Hey tony. Dunno what venues are in the north west but i know there are some. I dont think there is a big head of cats in any water in the north west. Catfishing is slow going at the best of times on the most prolific catfish waters, so you will need to persevere. Be sure to gain as much knowledge about your target venue as possible. Right ... tackle. It's got to be strong. I am going to list absolute minimum tackle for catfishing: Decent carp reel that holds a lot of line, 12lb mono, 25lb kryston quicksilver (to cope with the catfish's teeth), decent 2.75lb Test Curve rod and you will need a minimum of 42 inch landing net and as big a unhooking mat as possible. Big, heavy gauge hooks are also a must. I recommend Maruto Eagle wave hooks in size 1. My rod is a Fox Warrior XT in 2.75lb TC and my reel is a Shimano 10000 XTE. With regards to bait catfish will eat anything. They are essentially scavengers. They have been known to take mackerel, sausage, luncheon meat, frogs, hallibut pellets, fishmeal boilies, squid, fish (dead/live) and lobworms just to name a few.
Hope I have been of some help to you mate, Tight Lines