Size of the Lake

[LargemouthMadnes06]

How big of a lake do most of you guys usually fish on? My family has property on a really small lake in Dousman Wisconsin and that's where I usually fish. Does a bigger lake mean bigger fish when it comes to bass?

[5bass]

Not necessarily.Look at the bathtubs that Bill Dance fishes in...(oh no,I didnt just go there did I? ;D )......and he hauls monster bass from each one.

Seriously,the answer is no,and yes.Obviously a bigger lake has more bait swimming around and more habitat to grow big fish but a small lake or pond can be just the same as a big lake,just on a smaller scale.There are many variables that dictate whether a small pond/lake grows big fish,same with a big lake.

[LargemouthMadnes06]

Thanks, cause like I said i fish a small lake, but still wish to catch some big largemouths

[FatBoy]

I fish mostly on smaller lakes and ponds since I don't have a boat.  The smallest I fish is about 1 acre.  My "home" pond is 4 acres.  I also have a couple of 100 acre lakes close by.  

I don't think bigger water = bigger fish necessarily.  The "problem" with bigger water is that the bass are tougher to find.  You'll get a lot of people on this board, though, that will say they like the challenge and therefore don't fish ponds.  I'm a newbie so I just want to catch fish.  For me, the smaller water is a lot more fun.  

[LargemouthMadnes06]

Same here, I'd rather spend more time catching fish than trying to find them, even if those fish are relatively on the small side

[rocknfish9001]

Tons of people think that small waters means small fish. They blow by a 50 acre lake to get to the crowded, popular, and heavily used 500 acre lake. They look at that little puddle and imagine why they would waste time fishing for minnows there. Well, if nobody fishes there, why wouldnt the fish have bid potential? Also, they are easier to find, and the lake is less targeted by powerboaters. DOUBLE BONUS!

[burleytog]

I fish small (50-150 acre) lakes almost exclusively.  Three lakes in particular.  All are known to hold big (6-10 lb.) fish.  Two of those lakes receive regular trout stockings and the bass know that means a feeding frenzy.

[Craw]

Unless I'm mistaken, at least a dozen state record bass came from farm ponds. Big fish are wherever you find them.

[Guest ouachitabassangler]

Smaller lakes and ponds are more likely to remain consistently higher in nutrients than large impoundments, often having a higher proportion of watershed, so can support larger populations of large fish until the fishery is maxxed out. A large lake might not have enough nutrients to ever maximize potential populations, fed by a relatively very low area of watershed, especially if river fed in mountains. Those allow fish to scatter out more, offering a more diverse array of habitats. Ponds concentrate fish in predictable places, while large lakes are more fish-diluted, though allowing for limited concentrations of fish in predictable habitats. IOW, the bass are harder to find on a 40,000 acre lake like my home lake than a 20 acre oxbow in the Arkansas River valley, even thuogh there might be 300,000 bass in the big lake, and 500 in the oxbow. You'll normally find and more likely catch more fish in the smaller lake. At some point a pond gets too small to have it easy finding or catching any bass, the fish being much more wary of intruders anywhere around it.

Jim

[FALCON]

I LIVE ON LAKE ST. CLAIR (475,000 ACRES) BUT I HAVE A NUMBER OF HAUNTS THAT USUALLY HOLD PLENTY OF SMALLMOUTHS AND LARGEMOUTHS.

ON OCCASION I FISH SMALL LAKES FROM SHORE AND DON'T SEE MUCH DIFFERENCE IN AVERAGE SIZE.

[Matt Fly]

Lots of lunkers come from smaller bodies of water......Lake Dixon comes to mind.

Matt.

[alhuff]

i would have to agree with you all, i have caught some large fish in small ponds/lakes.

fish size has alot to do with how healthy the lake/pond is and how much food is present for the game fish.

i have caught 5 - 8lb bass out of small ponds, less than an acre in size.

its about how well the pond or lake is managed.

