# Pound for pound.....



## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

......What is the hardest fighting fish in Utah? I think it is either the Smallmouth or the Wiper. There are several species that I have yet to catch including the northern, muskie, splake, Mack, and white bass.-------SS


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## Mr Muleskinner (Feb 14, 2012)

Pound per pound. I have to go with Bluegill. Other than that I am going with a carp in a river.

Outside of Utah though, nothing like hooking up with a tuna.


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## neverdrawn (Jan 3, 2009)

I'll go with wipers. Followed by small mouth and then probably carp, or vise versa.


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## Cooky (Apr 25, 2011)

Mr Muleskinner said:


> Pound per pound. I have to go with Bluegill. Other than that I am going with a carp in a river.
> 
> Outside of Utah though, nothing like hooking up with a tuna.


I gotta agree on the bluegill. If those little guys could hit 4-5 pounds you'd have to use deep sea tackle. And they are _really _good to eat.


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## outdoorser (Jan 14, 2013)

IDK, but channel cats seem to fight a lot for how small they are. It is definitely NOT TIGER MUSKIES!! They fight hard, but they are also huge


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Lb per lb if i could catch a wiper the size of a tiger musky or lake trout it would fight twice as hard as either of them.

Id then go with a carp.

Kokanee put up a good fight for their size.

I think the worst fighting fish lb per lb could be the Bonneville cutthroat sock fish. They save everything for the net.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

+1 on the bluegills. Outstanding fighters. I've been loving life catching jumbos at UL recently.


Additionally, smallies are right up there. Even the small ones are all fight and attitude and fighting a big one is pure fun (and a battle of endurance) on light gear.


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## scartinez (Apr 22, 2008)

Smallmouth
Bluegill
Wiper


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

smallmouth, they are straight up bruisers!


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## brookieguy1 (Oct 14, 2008)

Smallies and wipers are scrappers for sure.
Out of the trout and char, brook trout and rainbows are king.
It's not all about the fight though. The challenge of finding the larger specimens of certain species and getting them to bite is what appeals to me.


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## 30-06-hunter (Sep 22, 2013)

brookieguy1 said:


> Smallies and wipers are scrappers for sure.
> Out of the trout and char, brook trout and rainbows are king.
> It's not all about the fight though. The challenge of finding the larger specimens of certain species and getting them to bite is what appeals to me.


Agreed, I'll take a 15 inch brookie over a 20 inch brown any day, for both fight and taste.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Arctic Grayling! -O,-
Probably Wipers, Carp and Catfish.............


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

Wiper, bar none.


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## paddlehead (May 30, 2014)

Bluegill
Bonneville Whitefish


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## MarkM (Sep 7, 2007)

My vote is Bluegill followed by Smallmouth bass. I have yet to catch a big Wiper but from what I have heard they would have to be in the mix as well.

Mark


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

To me, a healthy rainbow trout will outfight anything we have in Utah--the problem I have with bass--like smalls and wipers--is that they give up too soon; they pull hard at first and then they come to the surface and lay there for you to grab out of the water. Good fat rainbows will never do that…!


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

A big smally will have you fooled into thinking it's a muskie. there's a reason I use heavier line/rod for smallies than I do for trout, a smally has the strength to take that line where he wants and wrap you around a bush. a trout doesn't have that kind of determination, but with light line and a sensitive rod, rainbows are a fun fighting fish.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

wyoming2utah said:


> To me, a healthy rainbow trout will outfight anything we have in Utah--the problem I have with bass--like smalls and wipers--is that they give up too soon; they pull hard at first and then they come to the surface and lay there for you to grab out of the water. Good fat rainbows will never do that&#8230;!


I have noticed this with LMB but the Wipers that I have caught fight all the way to the boat, then go for a second round when they see the boat, then proceed to keep fighting all over the bottom of the boat spiking everything in sight until you either whack them on the head really hard, or throw thm back into the lake.....mostly for your own safety. Just my experience though.--------SS


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Bluegill, pound for pound.


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## RHansen (Feb 8, 2011)

wyoming2utah said:


> To me, a healthy rainbow trout will outfight anything we have in Utah--the problem I have with bass--like smalls and wipers--is that they give up too soon; they pull hard at first and then they come to the surface and lay there for you to grab out of the water. Good fat rainbows will never do that&#8230;!


The only time I seen a smallie give up is if it is real cold water or it has been gorging on food.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

RHansen said:


> The only time I seen a smallie give up is if it is real cold water or it has been gorging on food.


