Beginning in late winter they tend to concentrate in deep areas near in-flowing streams and in the spring may undergo spawning migrations into upstream areas. Hybrids are fertile and there are reports of successful reproduction in a few reservoirs. Feeding Hybrid striped bass is a predacious species throughout its life. Fish less than approximately 50 mm feed primarily on crustacean zooplankton such as cladocerans and copepods. Insects of various types and zooplankton continue to be a major part of the diet until the fish are 100 to 125 mm long.
Hybrids switch to fish diet at a very small size if ap-propriate sized fish are available.
However, this transition usually oc-curs when the hybrids are larger than 100 mm. Threadfin shad and gizzard shad are the most common fish prey species. However, many species of forage fish have been found in stomachs of hybrids. There is seasonal variation in feeding habits with a shift towards larger or-ganisms in the winter and summer. Growth to 275 to 375 mm in length and 225 to 350 grams in the first year and 450 to 550 mm in length and 1 to 1.5 kg in the second year is common.