First of all, I want to say that I have no interest in ruffling anyone's feathers, so if what I say here is disagreeable to you, I'm sorry but I'm just trying to get the facts out. In the fifteen years I've fished Cumberland, all I've ever fished for are the black bass species. In that time, I've caught a handful of stripers accidentally and only cleaned two. One was about 12 pounds and I'll never forget cutting its belly open and seeing what was in there - 23 shad and either a largemouth or a spot that was about 10" long.

I remember it well because I had heard the locals down there arguing about whether or not stripers ate bass and here I had definitive proof. I didn't have to wonder who to believe anymore. Now, this doesn't answer the question of whether or not they eat smallies, but I just cannot imagine a reason that they would eat largemouths/spots and not smallies. Make of it what you will.