I have personally observed 8-10 inch LMB grow to 14" over winter when transplanted to a new pond with a stunted GSF population in the fall. They'll eat if they can and how fast they grow depends on how much they consume. They may have been 7 year old 8"-10" fish when they were transplanted. So obviously they might only have had 3 or 4 years left to grow. I can tell you they were obviously stunted when they went in with heads too large for their bodies. Following spring, their bodies were fat and the heads were well proportioned to the bodies.

In a setting with an existing population the resolution of conditions that lead to stunting is not easily resolved to allow LMB to grow large. But the size and condition of LMB can be greatly improved by harvesting LMB to reduce competition. Again, just like with the example above, they have to consume forage to grow and if there is sufficient forage they will grow according to that consumption.

It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know that ain't so - Will Rogers