Food habits of young-of-year striped bass in association with other gamefish in Norris Reservoir, Tennessee

Of the 135,401 striped bass young-of-year (y-o-y) fingerlings stocked at four study sites in Norris Reservoir in 1995, only 106 were recaptured using electrofishing, gill nets and seines. Food habit analysis was performed on all striped bass; a representative sample of largemouth (n=93) and smallmouth (n=22) bass y-o-y were also examined for food items ingested. Midge and mayfly larvae, copepods, and Daphnia lumholtzi were the dominant food items found in fish less than 7 cm in length. On reaching 7 cm in length, y-o-y striped bass preyed primarily on larval shad (Dorosoma spp.). Striped bass attained this length approximately two weeks earlier in the growing season than largemouth; smallmouth switched to fish approximately four weeks after the largemouth. Largemouth preyed on shad, bluegill, and other largemouth while smallmouth utilized bluegill almost exclusively.