Best fw fighting fish?? Join the debate

[bulletbob]

any reason my first reply got deleted?.. No big deal just wondering. I certainly didn't write anything vulgar or objectionable. In any case, I'll try again - Carp fight as hard as anything else out there, and channel cats might even fight better. I have caught Pacific Salmon in the upstate creeks, and to me they did not fight any better than a similar sized carp or catfish.
LL Atlantics are fast and pull hard, but not sure they fight any better than a river SMB,, Both are leapers, and the Atlantic/LL is a more satisfying catch because they don't come near as easily as a SMB.. Pike and Muskies??? Yeah, they're ok, but no better a fighter than a Carp or Cat.. Still say ounce for ounce, a Bluegill is as tough as any FW fish in the NE, and tougher than most.. If they grew to 3 pounds, thats all I would fish for.. Years ago when I first came here in the early 90's, we would catch Bluegill and Pumpkinseeds of eye popping size all the time in Cayuga Lake,, We're talking 10 inchers maybe more, along with 12 inch Rock Bass and Perch every spring and summer.. just mammoth panfish... We used to get pissed when big SMB used to grab the tiny bits of worm, because we wanted the big fat sunnies to take home and eat! Then the Zebras showed up, and that was the end of that, and those masses of panfish disappeared in just a few short years.. If you've never caught a 1 lb sunnie and find it hard to relate, believe me they are very hard fighters...bob