Round Valley Bass, a Crappie

[Bruce Litton]

Got out with Fred a couple of weeks ago & we caught a bunch, but the largest about 11 inches, which we find typical on the reservoir. He took another friend out the next week, who caught a smallmouth close to two pounds, and again, small bass. (I also caught a crappie, first we've seen.) Have caught three pound plus largemouths, including one over five, from shore in May, but again, most are about 11 inches. From the boat, my biggest smallie is a few ounces or so over two pounds. Way back in 1978, I took my youngest brother camping & fishing from my StarCraft in June on the res, and we caught lots of largemouth, no smallmouth, and no largemouth less than two pounds, none over three...so it behooves me to wonder if, due to the forage collapse, the size of bass has diminished. Any thoughts? I started fishing reservoir bass in 2011, so I don't know what it's been like during the decades in between.