Homemade Fish Trap

I need to catch my dottyback. There are some examples of using a 1 liter plastic soda bottle on the web. Has anyone tried this or got a n idea?

It's easy.



Cut the top off a 1 liter soda bottle. Use a steak knife. We're not building a space shuttle here, just hack it off.

Turn it upside down and stuff it back in the body of the bottle to trial fit. Cut a little off the neck of the top if you need, so it will slip inside the body of the bottle.

Run a big goober of 100% si8licone around the top part where it will contact the body of the trap. Stuff it in and let it sit for 3 or 4 days to cure.

Starve the fish for a day or 2. Put a couple rocks in the trap so it will sink. Put some food in the trap. Drop it in the tank. Don't feed the tank. If they want to eat, they go in the bottle.

If they refuse to eat, take the bottle out after about an hour. Drain it by poking a hole in the bottom. You can poke a large hole, so long as the dottyback can't fit through the hole.

Drain the food and water out. Leave the rocks inside. Stick it back in the tank so the fish get used to it. Tomorrow, try it again. No food in the tank. They swim in the bottle to eat or they starve.

You'll catch him eventually.

Removal? Steak knife.

I did it to catch damsels. It worked great. All 4 of thoughs stupid bastards were all caught in 30 minutes.

The dottyback swam in the 1 liter trap last night after only an hour or two. Seconds after I grabbed the trap he wiggled out thru the inverted nozzle. I'm thinking of a 2 liter trap in addition to the 1 liter.

I covered the end of the bottle with a net as fast as I could.

Just run down to your local fly fishing shop and pick up the smallest trout fly they have.File the barb off,stick a split shot right above the fly,pop the top on a cold one,and wait for a bite
Used that method several times with great success.

I may have to do that! I have two of the plastic bottle traps in there and he won't swim into either! That fish is as fast as lighting! I have also considered dropping an M80 into the tank!

you cant be that desperate yet, can you?

You'd be surprised Dustin.I've actually thought pretty dang
seriously about either doing that,or dropping the toaster in the tank.
At times,a problem fish can drive you insane.

oh trust me i know that feeling, i took me three hours and half a filled tank to get a fish out but atleast i got it