Crayfish are excellent bait that can be fished in much the same way and with the same equipment as live fish.  A crayfish should be hooked once through the tail. It is important to use as small and thin a hook as you can.  Crayfish do not live a long time once they have been hooked.
 
Nitecrawlers make excellent Catfish bait.  The only problem I see with using nitecrawlers for bait is that other smaller fish are far more likely to attack your bait before the Catfish.  If you are looking for non stop action they are without a doubt the best bait you can use.  Just understand that you will catch a wide variety of fish that can be very small. You will also likely go through a large amount of nitecrawlers but have a great deal of action as well.
 
In the absence of live bait cut fish works very well also.  Freshly killed fish would be the best choice followed by frozen and thawed fish.  I advise using large chunks of fish with the hook buried as deep as possible to prevent premature detection.
 
Dip baits and stink baits can also be used effectively, but only certain parts of the river.  If you are fishing an area of high current you should put those baits away and select something else.  The premise of these baits is that the smell acts as a sort of chum that attracts the fish.  In areas of heavy current this advantage is eliminated.
 
This in a nutshell is live bait fishing on the Mississippi River for catfish.  

You will find a wide variety of different fish. Some are small and plentiful, others rare and quite large.

To get the full "Guide To Catfish Bait On The Mississippi River" article you'll need to download it here.