This is a fascinating thread that is also complex by nature. Like I stated previously in this thread, it's absolutely possible to wipe out smaller bodies of water when over harvesting big fish. Okachobee has been ravaged by the hurricanes as was stated by someone earlier and I don't think you can overstate that fact. Hurricanes have the potential to kill entire populations of fish if the storm is a direct hit and powerful enough. There's also invasive species of fish in Southern Florida that compete directly with bluegill and shellcracker for food, I wonder what impact those fish are having on the trophy populations in Southern Florida. I would suspect an environment like that to potentially have an up and down fishery, meaning it's good on a hit and miss basis.

OTOH, there's some small lakes in Alabama that get fished HEAVILY and are known to produce LARGE shellcracker and bluegill on a routine basis. These lakes have been giving up big fish for years and some of them aren't three hundred acre lakes. A nutrient rich or loaded lake has the ability to produce heavy stringers of fish on a yearly basis, it's known as a fertile lake. A non fertile lake generally has the ability to produce big fish but in small numbers and could be wiped out quickly. Lake Fertility is a key issue IMO.