Spawning locations of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) were identified over a 118 km reach of the Arkansas River from the collection of 8,828 striped bass eggs during 1976-78. Although certain spawning locations remain constant from year to year others vary significantly within the 118 km stretch of river. Spawning began between 7 and 14 April when water temperature reached 15.5 to 18.5C and had a duration of 27 to 51 days. Spawning peaks occurred annually, generally within a few days from one year to the next. Water temperature, discharge, velocity, total dissolved solids, specific conductance, salinity, pH, alkalinity and dissolved oxygen were monitored, however, no relationship to egg production was found. However, salinity affected egg chorion diameters during the study. Chorion diameters of striped bass eggs in the Arkansas River (1.7 to 2.0 mm) were much smaller than previously reported for striped bass, due to high salinities arresting chorion expansion.
