We used run several livestock watering ponds in southern Indiana ranging between 0.05 and 0.75 acres. Most had LMB-BG combination. The smaller ponds we basically did not harvest bass from. Once over 0.10 acres we could take a couple 2-3 lb bass per year and we avoided taking the largest bluegill. The larger end of pond spectrum we could take more of everything, but had to back off until the following year when larger fish stopped showing up in creel. No hard and fast rules. We had effectively exclusive access to ponds.

Our ponds ranged 6 to 10 feet at deepest with most of a basin less than 4 feet. Structure was limited to cattail in shallows which was seldom more than 25% of the perimeter.