Indeed, channel cats often take advantage of the ice-out feast of dead shad for the first few weeks. Or so I've read, I honestly have never fished for them at that time.
In the pond with the winterkill pictured above...the frustrating part is not knowing the extent of the winterkill...ARE there any fish still alive? Should I be fishing for them? Or was it a total kill? Live fish were photographed in a small patch of open water there just a couple weeks back...