Catfishing an unknown lake

[flyhigh123]

So i plan on fishing a lake that most likely has catfish, but i'm not 100% sure it has it.

What bait would you recommend? Something smelly like makeral or chicken liver? I've bee reading about M&M combo? Since i'm not sure about how mnay catfish are in the lake and it is not stocked with catfish, i was thinking it would be best to spread the scent to draw any to the bait if there were any.

Does that make sense and is this the best idea?

Thanks!

[reelgurlzfish]

I've had best luck on mackeral and crawlers. I have heard though good things about the mealworm marshmallow combo.

[LunkerLover]

You really wanna see if there are cats? Flyline chunks of fresh mackerel, fresh shrimp, or chicken liver. I'd throw some near timber/cover, and some blind casts. Leave bails open or drag LOOSE and let it rock!