In my limited experiences, it seems these BOW that produce large fish with little outside help usually have 3 naturally occurring things. Sun, stuff, and a self sustainable forage base that's 1/4 to 1/2 the length of the the top tier predators. Feeding forage replaces or supplements the lack of some of these things.
I've rarely seen a muddy, bathtub shaped BOW with no timber, grass, or structure be able to fully support the food chain.
I only feed my CNBG, and they do bite lures also.
