brain - I'm pretty sure it was panther that he caught. I looked up gag grouper and the shape didn't look the same as panther as panthers have smaller heads but I could be wrong. :/
Honestly, I don't know all the rules and if it's small, I usually put them back in.
1guydude - Depends on. I use live shrimps, dead fish, squid etc etc. It all depends on what you want to catch and what's around you. For example, tarpans will never go after squid but they will go after live shrimps. Groupers don't care, snappers don't care, marlins use shiny, scented artificial bait etc etc.
I love lake fishing as well but ocean fishing... it's a different ball game let me tell you that.