It is not about the food sources. There are plenty of that for Bass. It is about all the rough fish that work the shallows during the Spawn and eat the fingerlings. Also those rough fish get there share of bait. Look at Mexico. The netters take all the rough fish out of the lakes. The Bass are the #1 species and they grow to be first class. The average lake in TX. all have rough fish that hold the Bass back. These species will always be there for those to catch that so desire to catch a catfish, carp, gar or buffalo. Sports fish like Whites, hybrids and Stripes fit into this mix also to deplete the Bass population. Bass is not at the top of the FOOD Chain. Until they are at the top nothing can be done to help very much.
You bring up a valid point, but gill netting in Mexico is what they do, and gill nets don't discriminate, but yet their lakes are teeming with big trophy bass and in good numbers.
I'm sure they throw most of the bass back when they are caught, since it's their tourism dollar draw, but many are not, from what I've witnessed fishing the Mexico side of Falcon lake.
Falcon continually produces large numbers of bass, and trophy bass as well.
Every lake I've fished that have slot limits have slowly died as trophy bass lakes, but I'm sure there are other factors as well.
Can anyone name a lake with slot limits that continues to produce trophy bass year in and year out?
Usually slot limits are implemented because the TPWD biologist determine that the lake has a problem, and it's in an attempt to give the lake a boost, which isn't an ideal situation.
And why I say slot limits are overrated! JMHO!
I'll leave my opinion of the share-a-lunker program topic for another day!