My experience and some info from a few gill net studies indicates gill nets are a poor way to sample or collect largemouth bass from ponds. Pond size probably does not play a big role in the answer.
The Pond Boss editor is always looking for ideas for magazine articles. Here is my suggestion for the editor - Post the question to magazine fishery professors Dr. Wes Neal and Mark Cornwell for creating an article of the best method to remove small 8"-13" LMB from ponds. Will a gill net work to remove LMB from ponds?
Here is a little info that I found on the web:
Gill Net Selectivity in Upper Ohio River Area
Note no LMB were captured in the gill net study, a few Smallies yes, LMB none. I lived in Pittsburgh and know LMB live in those rivers.
https://workforce.calu.edu/argent/Research/MonRiverFish/gillnetargentkimmel.pdfLongnose gar, Mooneye, Skipjack herring, Gizzard shad, Common carp, River carpsucker, Quillback, Highfin carpsucker, White sucker, Smallmouth buffalo, Bigmouth buffalo, 5 species of redhorse, Channel catfish, Flathead catfish, Northern pike, Tiger muskellunge, White bass, Hybrid striped bass, Rock bass, Smallmouth bass, Spotted bass, Black crappie, Sauger, Walleye,
Freshwater drum
Oklahoma Gill Net Info Selectivity
http://dasnr59.dasnr.okstate.edu/shouplab/Research/Gillnet-sampling.phpGill Net use in Clear Lake IA. Note no LMB were collected
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3204&context=piasIf I had to use a gill net to collect overabundant small bass from a pond I would entice bass into an corner of a pond with pellets or feedings of live minnows. While fish were chasing minnows into the shallows pull a gill net in behind the bass and entrap them in the corner. To get out the bass would have to swim through the
monofilament gill net.
