"and that most of the giants caught in California are also hybrid crosses."
I don't think that is the case as some of them come from smaller reservoirs that were stocked by the state with only pure Flas. I have some Calif data if I can find it.
In looking at data it is a must to keep it in context. Think about this. The Share-a-lunker program consists of caught (angling) fish. If , as is shown, Fla LMB are less aggressive and exhibit a less catchability trait than Northern or F-1s then the #s of caught fish would so indicate. In other words that data does not prove that a higher % of F-1s get bigger than Flas but only that they are more apt to be caught. It does prove that F-1s can get big also.
Trying to extrapolate from the small sample size of Texas caught bass over 13 pounds and turned over to the state alive, is even more complicated than you are stating.
Not only is the sample size small and accounting only for catchable fish, but it also doesn't account for the overall number of pure Florida strain bass vs hybrid bass.
What I am saying is that if 75% of the bass in Texas are hybrids and 25% pure strain Florida LMB, which may not be unreasonable since most lakes probably were not sterilized prior to stocking Florida bass, then if the hybrids grew just as big and were caught no more easily, you should see 3 times as many trophy hybrids as trophy pure strain florida bass.
Just going by what I've read regarding the castaic bass. I thought I had read that they are hybrids.
