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There are theories that as a stock is pressured heavily, large fish tend to aggregate. Idea is that there's less of them so the big ones tend to group up for spawning purposes. As the stock diminishes the remainder clumps together. It can sometimes create the appearance that the stock is healthier than it actually is, as catch appears high- even though the biomass is low. This has been seen in reef fish, and has been in the news recently due to Atlantic cod.
I don't know if bass follow the same theme, seeing as they're anadromous. But it's something to think about, and could be an explanation for the isolated pockets of extremely large fish.
I wonder what the numbers are like offshore- on Stellwagen, Jeffreys, etc.
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