Eric,
Trying to rap my head around this a bit tighter. I catch, evaluate and then either keep or release my LMB. I use a set of rules. Bass under 15 inches must be over 100% and look real heathy or they are pulled. Bass from 15-19 inches must be over 105% and be healthy or they are pulled. (I do not use this method right after the spawn). Larger bass seem to be in the 110% range and as long as they are healthy, they stay. I will on occasion pull a larger bass due to condition.
I have not seen any degradation in the catchability of my fish over the last few years, in fact, my catch rates are up a little and the RWs are increasing slightly.
Is there a possibility that my plan is doom to fail? Is a shock boat mandatory to keep the big pond "catchable"? I like having the diversity we have in our pond, but catching fish is a must.
I wonder if this problem can be solved, at least for a while, by adding different genes. For example, Am Sportsfish has so-called "Gorilla" northern LMB that are supposed to be extremely aggressive & catchable, even for northerns.
Granted, if your goal is a 15 lb bass, you may not want these genetics. And you'd probably have to stock some fairly good sized fish, otherwise they'd just be an expensive snack for your existing LMB.
I've even heard that northern LMB help make existing Florida LMB more aggressive, since otherwise the northerns tend to be first to dinner. However, not sure this is true; at least, I've not seen any studies on it.
