Re: best fighting fish in NJ fresh water
 

hybrids will snap your line with an explosive run and probably have the edge on drag pulling power, but they can't match the stamina of a carp, plus the lips on a carp are more delicate and so you have to be careful not to put too much pressure to rip the hook out. carp are also usually more 'line shy'so you might have to go lighter gear... one will snap your line and the other will find another way off. It's a tough call if you take everything into consideration.

Re: best fighting fish in NJ fresh water
 

Flatheads, snakehead, hybrids, and smallmouth lb for lb I would say fight better but I'll put carp In top 5

Re: best fighting fish in NJ fresh water
 

landlocks are spectacular fighters, very fast and agile, great leapers... tough to find in nj, but there are some. to me they are the overall best fighters.
other than oddballs like bowfin or snakehead, carp rate highly among the best fighters in sweet water,, channel cats too.. smb as well. but they generally don't get as big as most of us would like,,, bob

Re: best fighting fish in NJ fresh water
 

nice job, love Carp fishing but still hunting for ones 15lb and over in North Jersey.

Re: best fighting fish in NJ fresh water
 

The raritan and passaic rivers are loaded with Carp over 15 lbs. Biiiiiiiig fish broscious biiiiiiiig fish.

Re: best fighting fish in NJ fresh water
 

I agree, hard to narrow down the areas on the river, especially by me where most of the areas are residential.