I've found you keep it simple and you will catch fish. Here we bait holes on the lake. We use 16' B-n-M poles with 14 lb test line and a #1 hook. Bait with Catalpa Worms , Turkey Liver, or whatever is free or cheap. Sometimes we use our Bass rods or the kids spincast Zebcos. As long as there is no current and you can cast it out , no weight on the line works best.
We catch hundreds of Catfish every summer too.