Originally Posted by
Special K
A 300-acre lake is really a relatively small body of water... and it really wouldn't take but a few frequently fishing wrong-doers very long at all to affect overall populations, but another possibility might be merely the cyclical nature of some species and that the lake is trying to rebound from a weaker spawning cycle for a year, maybe two in a row, that could have (indeed) affected the volume of fish overall at the present time.
Not that it applies to your particular situation: But, I have also heard of anglers who typically fish at a given time of the year, (spring), who now (suddenly) venture out at (say) at different times of the year, (summer), but continue to fish in the same deeper water areas where they always caught fish during their favorite (spring) times, and at their ole reliable (spring) fishing haunts, but fail, however, to realize, that due to the migratory nature of most fish species... they simply weren't fishing, or, even looking at places where the fish were at the particular (different) time of the year. Heck, I've caught crappies on spots for weeks, only to find that they've moved completely out of the particular spot one day, and didn't return to the area until the same time the following year.
This is called the "dead sea" impression. It typically occurs when cooler season fishermen go fishing in the summer months and spend their time and efforts searching for fish below the thermocline, for example. I've also heard of some fishermen making posts on social media about poor fishing/fish populations in an area, on social media, as a covert tactic, to keep other people, who read those unproductive (planted) posts, from fishing in their favorite honey holes.
Don't let it bother you too much. It could be that you just need to find another lake... at least until your local honey hole rebounds in a couple of years. Meanwhile, I would share my concerns with your local Game & Fish Resources Department if stricter enforcement and/or a change in regulations might be in order. Good luck to you.