyed how acrobatic many cutts are also, practically the instant you hook 'em they are jumping all over.

We landed a decent sized granite grouper last year, kept it too just for good luck! Still have it sitting in my tackle room..

I'm from just down the road as your Mom, Good 'ol Nampa!

 

[FishFinger]

People say shad fight better than steelhead lb for lb...

As much as I hate to say it it might not even be lb for lb issue with shad. Impressive fight for a fish you can't eat w/o slow cooking if for 3 months.

 

[osmosis]

I dont think shad fight very well unless you're using #2-6 ultra light trout rods.

 

[SmallStreams]

When I was a child, I think channel catfish put up the biggest fight. Hard enough fight that a 6-yr-old couldn't land a 14" fish at Devils Lake. I couldn't reel it in and walking backwards up the boat ramp area wasn't working, either.

Among the small trout, the lean & mean redsides make for the longest fights.