I forgot, a follow up on the big bass in farm ponds is often simply a matter of restricted harvest and less pressure. If you look at the fish biomass in a heavily fished lake, there are much less larger fish at the top of the pyramid. With virgin fisheries it is more of a rectangle than a pyramid. Even on larger lakes with catch and release in tournaments, biologists are finding that there is a much higher mortality rate than we thought. Also, spread of diseases due to stress and concentrations of fish in livewells add to the problem, although my hypocracy knows no bounds.
Robert B
