#1 would have to be a 40+ lb yellow cat on a trotline at navarro, it took an hour to net it, on rod an reel I would have to say a hybrid at cedar creek last july, don't know how big it was but I fought it for 10-15 minutes before it broke off at the boat. I would really like to hook up with a red on tradinghouse or fairfield I hear they fight the hardest of anything in texas freshwaters.

redfish by far.

I love hybrids!

Don't think they have quite the fight of a common carp though.

I caught about a 8 pound carp on DD22 on 20 line on Choke Canyon. Snagged it in the dorsal fin wow what a fight that was.

27 pound flathead, caught on 6 pound test, and 5' ultralight crappie rod, and a 1/16 oz. crappie jig. It took about 30 minutes to get it to surface for the final landing.

Armadillo on a Spook at ray Roberts. It jumped like a deer and once those claws got ahold, you weren't budging him.
Took me 10 minutes to get in the boat and 20 minutes to get him out of the net!

15 lb carp accidentally snagged in the tail, about a 30 minute fight, almost stripped the gears on my 5500C, I was about 15 years old, what a fight!!!

30lb 15oz buff on Grapevine. Accidently tail hooked while cranking with 12lb line. She pulled me and my boat about till I could get Ol Slimy in.

Icaught about a 15 pound fresh water drum on light spinning tackle in Oklahoma and it took me every bit of 20 minutes to land the fish.But I have to give props to the sandbass and hybrids even a small fish can put up a good fight.

For me it would have to be the 48 inch Musky I caught last August at The Lake of the Woods. 30 minutes to land, 30 minutes to revive. And it hit the lure on top about 1 foot from the boat. Talk about a drag screaming! (Circle eighting!) Funny thing is, that was most likely the hardest fight of my life and the fish wasn't even a keeper. They have to be 54 inches.

After that probably the 30.1 pound Carp I caught last month at the Austin Team Championships.

Somewhere in there would have to be the 80+ pound Flathead I caught out of the Missouri River, from a sandbar. (Scales only went to 80 and it pegged it.) It was so long ago I don't remember much about the fight except I ended up chest deep in the water trying to keep line on my reel. I ended up with a 50-60 pound snapping turtle that same day. Sorry, didn't weight it!

Somewhere in there would have to be the 40 inch Northern I caught the day before the Musky. Actually, the fish before the Musky. The Northern was late Thursday evening, the Musky first fish Friday morning. Talk about a back-to-back.

Then was the 44 pound Blue Cat from Tawakoni last month. Didn't (couldn't) take long to land but it was a fight while it lasted. We were in thick trees and I basically jerked that 44 lber out like you would a 1 pound Crappie. Really heavy equipment and hard use on what few muscles I have left.

I've been catching so many hybrids lately I don't think much about them but they are in there somewhere. There was a 32 inch Striper from Texoma a few years back, too.

Thinking back on all of them, it's hard to pick the hardest or longest fight. It could have been any of them.

All of the fish mentioned above, except for some of the hybrids, were released, safely. (Yes, even the turtle.)

Kevin

about 2 hours ago i pulled in a 25 lb yellowcat on a throwline on the Brazos River.

awesome!...did you get photos

i fought a 35lb buffalo on a crankbait and 10lb test on texoma for atleast 20 minutes.

our net was too little so we had to heave him in the boat

I'll have to say about a twenty pound Gar. Man that thing fought and fought. Using light line and a small reel.

12 pound carp on an ultralight rig with 4 pound test. This was at Lake Hodges in San Diego. Took me about 20 minutes to get to the boat.