# Strongest Fish Pound for Pound



## iJabo (Jul 6, 2013)

I've seen this post on other forums, and I'm assuming that it has popped up here once or twice. However, I have not seen a thread about it yet and I thought it would be a fun topic.

So here it is: 
Pick the top 3 strongest fish you've ever fought pound for pound. Think of it this way; of course a Yellowfin Tuna is stronger than a Largemouth Bass, but what if that Bass was the same size as the Tuna? 

So what would yours be?


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## countryjwh (Nov 20, 2007)

bull bream


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## The Pitt (Apr 7, 2012)

The fish all fight differently. From a pelagic to a reef fish.

I love me a good fight with an AJ though.


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## coolbluestreak (Jun 27, 2011)

Jack crevalle
not real good for food but man that thing kicked my butt

I too like a fight with a reef donkey, if I could only catch one fish in a day I'd want it to be a AJ.


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## curdogman (Oct 12, 2007)

amberjack


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## Redtracker (Dec 28, 2011)

Got to be AJ


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## Dr. Fish (Oct 3, 2007)

Yellowfin
Amberjack
Jack Crevalle


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## BananaTom (Feb 16, 2008)

*Pound for pound:

Pompano
Hardhead Catfish
Ribbon Fish

Put some weight on these puppies, and they would be hard to get to the boat*


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## purple haze (Sep 2, 2013)

swordfish
mako
barrelfish


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## Tobiwan (Apr 27, 2012)

Jack crevalle 
Yellowfin 
Blue marlin


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## Downtime2 (Sep 27, 2007)

Grennel.


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## Emerald Ghost (Mar 11, 2008)

countryjwh said:


> bull bream


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Specifically, Shell Cracker.


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

Hardtail.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Forum Runner.


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

countryjwh said:


> bull bream


 
Fresh water would be a big ole bream in a fast moving creek like coldwater, saltwater....a reef donkey many a feet down!!!!:thumbsup: Can't say anything about the marlin and sails since I've never hooked 1!!!


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## nb&twil (Oct 2, 2007)

Saltwater: hardtail (blue runner), and just about anything in that jack family.
Freshwater: 1.5lb spotted bass. Spots of all sizes are tough guys, but something about that 1-2lb size seems to be extra feisty.


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## jpwalnuthill (Feb 12, 2010)

Saltwater: Blackfin Tuna

Freshwater: Sucker


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## Amarillo Palmira (Jan 2, 2010)

I hooked an Asian Grass Carp over on Yellow River while I was fishing for trout. I had the damn thing on for 1 hour and 10 minutes on 8 pound test line. After that much time, my line was shredded and he shook his head good and I lost him. so, I will give my freshwater vote to the Grass Carp.

If I had a net, he would have been in the boat, but i left it in the truck that day....


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## bayougrande (Oct 4, 2007)

pinfish....................:whistling:


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## recess (Oct 8, 2007)

1. swordfish
2. yft tuna
3. Amberjack


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## the finisher (Jan 22, 2013)

*the finisher*

bonita
bluefish
wait for it...............mullett


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## southern yakker (Jun 25, 2012)

bayougrande said:


> pinfish....................:whistling:


I was thinking this actually. With how small they are and how hard they pull for being that small I couldn't imagine catching an 80 pound one. All jacks and I'd say mako sharks for the other two


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## salt-life (Feb 20, 2012)

Hardtail. Fill those suckers up on a sabiki and tell me you rod ain't bending hahaha. Tarpon are pretty damn strong too


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## nextstep (Jun 27, 2008)

bft
aj
never caught one but have always heard bonefish?


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## tiereta (Oct 31, 2007)

No BS. Sheepshead! 
If they came in #100ers I would stop traveling the world chasing marlin.


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## Buckyt (Oct 1, 2007)

*Strongest fish*

I haven't had the opportunity to catch all the fish in our world, but I have been lucky enough to catch the following:
Sailfish on freshwater spinning tackle, 15lb line from my bass boat in Destin
Striped Marlin in Haiwai on a charter boat on heavy Penn International tackle
AmberJack from OB on 20 lb line medium tackle
Jack Crevalle on 2o lb line medium tackle
Shark from my boat on 20-30 lb tackle
Tarpon on 20 lb line
Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, stripers, carp, catfish, in freshwater.

