Originally Posted By: sprkplug
In my opinion, its a matter of perspective. The question was how a natural pond can turn out a ten pound bass, without intensive management. Maybe it's a case of goals...mother nature's goals, OR the pond owner's goals? They are seldom the same, but may, for a time, overlap somewhat.

Nature produces a handful of big bass in a pond, as they consume one another. But, is this sustainable over time? Pond owners want big bass, but they also want a near continuous supply of bigger bass....culling, feeding, adding genetics, in order to try and sustain that big bass supply. In addition, oftentimes they want additional species also. That complicates things somewhat, as nature tends to favor one species over another. This gives her an edge, as it's usually easier to let one species dominate rather than encourage equal productivity.

I see a pond that produced a big bass, or even a few big bass, without intervention by human management, as fleeting and temporary. That's not what most pondmeisters desire, or manage for.


thanks for your response - good info

I have fished some of these ponds for years and even though there are certainly not 10 lb bass often there are some quality fish year after year. So from my experience they are not temporary - quality fish with zero intervention by humans. I do not understand why - I just know what we catch
Just a few random thoughts.