I have caught some of biggest bass from smaller ponds. Big lake does not always equal big bass.
I firmly belive that here in SE Pennsylvania the big girl bass in the small pond gets that way by being the only really big predator in that body of water. Usually all the other bass are rather small and are likely on the menu for the queen
Catching her is certainly a matter of very off hours fishing with larger baits as she did not get so big by eating the baits the daylight crowd offers