I'd say that you'll likely want to focus on fishing the bottom, in areas near or where they depth changes suddenly. In farm ponds, I know that a sudden depth change can be as little as going from 6' to 8'... but it will make a difference.

Bait wise... I've caught catfish on everything from nightcrawlers to minnows to breadballs to crankbaits. If you are targeting cats... I'd stick with natural bait such as chicken livers/hearts/gizzards, nightcrawlers, or some type of commercially produced catfish bait. Cutbait works great too, and even dead/alive minnows fished on the bottom will often produce results.