Best Fight in Fresh?

[ratherbe]

So which fish is it? I've not caught a musky nor many large pike so i'd have to vote for the hybrid. Close second would be a smallmouth....

NJ seems to have most species and you guys take em all down, what do you think? Chime in.

[XXlyakattacker]

Pound for pound I also would have to vote for hybrid followed by smallmouth with river smallest better than lake smallies.

[Eskimo]

Originally Posted by XXlyakattacker

Pound for pound I also would have to vote for hybrid followed by smallmouth with river smallest better than lake smallies.

I would put it at a tie between these two.
Hybrids are powerful and very fast.
Smallmouths are strong fighters and they can jump. They seem to use the tension on the fishing line to launch themselves out of the water. If I'm using a barbless hook, I can keep them from jumping in the air by dipping the tip of my rod into the water when I'm bringing a Smallmouth in. This way they can't throw my lure.

[Chrisper4694]

I can't believe only one person said carp! You can't argue they have great stamina and power but the kicker is their soft mouth...you can't put too much pressure on them to control or you'll rip the hook out very easily. An intense fight that tests your skill even small ones! My only issue fishing for them is the angling methods kind of bore me...cast out, sit and wait.

Every fish has its pros and cons, different fighting tendencies, seasonal tactics. Taking everything into consideration though I'd still pick toy stripes if I could only target one species ever again.

[acabtp]

pound per pound expected to see hybrids... but overall best fight? surprised nobody's mentioned pure strain stripers yet. just ask eddie, they get pretty damn far into the sweetwater and it's hard to find bigger gamefish in our rivers

[Suntzu]

Carp easily to me.
Followed by Hybrid and SMB

[Delawareriver]

Hard to say, as far as a bull dog fight that's hard to move the fish I would say flatheads, for a fish that makes long runs in open water I would say hybrids and through the ice would be lake trout but that's for nj.

Steelhead I think have it all in terms fishing them on light tackle, strong fish that can be hard to move as well take plenty of line.

[GetANet]

Hands Down HYBRID!!!!!

[Skunk City]

Originally Posted by GetANet

Hands Down HYBRID!!!!!

Didn't see that one coming

But I agree lol.

[MudCat08]

I would say carp. 4 pound line and off you go!