Harder Fighting Fish And Less Targeted.

[Jmrichardson2011]

Hey all,

 

Just wondering what kind of fish fight harder than bass and can be found in the midwest. I am getting a little sick of fishing incredibly pressured fish and want to expand my horizons as well as fishing knowledge. When I was in Wisconsin I started targeting pike. Now I have moved to MO though and do not know what is down here.

 

Thanks in advance.

[moguy1973]

Not going to get much better than a smallmouth for fighting power here in Missouri.  I guess you could say trout fight pretty good but I wouldn't put them on the level of smallies...

 

Good luck finding less pressured waters down here

[J Francho]

Probably some good catfish opportunities nearby.

[tomustang]

You can start by going to the source:

http://mdc.mo.gov/fishing

[gr8outdoorz]

Hey all,

 

Just wondering what kind of fish fight harder than bass and can be found in the midwest. I am getting a little sick of fishing incredibly pressured fish and want to expand my horizons as well as fishing knowledge. When I was in Wisconsin I started targeting pike. Now I have moved to MO though and do not know what is down here.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

You have some good waters in your state that hold some nice brown & rainbow trout. Anything over 20" will give you a VERY nice fight!

Smallmouth would be my 2nd choice.

[Nice_Bass]

Hey all,

 

Just wondering what kind of fish fight harder than bass and can be found in the midwest. I am getting a little sick of fishing incredibly pressured fish and want to expand my horizons as well as fishing knowledge. When I was in Wisconsin I started targeting pike. Now I have moved to MO though and do not know what is down here.

 

Thanks in advance.

stripers, wipers, smallmouth and catfish would do it.

Where in MO?

[John G]

 Bowfin, aka Mudfish, put up a good fight.

[NEjitterbugger]

Possibly gar?

[moguy1973]

Possibly gar?

While fun to catch, especially on a fly rod with a nylon rope fly, they usually only fight for a short while and then end up being logs that you have to drag in.

 

Stripers  are in large numbers in Bull Shoals and lower Taneycomo, if you can find them.

[NEjitterbugger]

Thanks, I have no idea, just a thought

[Jmrichardson2011]

stripers, wipers, smallmouth and catfish would do it.

Where in MO?

I am in st Charles county.

[Jmrichardson2011]

Bowfin, aka Mudfish, put up a good fight.

Caught one of those in WI once. Dang near broke my medium action bass rod.

[John G]

Caught one of those in WI once. Dang near broke my medium action bass rod.

This is a link to http://www.bowfinanglers.com/bowfininfo.html

 

The map shows a few places in Missouri where Mudfish have been reported. I was looking at the map of Florida and there are other places that I have caught them that aren't listed so just because it might not have any reports where you are, that doesn't mean they aren't there.

[SirSnookalot]

Pound for pound a bluegill might be near the top of the list.  I'd probably pick trout and smallmouth because they are fun and the fight is decent.  If I wanted hard fighting fish I'd take a vacation.

[Nice_Bass]

I am in st Charles county.

That's a big county!!

I have family over there- but I don't fish there.  you fish by boat at and willing to travel? If so plenty of options within and hour or two.

if not I would fish the rivers.  If you have never fished the river, give it a shot.  Giant blues all around you.

[Siebert Outdoors]

Fish the river system for cats.  Big Fish Big fights!

[Jmrichardson2011]

Fish the river system for cats.  Big Fish Big fights!

Sounds like I need to invest in a Catfish Ugly Stick

[roadwarrior]

Stripers are a staple at both Bull Shoals and Beaver Lake.

I caught my PB on Beaver in January several years ago fishing

gizzard shad on a balloon.

[Bluebasser86]

For numbers, ease of catching, accessability, and fighting ability, it's pretty tough to beat carp. They're everywhere, grow huge, take no real specialized gear, and get almost zero fishing pressure. They get a bad rap as a trash fish but are a blast on light gear. I would think that drum would have to be pretty high on the list also, but they don't fight as hard or long as a carp either. Big cats are one of my favorites but they do get a lot more pressure than the other two, even though it's still way less pressure than bass get in most places. 

[iabass8]

targeting large catfish will give you one heck of a fight.

[CoBass]

For numbers, ease of catching, accessability, and fighting ability, it's pretty tough to beat carp. They're everywhere, grow huge, take no real specialized gear, and get almost zero fishing pressure. They get a bad rap as a trash fish but are a blast on light gear. I would think that drum would have to be pretty high on the list also, but they don't fight as hard or long as a carp either. Big cats are one of my favorites but they do get a lot more pressure than the other two, even though it's still way less pressure than bass get in most places. 

Very true about the carp. If you get a 10 plus pounder hooked up you are in for a heck of a fight. A lot of guys around here actually target them with fly rods.