I've seen astounding numbers of large CNBG coming out of Perris, and a handful of other So Cal lakes and resi's. Biggest coppers I know of, in quantity, at the moment.
If I recall correctly, most of the giant RES come from lakes with zebra mussels or other similar mollusks. Genetics is important, but food chain equally so.
That's correct, many feel the phenomenal growth of the RES is due to a combination of the Quagga mussels and an aggressive weed eradication program.
And while I personally feel the larger bluegills might forage on tiny mussels, they do lack the pharyngeal crushers that enable the RES to more efficiently utilize the larger specimens.
In my amateur opinion, genetics is the "supertune" applied to an already fast race car. the foundation to go fast is already built, it just needs a final tweaking to allow all of the components to work together optimally. Water quality, abundant forage or food, the chance to continue growth unimpeded by predators/anglers, all need to be in place before genetics provides the final "tweak" towards greatness.
