The TRUST said:
I use a fishing net. I make sure I choose one made of very soft material, short handle and a deep net. this works great for big fish. I let the fish swim in and immediately flip the net shut and then flip it again so that the fish' weight is supported by the other side of the net so it is easier to lift it and since the fish is "tightly" wrapped in the net it can't struggle as much. If you guys are having a hard time imagining what I just described let me know, I'll try to snap some pics.
Sorry for the extremely late reply Wes. But here are the pics.
Here is my weapon of choice. A deep short handle fishing net made with soft non abrasive fabric. Short handle so it will be easier to manuver with and most tanks that we have are not that deep anyways. I have a 250G and it works fine.
Instead of a fish, I used a fish food container to demonstrate.
so imagine the container is a fish, let it swim all the way into the end of the net.
As soon as the fish is in place, start twsiting the net to seal off the escape route.
eventually there will be no space for the fish to move at all, preventing it from thrashing and the mid part of the net that is now the "bottom" from the twisting should be tight enough at this point to support the weight of the fish on it to help u lift it of of the tank with ease.
If you guys had a hard time picturing the process in your head, I made a Video just in case.
CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO