I have been catching 5-6 cats a night in my pond. My daughter and I each have a 10ft fiberglass cane pole. I put braided line on both...about 11ft. Hooks could be bigger but we catch crappie and shellcrackers as well. Foam cork with only about a foot under the bobber.
Bait of choice.....live craws....most of the fish we catch are 17-23inches. A mixture of blues and channels. They pound these live craws. I hook them in the tail so they can swing around in a circle...I mean Big Craws...

Shoot I think these cats are part smallie.