Nick, i like your approach, but if you told me that you were managing it for "trophy bass", i would salivate and wait for a chance to catch a lunker (i mean, I wouldn't but some others would!!) i might say, well, "that pond, oh, that is just my forage pond...i manage it for raising a large amount of small fish to sell to the hatcheries and to stock my trophy bass pond over near [town far away]. All the big fish are culled out. basically a big minnow pond."
also, i would consider buying an old used BIG surveilance cameras that they used to make, easily seen with a red dot flashing on it maybe, battery powered, stick a few around the property, really high up in trees...and post a sign "protected by cameras" etc. of course, they wouldn't be recording because they are fake, but if you don't tell anyone, it may work. or if you live down south start a rumor at the barbar shop that a gator was found in your pond or something like that.
or tell them when they ask, "i'm serious about protecting this pond, and i'll do anything to protect it...even if it means going BACK to prison!!!" ha mark
