Originally Posted by tim k
This post brings to mind a question I asked here years ago.

I have managed a number of ponds I owned. Gone through the same scenario the OP has. Stock fish. Get weeds - kill weeds - no weeds - cull bass - feed like crazy - and on and on. My ponds have produced some decent bass and good fishing - but the cost and effort is huge.

Now for the confusing news ........ I have hunted in South Texas for 20 years on some great ranches. On most of these ranches there are stock ponds that totally, absolutely NEVER managed. No treatments, no stocking of fish, etc. Just simply left alone for years.

I have caught some of the biggest bass in my life out of these ranch ponds - caught a legit 10 lb bass out of a 1.5 acre stock pond. In said pond we have also caught multiple 6-7 pound bass. Had this happen on several different ranches.

So I guess the moral is this - South Texas not only grows huge deer but also huge bass - makes no sense

Excellent observation, Tim. I guess a partial answer is that maybe if the south Texas ponds get little pressure, even the big bass are naive and relatively susceptible to lure fishing. They get wise a lot faster where the the pressure is greater.

I remember a Midwestern study of small lakes which had just been just opened for fishing. Catch rates were insane the first day, but declined rapidly thereafter.

Last edited by anthropic; 05/26/20 06:40 PM.
7ac 2015 CNBG RES FHM 2016 TP FLMB 2017 NLMB GSH L 2018 TP & 70 HSB PK 2019 TP RBT 2020 TFS TP 25 HSB 250 F1,L,RBT -206 2021 TFS TP GSH L,-312 2022 GSH TP CR TFS RBT -234, 2023 BG TP TFS NLMB, -160