Hardest fighting freshwater fish

[Ron Clay]

Let's have your first five of what you see as the hardest fighting fish in British freshwater, on a size for size basis. My list, based on personal experience is:

1: Sea Trout
2: Rainbow trout in really good condition, eg a really fit overwintered resevoir fish.
3: Barbel
4: River Carp, especially commons.
5: Tench.

I have left out salmon because I have caught so few of them.

 

[GrahamM]

Wild Carp
Gudgeon
Eels
Tench
Catfish


But not written in stone, there's been so much variation from one water to another.

 

[Ron Clay]

Gudgeon hey? Does this mean that the GSG (Gudgeon Study Group)might get off the ground? What sort of rod do you recommend for gonks. Also landing nets, hooks and boilie recipes might be in order.

 

[Rob Brownfield]

1. Sea Trout (River Cowie, NE Scotland)
2. Culcreach Castle Wildies (Scotland, yes, there are carp in Scotland)
3. Scottish Pike from the North
4. Hooks Marsh Tench (Lea Valley)
5. Eels

 

[GrahamM]

You did say size for size Ron, bloody gobies go like stink!

 

[Andy Davis]

How about a roach or imagine a 20lb perch ;-)

 

[Carp Angler]

1 - Grayling
2 - Mullet (freshwater aswell)
3 - Perch
4 - Tench
5 - Barbel

 

[Paul Williams]

Shad!!!! the variety that run the Wye and Severn, (i think they are Twaite shad,but i've forgot) they are little demons!! they don't grow big but they are magic, and they are a genuine reason to be on the river in May!!!! failing that, a previousuly uncaught river carp.

 

[BUDGIE BURGESS]

Mullet
Trout
Barbel
River Carp
Catfish

As Graham said pound for pound (or more acurately ounce for ounce!)Gudgeon! If they reached double figures no one would bother with Carp and Barbel!!

 

[Ron Clay]

Paul, **** Walker was adamant that the Twaite Shad was the hardest fighting fish to be found in UK freshwater. Ive never caught a shad although I have caught several estuarine species of African fish that look similar and fight with a ferocity that is hard to put into words. The African Springer is one of them. They never get more than about 8 pounds yet I have had a 3 pounder run off over 100 yards of fly line backing. I still have the scars on my knuckles where they caught the reel handles.