Of all these fish I believe that Jack Crevalle are the strongest fish pound for pound that I have caught. 
Sailfish was the most spectacular fish I ever caught.
Striped Marlin nearly pulled my arms out of their sockets.
Tarpon was one of the most fun fish I ever caught.
Amberjack was a really hard fighter
Striper is the strongest freshwater fish I have caught.
Every fish I ever caught was a whole lot of fun! I am 71 years old and just hope I live long enough to catch a few more!


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## SaltAddict (Jan 6, 2010)

This was the hardest fight I've had to date. I was chasing BoBos with a penn 440 and 10 lb test. What I didn't know was there were jack cravelle mixed in with them. 45 minutes before he started his first death circle. Another 20 before I could sink the gaff. Wish you guys could see what was on the other side of that camera. Man was she smokin!!


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## KingCrab (Apr 29, 2012)

Aj, Big hard tail, Big Sheepies from pier. Big Cobies.


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## cody&ryand (Oct 3, 2007)

I would have to say aj one time fishing the rigs of dauphin island caught two 30# at the same time on a single circle hook and thought I was going to die


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## snake 166 (Oct 2, 2007)

Ajs are right up there but I never found Jack Crevalle to be much more than fighting a garbage can lid. They are strong but just a steady pull and don't rip line off the reel. I would have to go with fish of the tuna family---red meat is high in hemoglobin which is needed for sustained swimming speed.


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## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

I had to think on this one and I finally decided it was Ulua in Hawaii. It's a Giant Trevally, one mean and nasty fighter. I caught one big one from shore (93lbs) and I was pretty sure that I was trying to bring in one of the migrating Humpback Whales. If you fished off the cliffs in Hawaii you know what grateful is when you get that fish to shore past the reefs and rocks not to mention your trip down and up the cliff. Here's the kicker, I used an old glass Shakesphere 2 piece surf rod and original 6500 Baitrunner reel spooled with 30 lb monofilament line.


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## aroundthehorn (Aug 29, 2010)

SW: Jacks/bonefish

FW: Carp


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## badonskybuccaneers (Aug 19, 2013)

iJabo said:


> I've seen this post on other forums, and I'm assuming that it has popped up here once or twice. However, I have not seen a thread about it yet and I thought it would be a fun topic.
> 
> So here it is:
> Pick the top 3 strongest fish you've ever fought pound for pound. Think of it this way; of course a Yellowfin Tuna is stronger than a Largemouth Bass, but what if that Bass was the same size as the Tuna?
> ...


1-BFT
2-Jack Crevalle
3-bonito

(should have set this thread up as a poll)


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## aroundthehorn (Aug 29, 2010)

Just thought of rays...those things will fight like heck on light tackle.


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

The only fish that has ever come close to killing me was a yellowfin tuna on 25 lbs of drag. Couldn't drink or smoke for two hours afterwards. But that's all right - I kicked his ass.

A 100 lb. smallmouth bass? No quit in them - have to pass the rod off.

A 100 lb. shellcracker? Horror movie.


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## MikeH (Jul 14, 2009)

Going to have to say mullet...you foul hook a 100# one in the tail and you would kill for it to just be an AJ


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## fairpoint (May 9, 2013)

Allison Yellowfin Tuna.....probably one of the prettiest fish to see coming in also Imo...........


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## CreekLifeFL (Jun 22, 2013)

Buckyt said:


> I haven't had the opportunity to catch all the fish in our world, but I have been lucky enough to catch the following:
> Sailfish on freshwater spinning tackle, 15lb line from my bass boat in Destin
> Striped Marlin in Haiwai on a charter boat on heavy Penn International tackle
> AmberJack from OB on 20 lb line medium tackle
> ...


How big was the sailfish?


