Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Growing big largemouth, and other fish.

Here's some information as to why Massachusetts may have produced a 15 lb. 8 oz. bass back in 1975. Here is my post on a the Massachusetts section of a fishing site and the response I got:

The Massachusetts state record largemouth that was caught by Walter Balonis in 1975 out of Sampson pond near Carver -- can anyone tell me if this pond is planted with trout? Considering part of the reason the largemouths get so big in some of the California reservoirs is they feed on planted rainbows, I'm wondering if this may have been a factor in the size of this fish.

Can anyone tell me anything about this pond? I'm not interested in fishing it just want to get a feel for why it may have produced such a large fish as I frequent another board of pond owners and biologists etc. How large is the pond and what kind of species does it contain? Is it private? Has it produced other big largemouths?

RESPONSE

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Sampsons Pond is 310 acres with a max depth of 14' it is not stocked with trout. It does have a public boat ramp and has a few tournys every year.
This is NOT where the MASS State record was caught The record was caught through the ice at the Agawam River(Mill Pond) in Warham. It is a major Herring spawning pond with a fish ladder conected to the ocean.
A side note the next couple years after the report of that 15.5lbs bass from Sampsons Pond there was a 13lbs and a 10+ lbs offically weighed from there.