Best Bait for River Catfish

On the surface, the Nueces River looks calm and ordinary, but monsters lurk in its depths.  Monster catfish, to be precise.  These beasts grow to intimidating sizes, and there is one man who refuses to leave them in peace.  Dave Wyble of Swinney Switch, Texas, has perfected the art of bringing in the biggest of the river’s giant catfish.  He has a wealth of experience, tips, and great humor to share. 

Mr. Wyble uses what is known as a jug line or trot line.  This is a very long, strong line (about 400-500 pound line) that is weighted and sunk to about 3 feet from the river bottom, and floated at the surface with jugs.  The jugs are marked with the angler’s name, address, phone number, and the date the rig was set.  The date must be changed at least every thirty days to show the rig is current and maintained.  Several drop lines are also added, each coming about 16-18 inches off the main line.  These are set with hooks and bait.  When this is done, you sit back and wait.  Dave can just look out his window with his binoculars and check for the obvious sign of a catch:  “If your jug’s movin’ around, you know you got a fish on it.” 

A variation on the jug line or trot line is the limb line.  In this configuration, you tie your main line on a tree limb that overhangs the river, then the movement of the breeze will keep it in constant motion.  That bobbing motion will attract the fish, and when you see the limb bowed, you know it’s time to bring in your catch.

Of all the wisdom Mr. Wyble has to share, newcomers to giant catfishing will find his choice of bait to be the most suprising.  What great secret does he use to draw those monsters to his hooks?  Soap.  That’s right.  Soap.  But don’t go reaching for your wife’s Dove soap; the choosy beasts prefer a certain brand.  Zote soap, a vegetable based laundry soap from Mexico, is the choice of Nueces’ giant catfish.  And, as Dave laughingly tells us, using soap for bait also means you don’t have to clean your catch!

Mr. Wyble has the trophy photos and the amazing stories that come from his years of experience on the river.  He had me laughing through one tale in particular, of a monster catfish that almost got the better of him.  “Two piers down I had my trot line set out and I got a big one on there.  And I gaffed him, but he was bigger’n I could handle! And lo and behold he tipped the boat over, and in the water I went.  Of course, I had one hand on the gaff, and I didn’t want to lose that big fish. So, I finally got back in the boat, but I couldn’t get the fish in the boat he’s so big! So I just cranked up the motor and came back to my pier and drug him off to shore.”  One cell phone, one pager, and one laughing neighbor later, Mr Wyble bagged his giant yellow catfish.

Monster catfish aren’t the only critters Mr. Wyble drags up from the river. He once hooked a 4 foot alligator on one of his trot lines.  Now, you may know by now that this is not the kind of man to turn from a challenge; He decided to try wrestling that gator into his boat.  After a long struggle, he had to admit that he just couldn’t get him into the boat.  Dave says that it was only afterwards that it occurred to him to wonder, “What would I’d a done with that alligator if I’d a got him in the boat? It would’a been him stay in the boat or me stay in the boat. And more’n likely it woulda been me getting OUT of the boat!” 

Mr. Wyble wisely let the alligator go on his way, but he is not so merciful with alligator gar.  He recently got twenty pounds of meat off one of the monsters, and he can tell you precisely how best to prepare it: slow-cooked Cajun style with plenty of spices, tomato gravy, and served over rice.  And if giant catfish, alligators, and alligator gar aren’t enough, Dave Wyble is also a capable hog hunter.  Last year he and his neighbor caught 68 hogs, the largest of which topped out around 400 pounds! 

Dave’s ranch on the banks of the Nueces River is an ideal setting for an enthusiast such as he is. He gets out virtually every day to do some fishing of some kind or other.  After all, he points out, “I can come out of my backyard and just go out there and get ‘em!”  And boy, does he get ‘em.  Dave Wyble shows us a slice of the good life: stepping out to the pier or boat for daily fishing time, eating well off his own catches, and hooking the occasional gator to keep things lively.

Jana Badger, Bronx NY
Resources: JustGoFishin Tales & Reports Podcast Show Episode #10, "Monster Catfish in Nueces River"