I fish at a Spillway in Somerville, TX frequently, and every time I�m there I see people catching huge black buffalo in cast nets. I can catch Smallmouth Buffalo relatively easily using typical carp methods, like using a method feeder with Panko/hominy packbait and corn hookbait, however I just can�t get these black buffalo to bite using these methods. Does anybody have anything to suggest to target them? Maybe worms, or bread?

Interesting! Are you positive they're Blacks? Try to get a photo of one next time, be sure to get the entire body, a close up of the head, and another close up of the lips. I'm not seeing any reports of any Black Buffalo from that area. Black Buff Range

I'd just stick with something similar to what you're doing now. I've never caught a Black Buffalo but I'd imagine they behave quite similarly to Smallmouths.

I�ll try to get a photo next time, but I�m almost positive they are blacks. The mouth is different than Smallmouths (placed more towards the front of the head of the fish rather than straight down like SM). And I have managed to catch a few smallmouths out there before, and they looked much lighter colored than the black buffs I see being caught in cast nets. I�ve never seen anyone actually catch one on a rod and reel, except by accidentally snagging them while throwing rattle traps for stripers.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife records for Somerville do not have any black buffalo listed. There are only smallmouth buffalo recorded. That does not verify they are not in the lake but it is a good indicator. I hold several state and lake records for black buffalo and identification is a bit confusing. If you want to see a picture of a big black buffalo from Lake Granbury you can look on the back of my book, The Art of Fishing for Records. The image should come up with a google search. Typically blacks have fleshier lips than smallmouth buffalo and the body of a smallmouth is taller in front of the dorsal fin than a black. The best bait I have found for blacks is range cubes. I drill a hole through them and tie them on with a hair rig.