How do you catch one fish?

[misticat]

Okay... A good story always starts with beer..... We were drinking beer and fishing off my dock :) I caught a baby gag grouper (9 inches) which is some what common in grassy areas (I have caught about 5 in the last 2 years). At the time it seemed more than reasonable to put it in my 240 gallon tank. It was cool watching him eat my fish that night. I am over it now!! waking up and looking at my tanks murky water is getting old. All he does is stirr the sand up and hide in my 300lbs of rock. i have tried putting live shrimp on a hook, squid, pin fish which is there typical diet in the ocean. I think he is just full from eating some really expensive fish. Last night we were drinking beer :) and took the speer off the gun and we tried stabbing him. I was ready to just take everything out drain the water and stick him in a bucket full of ice. Anyways.... lets come up with a way to catch him with out draining and taking all the rock.

[aquaman67]

I'd wait it out, he'll get hungry again and you can go fishing again.

What kind of fish did he eat?

[misticat]

Thats what I thought..... It kills me though to see him in. I have taken this personal now. What about wrapping an m60 with a few lead weights and blowing him out. Hehe... it would really work but not sure what that would do to the water. We used to do that with pipe bombs next to bridges and red drums and sheeps head would float up. Highly illegal but fun :) He ate my 2 clown fish, sailfin tang, dragon wrasse, coral beauty, flame angel, and a few others....

[Andrew_Adrian]

leave him in, hes become expensive

[Jounior]

hang a long net in there for a while (30) min and put some food in there he will get used to it and eather swim close enough wher you can get him or he will swim in where he is hungry!
or go with what andrew says.

[fishinbuc]

I know you already tried to fish for him once, but try it with a circle hook. Use a live bait shrimp. Hook him under the horn, so he stays alive for a while, and just tie the line to something sturdy on the outside of the tank and let it sit. When he's ready to eat, he'll take the bait and won't spit the hook.

Oh yeah, isn't that gag undersize.:D

Let us know next time you drink.:D

[misticat]

Hehe..... I think your right... I probably need a permit or something.... just kidding everyone I dont have a grouper ;) ;) I went ahead and took all the live rock out... He was bothering me way to much. I feel like a red neck drinking beer while we fish in my aquarium. That would be good for Jeff Foxworthy. I am going to drain the tank and stuff that guy and hang it in the tank stand hehe... circle hooks are awesome! I remember when i first started using them. Its hard to get used to not setting the hook. Well atleast it was for me when i was about 15. Where in florida do you live? We should drink beer and go fishing.