Alfred

[pondhopper]

One of my very favorite "lakes" is 30' wide and 85' long. 61/2 pounds is the lages largemouth I have taken from it, and the bluegill are monsters!

[FALCON]

FOR ME, WE DON'T GET OVERLY EXCITED ABOUT OUR SMALLMOUTH UNTIL 4#. FIVE# GETS A SMILE AND A PAT ON THE BACK. THEN THE SMALLIES LIKE MY 6-15# GETS A HOLY COW.

THIS YEAR MY GOAL WAS TO BREAK THE 7# MARK BUT I HAVEN'T COME CLOSE YET. I'VE CAUGHT THREE OVER FIVE BUT THAT'S IT. BUT FALL WILL CHANGE THAT.

[BassKing813]

How big of a lake do most of you guys usually fish on? My family has property on a really small lake in Dousman Wisconsin and that's where I usually fish. Does a bigger lake mean bigger fish when it comes to bass?

I have found that bigger lakes mean harder fishing conditions and smaller lakes mean bigger bass.

[OBX-BASS]

i fish alot of different sizes of ponds and lakes...to tell the truth i have caught most of my bigger bass out of the smallest ones i fish...i think that the size of the lake doesnt mean there is big fish, i think that the habitat, and  amount of fish,  in that specific lake or pond will effect how long your fish will live and how big they will get based on how much food they are able to get....i know of alot of lakes that have way too many bluegill or crappie in them because there is no catfish or not enough predator fish to make the bluegill population at a steady rate...thats where the fisherman come in and try to manage their local or private lake or pond to make sure everything is equal fair amount of diff. species of fish for the habitat to function correctly.....if you ask me the more bass you have then that means there is going to be a limited food supply...my reason for thinking this is because i have fished many overpopulated lakes and i catch fish with the head and mouth of a 5 or 6 pounder but they are not fat at all its just a small sliver of stomach and not much beef on them...but i am a young angler and i know i dont know everything in the world so i might be wrong...so correct me if you think im wrong on this subject....tight lines everyone!!!

[George Welcome]

It isn't the size of the lake that determines you success, but rather how well you know it. If the food chain is strong, the bass will be big.

[Brian_Reeves]

My personal best (8#s) came out of a 2 acre lake.  Most of the time, I fish Stillhouse Hollow, a reservoir and I usually don't break 5# there.  I like smaller lakes better for fun.

[GAMEOVER]

I have a few honey holes inside my aparmtment complex.. they are loaded with largemouth bass (4+ lb ones) and no one even thinks of fishing when they look at it, very few know and take advantage of it, muahahaha.. best apartments ive ever leased!

[Pond Hopper]

Most of the bodies of water I fish are less than 5 acres.  I am convinced that with the fish I have caught and seen one of these ponds holds a true chance in thr spring to produce a double digit fish, in Iowa.  State record is only 10 lbs 12 oz or along those lines.  My 2 biggest fish this year have come out of a pond that is a triangle with 40 foot side, maybe 1/4 acre..  Hawghunter was there for one.  Small bodies can produce big fish.  A big bass here is 7 lbs and every fish 7+lbs Ive seen has been out of a 5 acre or less pond.  

Corey

[tennsopher]

I agree with what George Welcome said.When I had my bassboat,most of my big fish came from the Butler chain,Clermont chain,and the Kissimmee chain.I now fish out of a small boat and target smaller lakes.I still catch a lot of good fish as we are blessed here to have a lot of lakes.Still,the key is intimate knowledge of your particular body of water youre fishing.

[rocknfish9001]

Although i do believe the smaller bodies offer bigger fish, i do like to get on big lakes a lot since it offers a challenge.

[Grey Wolf]

I HAVE BETTER LUCK ON LAKES UNDER 400 ACRES.

[fishingJ]

Bigger lakes don't mean bigger bass. It all depends on the living conditions and food available.