Just an FYI there are no blue catfish in mass.
The best hooks for catching catfish are the circle hooks. Avoid using treble hooks because they will make catch and release fishing difficult if not impossible because catfish tend to inhale the bait.
Also be prepared to deal with snapping turtles. Consider getting yourself a hook remover like this one:
http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Stainless-Steel-Hook-Remover/product/30220/
For bait cheap hot dogs marinated in garlic infused corn oil. Re-use a salsa jar, fill it half full with corn oil, add three cloves of freshly chopped garlic and hot dog chunks sized to fit on the hooks you are using. Seal and let it marinade for several days.
When you are ready to go fishing transfer the bait to a ziplock bag.
Add more hot dogs to your marinade jar so you will have more bait for the net trip.