Size Selection of Prey by Young Largemouth Bass

Size selective predation has been documented in many species of fish. The majority of these studies have focused on the feeding behavior of adults. I examined the size selection predation of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides ≤200 mm total length (TL), with particular emphasis on shift size bass. Shift size bass (approximately 100 mm TL) were those fish just changing from invertebrate prey to piscivory. Shift size bass were size selective and consumed prey 35% their own TL. As they grew larger, they consumed proportionately smaller sized prey. Whether the decrease was due to selection, opportunistic availability, or increased abundance of small prey is not known.