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## MULLET HUNTER (Oct 3, 2007)

Hands down #1: Rainbow Trout
#2 blue marlin
#3 stingray
#4 Mako
#5 amber jack


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## Burnt Drag (Jun 3, 2008)

A 30lb Jack Crevalle on a bait rod with 10lb test took 40 minutes before I could see it.. once I saw it, I broke it off. This happened about 8 years ago at the Cove. We went around boats, under anchor lines, over anchor lines. I'm still waiting on pictures, Donna.


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## fishnhuntguy (Feb 8, 2012)

Yellowfin Tuna, Jackfish, Wahoo


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## GROUPERKING (Sep 28, 2011)

Aj
Tuna
Sucker


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## Gadan (Mar 15, 2012)

Still waiting for my first YF
But a AJ
JACK C
Are pretty dand fun to fight...

My best fight was unknown???? I suspect a hammer head we saw earlier, prior to the bite... A 1.5 hour fight ended in broke leader and I was glad it was over..


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## Razzorduck (Oct 22, 2007)

The usual jacks and tuna but last summer I was snapper fishing on locked down 80lb gear and hooked a really big Bonita. He not only pulled drag but pulled my butt all over the back of the boat. Never got to weigh it since the Captain used it as strip baits trolling in.


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## tidebow67 (Feb 18, 2010)

For the first few runs gotta be a red horse sucker


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

Hardtails...and Jack crevalle...well, any if the jacks! At a hundred pounds only tuna would compete.


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## a (Oct 2, 2007)

snook


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## jflfarmer (Oct 25, 2013)

Smallmouth bass
Striped bass
Tarpon


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## Collard (Oct 23, 2007)

Wirelessly posted (Not the droid youre lookin for)

Grinnel ( cotton fish)
AJ
Oscar


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## WW2 (Sep 28, 2007)

I say AJ simply because of the circumstance that you have to fight them. Since they are reef fish you have a real risk of losing them to the wreck, so, you have to go strong on the drag. Almost all of the other fish(that I have caught) was just a matter of correct drag and line on the reel. I would put grouper in here but they seem to give up much easier than the AJ. Lots of fish peel off a lot of line etc, but, you can overcome that with a bigger reel, backing down boat etc. AJ is hit, reel, win or hit reel lose.


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## SteveFL (Aug 2, 2010)

Pound for pound, if a regular ole' blue gill bream could reach 30 lbs, they simply could not be reeled in with normal fishing gear.


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## Tim (Oct 24, 2007)

Bonita 
AJ
Pompano


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## Buckyt (Oct 1, 2007)

Creeklife, the sailfish was about 6' long ( not sure about the weight). It fought for about 1 hour and 45 min before we could call it a catch. That fish is my favorite memory for a fish.


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

We could throw out the "well, if these got to a hundred pounds" hypotheticals but if they don't, they don't. If a smallmouth bass got to 200lbs, he would still have the physical makeup of the smaller fish regarding stamina and muscle composition. His first run might be strong, but would it match an even smaller Yellowfin Tuna of 100lbs or so? No, the tuna is built for sustained speed, a bass is not. Some fish fight more sluggish the larger they get too but that's not really relevant here anyway.

I've tried to catch a lot of fish on similar tackle for more accurate comparisons, but the fact remains that many top species live in different habitats, depths and other factors that may contribute to their "sportiness" and may aid in their appearance to be stronger than other species. A prime example of this every time this subject comes up is the Amberjack. I will not downplay their fighting ability, they are time-tested ass kickers, but we usually use very heavy drag and heavy line to snatch them from structure, which puts tremendous strain on the angler. When you catch an AJ in open water around bait schools, the fight is different. You use less drag than normal and can afford to play them out. I've experienced this several times around the elbow and steps with AJs that were actually mixed in with blackfin or small yellowfin. The AJs have a pull that rivals the tunas, but they're stamina doesn't quite hold up to the similar sized tunas in the later rounds.

