Originally Posted by FishinRod
Would there be a significant impact in raising trophy bass if their rate of weight gain could be extended outside of their normal calendar range of maximum weight gain?


Absolutely that is exactly what occurs in Fla and Calif with both optimum temps almost all year and lots of productive water loaded with forage.

Since TFS are more temperature sensitive than LMB, is there a time period in the fall where the TFS become so sluggish that a trophy LMB would make a meal out of the "wrong-sized" forage, because there is a window when the bass does not have to expend nearly as much energy to catch shad?

Yes LMB do that with several forage species like shad and tilapia and RT.

If that theory does not work because the TFS are just too small for the trophy LMB, would it work for tilapia? Would gorging on "right-sized" tilapia as the water cools be a way to convert a good LMB pond into a trophy LMB pond by having the bass put on "extra" weight in October(?), that they wouldn't get in a pond where they primarily fed on large BG?

Yes

P.S. Has anybody with tilapia that die off in the fall observed a top predator "gorging" event in their pond as the tilapia became sluggish?

Yes see above
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