Hardest Fighter

[Ron Clay]

In the latest Coarse Fisherman, Jim Gibbinson writes about the hardest fighting coarse fish being a male tench.
He also says that in his opinion a fit overwintered rainbow will beat anything else in British freshwater.

What about salmon and seatrout. I've caught very few salmon on my life but several good seatrout. They in my opinion gave me the hardest scraps of anything in British freswater.

What do you think?

 

[Rob Brownfield]

SEA TROUT...every time, especially if you catch them in the sea!!!..They go mental and normally run hard and deep...then come steaming to the surface like a missle!...Great fun...and great power!

 

[Colin Brett]

11lb 6oz Grafham Rainbow, long run, lots of heart problems, long fight 15 mins. How does that rate? It certainly was an overwintered fish!! I guess an 11lb Salmon would be worth catching just to compare [if only]

Colin

 

[John Spink]

I would propose either Falkland Islands Sea Trout or a Ferox trout....As a generlisation I would probably agree with Rob for once and Choose Sea Trout anywhere.....

 

[Ron Clay]

You are probabley right regarding UK species. I reckon Jim Gibbo has probabley never caught a seatrout.

The hardest fights I have ever had with any freshwater fish have been with the Smallmouth Yellowfish of the Orange Vaal river system in South Africa. For sheer raw power, speed and stamina, I know nothing that beats them, not even seatrout.

 

[John Spink]

Yeah, I reckon many tropical species must go like demons...I guess it has a lot to do with climate and stuff too...I remember seeing some Barbel like fish in Kenya that looked the business...Never got a chance to fish for them...Too many Hippo's and Croc's !!! I would like to go and fish in Sud Afrika my Dad loved it there

 

[Ron Clay]

There are several of the barbus species in East Africa, including some which look very much like the SA Yellows. We used to fish for the Yellows with flies,especially dry flies. The biggest Yellow I ever took in SA was a Barbus Kimberlyensis form near Douglas in the Northern Cape province that weighed over 20kg. Don't know the actual weight, that's all my balance went to and it bottomed them out. Caught that fish on a very large freshwater crab using 20lb line for catfish at the time.

Every year LM yellows are taken from the Orange which are in excess of 20 kg.

 

[Rob Brownfield]

Bonefish, Permit, Barracuda...they all fight mentally...but so do Bass, mullet and even flatties on the right gear!

 

[Ron Clay]

Saltwater species with the exceptiom of cod, will leave most freshwater species way behind in fighting power.

 

[Jim Everiss]

I must agree with Ron here,sea fish generally are a class appart from any freshwater fish when it comes to a fight!Years ago i used to take my Mk.iv carp rod to sea and in quieter moments fish a small strip of squid on a flowing trace.It amazed me just how hard fish like bass,black bream,mackeral and even doggies could fight on light tackle.The most memorable fight was with 16 pound pollack hooked over a wreck on 40 fathoms which took 20 mins. to land.In fresh water i do think that a fresh run sea trout takes some beating.
Tight Lines,Jim.

 

[Ben Hibbert]

HI

 

[The Seeker of Truth & Justice]

What?