Seems that we are confusing survivalability with being smart. Based on some of the previous discussion of all our fishes the lampreys would be the "smartest" - they have been around the longest.

If the intent is which would be the easiest to catch (limited to freshwater) then surely it would be steelhead. I have long maintained that they are the easiest to fool of all our freshwater fish. Believe they can be caught on a piece of banana. The rub of course there has to be fish in the river to be caught!

If we could ever find a river with steelehad densities (fish/mile) of even the average trout or salmon stream we would all be experts and double digit days common.

Tight lines
Smalma