+1. I've almost never seen them quit. You have to subdue them. Largemouths on the other hand, will occasionally quit, even some big ones. They must be the "cutts" of the bass family.;-)

Rainbows are flashy, love to jump, and go on runs, but they simply do not have the brute strength of a comparable size smallie. Thus, the fight seems to be shorter with a bow.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

I'm a big fan of walleye. Those buggers surge straight to the surface, open up their mouths and turn into a sea anchor!! Wow! Combine that with the large-lipped crankbait you used to hook it, and you've got some serious work reeling those things in!! (talk about line retensioning!!)


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Ive caught bear lake cutthroat at bear lake that followed my jig to the surface and bit it less than five feet away from the tip of my pole. I set the hook and they open their mouth like their saying ahhh for the doctor. I put them in the net and they dont even twist or twirl. 6" Cisco put up a better fight and probably taste better.


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

wyoming2utah said:


> To me, a healthy rainbow trout will outfight anything we have in Utah--the problem I have with bass--like smalls and wipers--is that they give up too soon; they pull hard at first and then they come to the surface and lay there for you to grab out of the water. Good fat rainbows will never do that&#8230;!


Just got back from a trip to Minersville&#8230;we caught a bunch of rainbows in the 16-20 inch range and several wipers that were around 15-16 inches. Again, a side-by-side comparison for me resulted in rainbows winning a close battle. Similar sized rainbows and wipers in Minersville resulted in longer more exciting battles with rainbows&#8230;.but wipers are definitely fun. Right now, those rainbows are wild at Minersville--2-3 foot aerials, quick hard runs, and long battles!


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## HighmtnFish (Jun 3, 2010)

I think it depends on the kind of shape the fish are in. I have never caught a wiper or a walleye but I have caught some skinnier smallmouth that were like reeling in a wet sock, but I have also caught healthier ones that gave a good fight. Rainbows are the same way. 
I you are lucky enough to hook into a thick Brookie that has some shoulders, like the one shown here, you are in for a real battle.








They are not as acrobatic as a rainbow but they will pull your pontoon or float tube around in circles and make the best light tackle beg for mercy. Large brook trout also have a nack for finding and wrapping your line around snags. Pound for pound, I'll take a healthy Brookie.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

I vote for this guy......what a fight. 23" Willard Wiper.-------SS


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

What a hog


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## 30-06-hunter (Sep 22, 2013)

HighmtnFish said:


> I think it depends on the kind of shape the fish are in. I have never caught a wiper or a walleye but I have caught some skinnier smallmouth that were like reeling in a wet sock, but I have also caught healthier ones that gave a good fight. Rainbows are the same way.
> I you are lucky enough to hook into a thick Brookie that has some shoulders, like the one shown here, you are in for a real battle.
> 
> 
> ...


I probably have to agree.


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## madonafly (Dec 27, 2007)

swbuckmaster said:


> Lb per lb if i could catch a wiper the size of a tiger musky or lake trout it would fight twice as hard as either of them.
> 
> Id then go with a carp.
> 
> ...


This is my list for sure. Specially on the fly! I think Carp are freight trains but mostly because I catch 30+"ers. Wipers are sick fighters!


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

I've never fished the boils, but it sounds like that might be an awesome way to catch one on a fly. I have a buddy who is an accomplished fly flicker and he has not been able to catch a Wiper on the fly yet.--------SS


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## SlapShot (Sep 25, 2007)

Sorry to keep this going but had to chime in. I agree with those who said bluegill, wiper, and smallmouth. However there is one that no one has mentioned and that a spotted bass. A 15" fish feels like a snag. Pound for pound those spots pull like no other. I have yet to catch any trout that does that. Spots have the body shape of a smallie, the coloration of a largemouth, and the temperament of an MMA fighter.

SlapShot


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

Do we have spots in Utah? I used to catch them in Lake Shasta----SS


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## SlapShot (Sep 25, 2007)

No spots in UT. Fished for them in California on Lake Oroville (a sister to Shasta). I love that lake and really need to get back there. I'm not a fishery biologist, and dont pretend to be, but I think spots would do great in UT. Since they spawn earlier and deeper than smallmouth and largemouth they tend to be a bit more hardy. However, they are very slow growers so it would take a while to get any real trophies. Super fun fish to catch, especially on topwater. They slam a walk-the-dog style lure.

SlapShot


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## hardman11 (Apr 14, 2012)

carp


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