Fishing for catfish in the winter can produce some of the nicest fishing trips you will ever have. In the winter catfish are still somewhat active, they can certainly be caught. In small ponds they will typically be found in the deepest water. Channel catfish will school up and lay pretty much one on top of the other in these deep holes throughout most of the winter. If your fishing a lake try to find where the underwater creek channels run. many times they will be lined up in these slightly deeper areas. They make take some time to actually find but once you do you can typically catch one after another.
Right now the water temps are most likely getting ready to start rising so they may be located near the mouths of creeks where they flow into the lakes. Spring rains will wash bait fish into the main lake or river and the predatory fish will be there waiting on them.
As far as what bait to use try and bring a variety. I use cut or live bait fish from the area whenever possible however I usually bring some stink baits or live worms as well. You never know what they may be wanting that day so its better to be prepared. This time of year you should use smaller pieces of bait than what you would use in the summer. Try to keep your bait in the range of just a mouthful for whatever size fish you are likely to catch. for me that is usually a small bluegill in the 3-4 inch range or just the head of a larger one. I like to use a wide gap circle hook with a sliding weight so that the fish won't feel any resistance when it takes the bait.
Comment below with any tips you have for catching catfish in the winter.