At an Angola,(almost on the Michigan line) Indiana bait store, there is a stringer of Redears that all weigh betwee 2 and 3.25 lbs, all caught in 3ft of water in a lake a couple miles away on whole nightcrawlers. I know several other lakes in the area where 1.5lb readear aren't uncommon.
I know I mounted them for Bob and Karen Bill of Tri-state Bait and Tackle.
But they are all fiberglass replicas of southern redears as Bob and Karen ate theirs. They did catch some big ones but not quite as big as some of them on that stringer.
Yes, we have lakes in that area that have big ones, but the biggest I've mounted for folks in that area were about 12 inches and a pound a half. And although far southern Michigan has them, as in Coldwater Lake, as you get north of there they become scare.
However survival in deep lakes vs. ponds is a whole different matter. I believe that is due to more stable temps in deep lakes in winter vs. a pond that may have temps drop rather quickly in winter.
