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I have never caught a Rainbow in winter, but in summer I would go with the trout. Some Walleye can be plenty feisty though.
To be fair... A walleye caught in summertime puts up a better fight than this time of year... But they dont bully run they open their mouth and shake their head like a pitbull.... One of the reasons they spit the hook so efficiently... There arent many fish in north america that have as prolific of a fight as a rainbow of the same size.... A 5 lb rainbow will fight as hard or harder than any other 5 lb fish you are gonna catch.... Next best fight to a trout id say maybe a smallmouth...
I have yet to encounter a harder fighting fish than a river run smallmouth.For the OP, trout all day.
Trout in general fight harder, imo.Pound for pound hardest fighters, imo, are bowfin. Those things absolutely wreck tackle. Bend hooks, break hooks, heck, they'll bend plugs. Buffalo are probably a close second... not flashy or fancy fighting, but they pull drag like a freight train.
Pound for pound hardest fighters, imo, are bowfin. Those things absolutely wreck tackle. Bend hooks, break hooks, heck, they'll bend plugs.
But I've never caught a little 10" bowfin... And I've never measured my bowfin...just catch, admire, and then release.