Hi mate ,you can spod or spomb on any sized lake.I find on smaller lakes it can ,and does put the fish on edge and pushes them away from your traps ,on bigger waters ,places that see a lot of beds of bait it can also limit your chances..I hardly ever use a spomb etc now ,it's my least used bit of kit ..I tend to use 3 or 5 bait stringers with a catapulted, scatterbait method ..
Recasting,I try to keep my baits in as long as I can ,especially if I feel the position, landing of the rig is clean,...everytime you recast you could risk spooking that one chance you have...be mindful of the hookbaits longevity..trust your innermost feeling..
Plastic baits ,well I've caught all year around ,in all conditions ..I mainly use them with a small mesh bag with crunched up baits ,however it's venue dependent ie are you allowed to use them etc ,..they work great in and around a significant patrol route or feature with no,or hardly any freebies..I don't use them much for full on carping now ,only for roaching to be honest ..to stop the imitation corn getting taken off the hair etc..
I go with the Hutchy approach, if no visible signs of fish activity, no visible features ,I go ,if possible in the middle swim ,and go from there, one thing I never,ever ignore are the margins,ignore at your peril...lol
Good luck...