Carp

[tiddlertamer]

Aside from all other matters, are carp the hardest fighting fish to be found on these islands?

 

(cue someone proposing gudgeon as the best pound for pound fighting fish. )

[lutra]

Aside from all other matters, are carp the hardest fighting fish to be found on these islands?

 

(cue someone proposing gudgeon as the best pound for pound fighting fish. )

A very hard question to answer as different fishing styles seem to lend themselves to land some species better than others.

 

I used to fish an any method day on a smallish trout lake. It was mostly stocky rainbow fishing with fish up to 4lbish which were good frisky fighters on the float rod just like on a fly rod, but they didn't seem like super fighters.

 

The second time i went i decided to take the pole and boy did i have a shock. A 3lb rainbow can and will bottom out a fourteens elastic. I don't know about you lot, but Ive landed a few (not a lot, 10 maybe) low double figure carp on a fourteen's elastic and not had it bottomed out.

 

Ive done a fair bit of Salmon fishing and someone trying to hit and hold a 20lb fresh salmon on a pole is something i would like to see. I fancy they would end up water skiing.

[Redtailhawk]

Carp fisheries are here to stay but I have noticed that quite a few fisheries are now converting one of their lakes to silver fish. Me personally i don't mind carp but my favourite fish is tench as for hardess fighting fish I would say it has to be a river caught barbel

Darren

[Anderoo]

Carp don't fight as hard as trout definitely, or tench (especially the males). I have no experience of salmon or barbel but I would expect they would fight harder too, although they would have the benefit of flowing water.

 

I've had 5lb male tench that make a 20lb carp feel like a bleak

 

If only dace grew to 5lb...!

[Vagabond]

Hardest fighting fish in UK freshwater? (ignoring the "Mighty Mouse" tiddlers)

Pound for pound

1. Mullet

2. Seatrout

3. Salmon

4. Barbel

5. Male Tench (stronger than carp of the same size)

6. Carp

 

Go overseas and there are plenty of freshwater fish that beat that

Trahira

Payara

Tigerfish

(Mahseer - overrated IMHO, likewise Peacock Bass)

 

Bring in seafish, especially tropical seafish, and there is a long list of contenders that beat most freshwater fish hands down

1. Bonefish

2. Permit

3. Tarpon

4. Any one of several species of tuna or the larger mackerels

 

At the moment I am being plagued by middle-sized carp in my attempt to catch a grass carp, so I am definitely not enamoured of carp - and having seen the muddy state of the slower rivers of New South Wales and Victoria and the wall-to-wall carp populations therein, am not at all pleased to find them in UK rivers.

 

We may wind up in the same situation as Australia, where it is ILLEGAL TO RETURN CARP TO THE WATER

[tiddlertamer]

Carp don't fight as hard as trout definitely, or tench (especially the males). I have no experience of salmon or barbel but I would expect they would fight harder too, although they would have the benefit of flowing water.

 

I've had 5lb male tench that make a 20lb carp feel like a bleak

 

If only dace grew to 5lb...!

 

 

Carp may not fight as hard, pound for pound, as trout.

 

But they are surely far more cunning...

 

If trout had cunning then fluff chucking would never have come about.

 

Trout really are simply too easy on coarse fishing methods. Though then again, would you really fancy a trout supper caught on maggot or caster.

[watatoad]

Carp may not fight as hard, pound for pound, as trout.

 

But they are surely far more cunning...

 

If trout had cunning then fluff chucking would never have come about.

 

Trout really are simply too easy on coarse fishing methods. Though then again, would you really fancy a trout supper caught on maggot or caster.

 

Tiddlertamer

 

Look at it like this if you fail to catch a trout on maggot for your supper, at least you will still have some maggots which you can always use in a sandwich or perhaps use them in a stir fry or a curry...hehehe

[tiddlertamer]

Hardest fighting fish in UK freshwater? (ignoring the "Mighty Mouse" tiddlers)

Pound for pound

1. Mullet

2. Seatrout

3. Salmon

4. Barbel

5. Male Tench (stronger than carp of the same size)

6. Carp

 

Interesting stuff.

 

But ignoring pound for pound comparisons, what would be the individual hardest fighting fish in the UK?

 

Is it a 50/60lb carp, (probably eaten too many boilies... ) a huge salmon, maybe even a 40lb pike...? A 20lb barbel per chance?

 

Which dream fish, were we to confront it, would put up the best fight?

[Vagabond]

Interesting stuff.

 

But ignoring pound for pound comparisons, what would be the individual hardest fighting fish in the UK?

 

a huge salmon,

 

 

Apart from contacting a 300lb plus Atlantic Sturgeon !!! (covered by previous threads) a 60 lb-plus salmon wins easily. Not only well up the "punching above their weight" table but enough weight to make it count.

 

I have had 30lb (Pacific) salmon, and they pull hard and long, so a really big Atlantic salmon would be a real challenge.

[weirwulf]

In my experience pound for pound a barbel far outfights a carp although a river carp has plenty of giddyup too. One fella landed a 26lb 5oz mirror from our river on the first day on his barbel rod so you can imagine the pleasure that gave! I suppose it depends on how you judge a fight too as some fish fight long and hard but don't make sudden rapid charges that require ultra fast reaction whilst others speed off in every direction. Catfish are awesome pullers for example but do they zoom off like a barbel? I think not unless I have only caught the whimpy ones