I've always said a freshwater Rainbow trout will outfight a saltwater speck twice it's size and after my trip to Missouri last week, ill still say it! But, even though I catch both species on similar tackle, the rainbows are in higher current areas which enable them to a degree and my leaders are much lighter, forcing me to play them out longer. Just too many factors. (On a side note, I caught similar sized rainbows and smallmouth bass on the same rod and reel last week and the Rainbows were clearly stronger)

Sorry for the huge outpouring of thoughts, but I couldn't just point to one fish and say "he's stronger" without considering the factors. Either way, y'all should be used to this kind of sh#t from me anyway! If I would pick though, here's my picks. I've caught all three on similar sized gear with similar drag settings and this is just a throw out and in no order...

-Yellowfin Tuna
-Broadbill Swordfish
-Tarpon


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## SaltAddict (Jan 6, 2010)

Chris- that's interesting about an AJ in open water. I've never caught one in open water. Most of my AJ experience is spearfishing. I can tell you for certain, if you don't get a stone shot, my comparison would be to step in a 5'x5' pen with a pit bull and a T-bone tied to your neck.


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## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

Not trying to derail this thread but talking about AJs in open water is something I have a little experience with. The last day of snapper season I took a 12K Bait Runner on an Offshore Angler Cobia Special rod, a pretty good snapper set up for free lined baits. Those free lined live baits yeilded only one big snapper but I had five hook ups with big AJs. I have to say that they made some blistering runs and I think my hook was too small because I ended up pulling the hook on every one. I didn't realize it at the time but during those AJ runs they took line so fast that the little clicker for the drag wore off.


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## lowprofile (Jan 6, 2013)

30lb Pacific yellowtail will out perform any othrr 30lb fish. A 250lb thresher will keep you on the rail longer than any 250lb fish will. 1000lb bluefin will out perform any other 1000lb fish. And i believe a 2500lb greatwhite will tow any boat longer than any other 2500lb fish.


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## SteveFL (Aug 2, 2010)

Chris V said:


> We could throw out the "well, if these got to a hundred pounds" hypotheticals but if they don't, they don't. If a smallmouth bass got to 200lbs, he would still have the physical makeup of the smaller fish regarding stamina and muscle composition. His first run might be strong, but would it match an even smaller Yellowfin Tuna of 100lbs or so? No, the tuna is built for sustained speed, a bass is not. Some fish fight more sluggish the larger they get too but that's not really relevant here anyway.


A little sensitive there huh Chris? You did read the original post and understand the term pound-for-pound, right?


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

SteveFL said:


> A little sensitive there huh Chris? You did read the original post and understand the term pound-for-pound, right?


Not sensitive at all, did you read anything else I posted? You must have me out of context (easy to do on here)

I've been fishing a little while and am very understanding of pound-for-pound, but thank you for asking! I appreciate any help I can get  (just a joke, calm down and put the gun away)


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## lowprofile (Jan 6, 2013)

And a bluegill wins the 1-3lb catagory. Theres a lot of hard fighting pacific fish thst people arent familiar with like the spotted bay bass and sheep head and a lot of gulf and atlantic fish im not familiar with and most here probably arent either. I know an 8lb bobo on freshwater bass gear is about the best light tackle fight ive had.


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## birdsnest (Oct 2, 2007)

My first Jack Cravelle was in open water. I was convinced I had a submarine. The second was in East Bay on a kayak. I was towed around the bay forever. I've caught yellow and black fin tuna and didn't think they put up half the fight of Jack Cravelle.


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## Tobiwan (Apr 27, 2012)

birdsnest said:


> My first Jack Cravelle was in open water. I was convinced I had a submarine. The second was in East Bay on a kayak. I was towed around the bay forever. I've caught yellow and black fin tuna and didn't think they put up half the fight of Jack Cravelle.


This ^^ 

I'd put a JC against anything. I caught one in open water oneday and I woulda bet money it was a tarpon. They are one strong fish.


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## Tom044 (Mar 20, 2013)

Bluefin tuna 
Blue fish 
Yellowfin 
Get a fish in strong current and they can fool you.


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## crackerjac (Jan 11, 2011)

Bonita
Amberjack


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