I only use frozen shrimp purchased from major grocery stores, around 50-60 count. I fish with no weight on a bare hook and let bait sink to the bottom. I only add weight in very windy conditions and actually prefer not to fish when it gets that windy.
My preference is to fish at night but when I fish during daylight I have had my best odds/numbers from daylight until around 11am.
Punch baits seem to be popular among lots of folks. I assume folks are quite successful with them. A popular storebought bait is Danny King's. I personally fished punch baits and dough baits side by side with shrimp and have never been able to reproduce the same numbers or size on punch/dough baits as shrimp. This does not mean it can't be done, heck I may just not have the right know-how. I have noticed, however, that sometimes during the colder months better catches seem to come from dough/punch baits.. not from experience but from reading.
Hope this helps. I am a long-time catfisher and reader but don't post much.
I often increase the bite by spreading sour milo over where I fish. A small coffee can helps bring them in and I spread more about every hour. Milo can be purchased from feed stores, fill a 5 gallon bucket 3/4 full of milo and fill it up with water, let sit for a couple of weeks outside. I have better luck with chum in the warmer months of the year.