Food Habits and Growth of Young-of-Year White Bass X Striped Bass Hybrids in Cherokee Reservoir, Tennessee

Of 80,000 hybrid striped bass (Marone chrysops X Marone saxatilis) stocked in June 1980 in Cherokee Reservoir, Tennessee, only 206 were recaptured. They were stocked at a mean total length of 4.5 cm and averaged 21.5 cm after 7 months of growth. After stocking, hybrids consumed mostly Crustacea, with Chironomidae being the primary food source in fish 5.0 to 12.0 cm in length. Fish first appeared in the diet when hybrids were 5.0 cm and became more abundant as the hybrids grew larger. Condition values (K) for hybrids ranged from 0.9 to 1.2.