Live sonar allows you to watch catfish react to your bait in real-time. You can see a 40-pound flathead swim up, sniff your bluegill, and turn away. This allows you to twitch the bait to trigger a strike.
If you are still fishing blind, you are missing out on the biggest cats of your life. You do not need a $3,000 unit to start. A $300 unit with CHIRP and GPS is enough to put you on more fish than 90% of the bank fishermen out there. catfish finder
Catfish, specifically blues and channels, often school incredibly tight in massive balls. When you pass a school of 500 catfish with a standard 2D sonar, the screen doesn't show individual "arches" like it would for bass. Instead, it looks like a chaotic blob of purple, red, and yellow near the bottom. Live sonar allows you to watch catfish react
Look for a second layer of color just above the hard bottom line. If your screen shows a thick red band (red indicates hard return/hard bottom) and right above it is a layer of yellow dots, those are catfish. They are "bumping" the bottom. If you are still fishing blind, you are
Your catfish finder likely has a temp sensor. Blue cats prefer 55-70°F. If your temp drops below 45°F, move to deep holes. If it hits 80°F, move to windy, oxygenated shallows.