We hypothesized that most recruitment of striped bassMorone saxatilisin the Santee–Cooper system, South Carolina, comes from river-spawn egg cohorts transported at the right time to high-quality nursery habitat, generally located in or near Lake Marion, a large reservoir within the system. Because striped bass produce a superabundance of eggs, only a small portion of the total egg production must develop in favorable nursery habitat to produce good recruitment in any year. In a 3-year study, we assessed temporal variability in egg mortality, compared the survival of progeny cohorts, and monitored abundance of juveniles and zooplankton in nursery areas. Growth rates and hatch dates of juveniles were estimated from otoliths. Mortality rates and hatching locations varied among egg cohorts. In the best recruitment years, 1988 and 1990, highest survival was associated with eggs hatched during the early half of the spawning season in Lake Marion. Zooplankton densities were higher in Lake Marion than in the spawning tributaries, suggesting that the lake was a superior nursery habitat. Growth rate of juveniles was highest in 1990. Water management at upstream dams in the Santee–Cooper system might increase recruitment by optimizing temperature and flow so that the maximum possible number of eggs hatch in upper Lake Marion.