Picture below of BG stocked March of 2013. Lacked a couple hundredths of being a half pound. Right at 8". This is about the biggest size of the BG I have been catching. Most in the 7-7.5" range, but quite a few now reaching 8". I think growth really slowed this summer with very low water levels and poor water quality. Earlier was seeing a few sores on fish. Now that the water is at full pool and looks to be of much better quality, fish are also looking much better.
One thing amazes me, we talk of mouth gape and the size of fish that a fish can eat based on mouth gape, yet I regularly catch fish of a size that in no way could swallow the lure I'm using. Look at this picture as an example. So why do the fish bite on these lures that would be too large to swallow? Territorial? Bite first and question size later? It is wounded so bite at it? (like dogs will turn on an injured dog even though before injury they were friendly). Any fish psychologists out there? Why do they go after something that is bigger than they can swallow?
Edit: looking at the picture again, MAYBE that BG could have swallowed another sunfish the size of the lure. But I've also caught 6" bluegill on this lure.
