Chime In On This Age Old Debate

[crypt]

8 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

 

Living in South Florida for 2/3s of my life, I've caught just about everything that swims down there.  Peacocks are hard fighters, but I don't consider them as true Florida fresh water fish.  They are exotic transplants native to South America.  The Game Commission started stocking them in South Florida Canals around 1984.  They are popular mainly because they are easier to catch than black bass.  Weekend fishermen complained about poor bass fishing, so they stocked fish they can catch. The same thing happened in Central Florida with Hybrid Stripers.  This is not a knock on Peacocks or weekend fishermen, but it is accurate.   Truth be known, the hardest fighting freshwater fish in South Florida is a landlocked Snook or Tarpon.

this is so true.......give me a Tarpon any day....and the next day I'll take a Snook..

[papajoe222]

3 hours ago, gimruis said:

Not sure how a walleye even made the voting list. They fight like a wet sock.

 

The majority of walleyes I catch are river walleye and believe me a 4lb walleye makes a 4lb  largemouth look like a wet rag  

 

 

[throttleplate]

20 hours ago, CrashVector said:

Bluegills.

[IcatchDinks]

5 hours ago, gimruis said:

Not sure how a walleye even made the voting list. They fight like a wet sock.

 

I, too, was confused when I saw this fish on the list. ??

 

 

 

 

Peacock bass, snook, tarpon... No idea. I live in Michigan. And it is hands down the smallie around here. I understand the bluegill argument, but I've caught big bluegill and tiny smallies. Tiny small mouth beats a big bluegill in my opinion. 

[flyfisher]

bowfin or sunnies 

[CrashVector]

2 hours ago, throttleplate said:

 

Now imagine a 200 lb bluegill...

[Darth-Baiter]

23 hours ago, DINK WHISPERER said:

Peacock bass! 

I hope so!!  I can’t wait. 
 

Right now?  A Striper. 

[T-Billy]

19 hours ago, Catt said:

 

I've often said if those things grew to 7 or 8 lbs it would be dangerous to go in the water. 

There'd be no skinny dipping, that's for sure!!! I'll vote warmouth too. They're as crazy as they are beautiful. Kinda like a couple of my ex girlfriends.

[Jar11591]

Walleye probably takes the cake for worst fighter pound for pound. For some reason big pike seem to be really lazy fighters as well. My vote is bluegill. If those things got as big as bass I can’t imagine the drag peeling runs they’d go on. 

[Captain Phil]

10 hours ago, throttleplate said:

 

Wow.  Waaay too much testosterone!

[Swamp Girl]

Great thread. I vote for white bass or striped bass, but agree that a ten-pound bluegill would pull a bass boat if hooked. For a 20-lb. bluegill, you'd need a fighting chair. For a 30-lb. bluegill, you'd need your boat's engine to wear it down. 

[bp_fowler]

3 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

Great thread. I vote for white bass or striped bass, but agree that a ten-pound bluegill would pull a bass boat if hooked. For a 20-lb. bluegill, you'd need a fighting chair. For a 30-lb. bluegill, you'd need your boat's engine to wear it down. 

[Way north bass guy]

I know they’re technically a salt water species for the most part, but I’ve only caught them in freshwater so I’m calling them that?. My vote is chinook. I’ve had 6 lbers peel 100yds of 20lb line off my downrigging reel in mere seconds, and bigger ones are pretty much like hooking a jet ski that’s going past your lure. They’ll scream off 200yds and be jumping before you can get the rod out of the holder sometimes. Doesn’t hurt that they’re pretty tasty too. 

[gim]

16 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

Walleye probably takes the cake for worst fighter pound for pound.

I’m fully convinced that no one would be fishing for them if it weren’t for their palatability. “I’m walleye fishing for sport today” said no one, ever.

[thediscochef]

Honorable mention...big longnose gar. Fights like a bass but has weight. A double digit longnose is probably the longest fight I ever had that didn't involve getting snagged

[galyonj]

11 hours ago, gimruis said:

I’m fully convinced that no one would be fishing for them if it weren’t for their palatability. “I’m walleye fishing for sport today” said no one, ever.

 

I've only ever caught one (very small) walleye. I assumed that the ease I had getting it into the boat was due to its size, but I guess that's just how they do.

[Tony Christian]

How about bowfin? They turn my spinnerbaits into paperclips.

[Bankc]

Hybrids (wipers) are the hardest fighting freshwater fish, pound for pound, that I've caught.  If we're not talking pound for pound, then a large striper gets top honors from me.  

 

That being said, I can only imagine how a fight with an 8 foot long, 300lbs. alligator gar would go.  You won't haul one of those in on bass fishing gear, that's for sure.  Might not even be able to do it in a bass fishing boat.  

 

I consider black bass of all species as kind of average fighters.  To me, the thrill for them is more in the hunt than the fight.  

[Steveo-1969]

14 hours ago, gimruis said:

I’m fully convinced that no one would be fishing for them if it weren’t for their palatability. “I’m walleye fishing for sport today” said no one, ever.

I fish walleyes FOR SPORT every year from November - April. I don’t eat them, every fish is released. While it’s true they are not the hardest fighters, a 16+” walleye in river current on a ML spinning rod will give you PLENTY of pull back!

[gim]

2 minutes ago, Steveo-1969 said:

I fish walleyes FOR SPORT every year from November - April. I don’t eat them, every fish is released.

I'm sure tournament walleye anglers do too since most of their formats now are immediate release.

[dsw1204]

On 6/10/2023 at 1:28 AM, geo g said:

I have caught catfish, smallmouth, largemouth, and peacock.  Peas are pound for pound the hardest fighting freshwater fish.  Living in south Florida we catch them all the time.  The pit bulls of fresh water.

I am currently visiting in the Tampa area.  Are there any Peacocks around this area?

[PABASS]

Based on the poll SMB, but specially river smallies are hard fighters, peacocks are not bad either but pound for pound not like a river SMB.

Muskie, pike, pickerel don't put up a fight in my experience, just weight..

Strippers only ever caught in saltwater so cant compare, speaking of saltwater, Snook on the other hand woah those pull and don't give up, however a large jack hands down my hardest pull, or the bonnet head shark but that was a 4'-25pounds vs 10 pounds maybe.  Hooked into a tarpon for all of 10 seconds and it tossed my lure 50 feet back at me I bet they are nuts on a line.  Saltwater fish are just another level of fighting, the poor mans tarpon(lady fish) love catching them all days long.

[FryDog62]

I have contemplated this question many times... I'm obviously a huge Smallmouth fan and they would get my vote in this poll - but honestly, I have caught 3-4 pound smallmouth and the same size white bass side by side and would say the whities are the toughest pound for pound, especially in cold water. 

[btoups]

Freshwater fish only, I'd have to go with the choupic(bowfin for those outside Louisiana).  These things hit and fight more like saltwater species.  Every time I hook one, I think that I have finally hooked a double digit bass.  

 

A redfish in shallow water on light tackle is probably my favorite and  just don't ever seem to give up.

 

On the coast, a jack crevalle will plain wear you out on light tackle.

 

 

[813basstard]

1 hour ago, dsw1204 said:

I am currently visiting in the Tampa area.  Are there any Peacocks around this area?

Negative.