Based on feedback: Here's the preliminary final tally of fish by fighting ability, size not withstanding. Rating system composed of 1: Intensity. 2: Stamina. 3. Aerobatics, with a score of 0-10 for each category

In descending order, with ties in alphabetic order - does not take into account taste of cooked fish:

1. Any species of salt water fish beats any species of freshwater fish.

2. Smallmouth Bass 9,8,4 (21)

3. Rainbow trout, wild 8,5,7 (20)

3. Wiper AKA Hybrid Bass (white bass and striper) 10,10,0 (20)

4. Bluegill 10,8,1 (18)

5. Esox 9,5,3 (17)

5. Carp 7,9,1 (17)

5. Catfish 6,9 2 (17)

6. Buffalo 7,9,0 (16)

7. Drum 6,9,0 (15)

8. Crappie 9,5,0 (14)

8. Rainbow trout, stocked 5,4,5 (14)

9. LM Bass 6,4,3 (13)

10. Needle Nose Gar 3,3,3 (9)

11. Walleye 2,3,1 (6)

Feel free to disagree, all feedback will be considered in the final tally.

Wild Browns fight way harder than wild rainbows and flathead cats should be near the top of the list

Ya' left off Bowfin, i.e. Grinnel... They definitely outfight any smallmouth...

1. Any species of salt water fish beats any species of freshwater fish.
Generally true but I would say a redfish and a carp fight fairly equally. Speckled trout and flounder don't fight all that great.

2. Smallmouth Bass 9,8,4 (21)
one of the top warm water fish

3. Rainbow trout, wild 8,5,7 (20
wild fish in big rivers are my cup of tea

4. Bluegill 10,8,1 (18
good fighters for there size but they will always be out ranked by bigger fish.

5. Esox 9,5,3 (17)
depends on the size of the fish and water temp. higher water temps they don't fight that good. smaller fish are punky but are like pulling twigs through the water. that is on muskie, pike and pickerel in my experience.

5. Carp 7,9,1 (17)
sight fishing aspect to this fish helps it ranking

5. Catfish 6,9 2 (17)
meh, they fight ok

Bowfin fits in here somewhere

6. Buffalo 7,9,0 (16)
I have never caught one that fights very good, they can be big and heavy but thats about it.

7. Drum 6,9,0 (15)
a very underrated fish that I think fights good and is always welcomed on the end of my line.

8. Crappie 9,5,0 (14)
Have no idea how you have a crappie rated higher than a LMB. Crappie are down there with Walleye IMO.

9. LM Bass 6,4,3 (13)
has to be higher

10. Needle Nose Gar 3,3,3 (9)
the small ones don't fight very good, hook into a 3+ footer and this fish will go right up towards the top.

11. Walleye 2,3,1 (6)
yep

Lmb has to go up especially in the acrobatics department. It may be just me but I normally just target big bass and they are powerful violent fish. If anybody fished falcon when it was really hot six years ago or so. When very few of the 60 fish you caught that they were under 4 1/2 pounds you know what I'm talking about! Their Stanima would be way up there as well those were extremely healthy fish and they pulled till the bitter end.