It's so hard to know what will bleed and what won't. Some people will say to make sure you buy good quality quilting cotton. But I've had "good quality" Alex Anderson-designed Kaufman fabrics bleed. And I agree with you, pre-washing and using color catchers doesn't usually solve the problem. Do a bleed test on the fabric first to see if it will actually bleed. You can do this by taking a white kitchen towel, dampen a corner of it and rub it on the suspect fabric. If you get any dye on the towel, you will need to treat the fabric before going further.
What I *have* found that fixes bleeders is this technique, used by a quilter named Vickie Welsh who hand-dyes her fabrics. She did a bunch of tests on the best way to fix bleeders and generously typed up this
handy little how-to for the rest of us quilters. The best thing about it is you don't have to go hunt down anything special or expensive, you probably have everything you need in your home already.
I have used this method several times with great success, once even on a fully completed quilt.