One issue regarding recruitment of bass and panfish is the issue of aquatic vegetation in the lake or lack there of. One downside of the drawdown the last few years is that it all but wiped out the vegetation that was in the lake. I understand why they did the drawdown and maybe it did help reduce some of the shad in the lake, but it also eliminated vegetation that is vital in many ways for recruitment of bass, bluegill, etc. This is very evident at lake monroe where back in 95 and 96 the lake was up extremely high and pretty much wiped out the vegetation in the lake. At the time it was one of the top destinations in the country for crappie and regionally for bass. Fishing really fell off the next few years and every time the vegetation starts to make a comeback we end up with extended periods of high water that puts us back to square one. That being said Monroe is first and foremost a flood control lake, but it still stinks.
I read a article in a magazine a while back that talked about this issue and its main point was that a lake with the right mix of vegetation can support up to 10 times the fish than a lake without vegetation. The resurgence of Kentucky lake over the past few years has been credited to the resurgence of vegetation in the lake.

Just something to think about.