I've spent lots of time in south Texas. It's amazing to me to see the different methods to build ponds in different parts of the nation. Until a few years ago, most south Texas ponds and lakes were built by excavating to hard clay, then building a dam by moving dirt the shortest distance possible. There's almost always a deep borrow pit adjacent to the dam, then water backed up onto natural ground as far back as they can get it, in the brush. Years ago, some of the ranchers or the lessors (hunting leases) would cut the brush in lanes where they knew water would eventually sit...so they could access in a boat. Those are the lakes/ponds which can grow some big bass, fast. While a particular lake might be considered a pool level of 10 acres, there are times it can sit at double that size, or half. Those lakes grow some really good fish...unless the drought lasts more than 4-5 years. Then, the equation changes.
By the way, people in the south, especially Texas, call sunfish "perch", similar to our northern friends calling a bass a "green carp". Colloquial. It's pretty entertaining to figure out the local names for different fish. Chinquapin perch, sacalait, rock bass, goggle-eye, there are many more.
