It's funny to see shrimp as a new found catfish bait. They sell bait shrimp here in the grocery stores, still with the heads and legs.
I think it is best to fish it on the bottom, but I run a trotline in my pond and I catch CC on parts not on the bottom all the time because the way the line is strung along the edge of a drop off.
I used to drift fish at night along flat bottom lakes and used a slip sinker to keep it on the bottom with a shot weight keeping the slip sinker off the bait. And lot of people use a slip sinker all the time but no bobber, on the bottom. And I agree that the less weight the better even with a slip sinker. I guess there are lots of ways different people prefer. Catfish will play with a bait a long time before finally taking it. In my pond lot of times I think it is just baby BG playing with it until the CC finally decideds to take it and go.
As far as shrimp goes as bait it is my favorite. Bait shrimp is not expensive really, can be refrozen, stays on the hook pretty good better than lots of bait. I put the hook through the head then string it through the tail with the hook comming out some like one of the little legs on the shrimp. It is not messy or real bad smelling either. And overall I think the catfish like it better most of the time over other baits.
