It seems logical but that is actually incorrect. BG spawn and reproduce at a very high rate. If you don't have a large predator base the BG will overpopulate and stunt resulting in small fish not big fish. The most natural predator of BG are LMB. A really good BG/panfish pond should actually have too many LMB. The BG that survive will be the best of the lot and pass on their genes.
I enjoy BG fishing and prefer it for the grandkids since LMB fishing can be a lot of work and finesse at times. We are not harvesting any bass but are harvesting BG except for the biggest males. It seems counter intuitive but it was proved to me just this last Sunday. A friend of mine was over at the house after recently returning from his family's farm in Georgia. They have 10 acre pond on that farm that is full of fish but not managed in any way. He was showing me pics of all the bass they caught - they caught at lot but they were all similar in length and although they didn't measure or check weights it was obvious the LMB were thin. My buddy commented how they catch a ton of fish but catching a fish bigger than the average is a rare occurrence. Then he flipped to pictures of BG they caught - those were big BG - a large number appeared to be over 10". I can't imagine how many bass it takes to overpopulate a 10 acre pond but he told me they always catch a ton of fish anytime they are there. It is family land and no one lives out there. The family meets there two or three times a year and that is the only time it is fished.
It was a really interesting proof of what the experts say and gave me confidence that if I keep doing what I am doing I will get some big BG. The biggest we are catching now is just over 8" but we are feeding and I am hopeful to get some hogs by next summer.
