Theo,
Well to each his own, but I have to disagree with you on the difficulty of producing trophy fish in private ponds. If anything there are advantages to private ponds vs. wild fisheries as in optimum feeding, and being able to control several factors that can't be done in public waters. One of those factors is you can control harvest to allow fish to live to trophy proportions.
Ten of our Indiana state records are out of private ponds including a 3 lb. 4 oz. bluegill. Of course that fish was a hybrid, but my state is to backwards to put the bluegill and hybrid bluegill in separate categories. I would bet anything that was a pellet fed fish too. Never mind my state has separate categories for tiger muskies, tiger trout, and saugeye. Not only are they backwards they can't even be consistent.
Actually my initial post was more of a joshing king of thing. I have no doubt once warmer weather kicks in I will get entries.
