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

Of 109,675 striped bass (Morone saxatilis) stocked in June 1979 in Cherokee Reservoir, Tennessee, only 72 were recaptured. They were stocked at a mean total length of 3.5 cm and averaged 21.7 cm after I year of growth. After stocking, striped bass consumed mostly Crustacea, with Chironomidae being the primary food source for the rest of the year. Striped bass switched from invertebrates to fish (primarily Clupeidae) at 20 cm or approximately 1 year after stocking. Condition values (K) ranged from 0.8 to 1.3.