Originally Posted by
hotramen
Some good suggestions you have received. Carolina rig is the go to method. As far as bait goes, catfish prefer stinkbait. Mackerel, shrimp, liver are popular choices. I use pike mackerel myself. I buy them frozen from Korean grocery stores and chopped them into 1 inch wide pieces. I often soak them in an attractant for a few hours.
One factor I will say is that the catfish in SARL (compared to the now closed Irvine lake) seem to show interest in marshmallows. I have never caught catfish this way at Irvine, but it seems to work surprisingly well at SARL.
SARL does offer night time fishing so going in the evening is another option. Going during the afternoon is a waste of time and you will just get sunburned. Early morning until about 9 and evening hours from 8 to 11 are when you have the best odds.