Food Habits of Five Centrarchids During Filling of Beaver Reservoir, 1965-66
Description:... Stomach contents were examined from 1,886 largemouth bass, 334 spotted bass, 1,689 bluegills, 918 green sunfish, and 579 longear sunfish from the shoreline areas of Beaver Reservoir during two of the first three years of filling. Quality and quantity of food by seasons and size is related to abundance of the principal forage. Greatest volume of food were found in winter-spring months when water level rose and inudated soils for the first time; terrestrial earthworms, insects, slugs, spiders, centipedes, sowbugs, and work snakes were major foods in these seasons, particularly for fish of 101-200 mm in total length. Except for the larger bass, fish had smallest volumes in stomachs in later fall, following the decline that began when water levels stabilized in June.
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