Hardest fighting fish and weakest fighting fish in NJ?

[baetis]

Freshwater Hardest- hybrids and SMB. Especially river SMB.

Freshwater weakest - rock bass.

Saltwater Hardest - I agree with others porgies are impressive for their size, and bluefish.

Weakest - Skates (if they even count)

[icemusky]

It all depends on the depth, the size of lure/rig, and the weight Oz etc., that you use that all plays a role in the most and weakest fought fish. Another aspect is water current water temperature and pre spawn or no spawn. The size of fish also matters sharks fight the most but a whale will fight more. Carp may fight better but what about the Fiesty little golden shiner. It's tough to say I'd say this is a very opinionated question and you'll never get the right answer hope this helps. To each is own.

[briansnat]

I think LMB are getting some disrespect here. Sometimes it is the lake. Perhaps the more they are caught and released, the less they fight. It's like "here we go again, I'll be back in the water soon".

I fished on Fayson Lake for many years and a 5 lb largie gave a bit of a fight, but not what I would expect. Heavy presure there, but mostly catch and release. When I fished Lake Gerard in Sussex County with very limited pressure, a 5 lb LM bass would never give up. They jumped like smallies and would dive into the weeds. Tough to bring in.

Now that I live near Lindy's Lake, I have hooked LMB there that take my canoe on a "Nantucket Sleigh Ride" and I'm thinking I have a monster bass only to find that it is barely 2 lbs.

[Ken Lyons]

Not all fish in a given species are equal. Some fight harder than others so generalizations can be misleading. No fish I ever caught compares to the 8 lb Albie I caught off the beach in Mantoloking on a fly rod. The circumstances count in my view. People with far more experience offshore than I rank the Yellowfin at or near the top. I also remember a 6# LM that jumped five times before I lipped her. That hardly ever happens but that it could...

[Jigman13]

Pound for pound bluefin and big eye eats yellowfin for lunch. Swords will also test your endurance like no other.

Freshwater: when a 25+" hybrid crushes a top water or floating plug at night in 8" of water and dumps half of a 175 yard spool off a spinning reel... pure f'n magic.

[TheDreamCatchers]

For you guys talking about skates, try hooking up with a 50 pound barndoor skate in the middle of the Navesink river. Things glue themselves to the bottom and slowly take drag and just pull you around the bay. 15+ mins to get in

And if the largemouth are fat and healthy and has some decent size they fight pretty good. But nothing compared to smallmouth or bowfin.

[njmultispecies]

Fresh

Hardest = Although not in NJ, Tilapia can be real hard fighters. Down in florida I have caught giants that fight real good
Weakest = Creek chub.

Salt

Hardest = Bluefish 100%
Weakest = Skate

[Ken Lyons]

I have been fortunate enough over the years to have caught upwards of 6 Tarpon. Most of the time the fight is spectacular. Imagine a 150 pound fish shooting ten ft up in the air spinning and somersaulting at the same time. If it's a sunny day those scales are like mirrors that flash all around. They are not overrated.

[NJMudpuppy]

Have to rate this on a pfp basis right? In NJ freshwater the pound for pound king is a RIVER small mouth and I'd say weakest would be bullheads.. In the salt I'm going with the mighty tog....but porgy are impressive pfp and I've been told steelhead are like pissed of tog ....the weakest? I'd say ling.... Hard to gauge inasmuch as a false albie has so much speed as opposed to the raw torque of an angry tog.....blues of course have a good mix of both....lets go catchem

[NJMudpuppy]

Sheepshead not steelhead.....stupid auto correct