Briones Reservoir in Contra Costa County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Briones Reservoir sits in Contra Costa County, out in California. What surrounds it is pine and hardwood. Roughly 669 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. The margin runs to about 6.3 miles in total. It lies lower than most water we list in California. You are 3.3 miles from Orinda. Further out sit Lafayette (4.8 miles) and Kensington (5 miles). Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Briones Reservoir

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Survey and observation records for Contra Costa County include striped bass, green sturgeon, white sturgeon and Chinook salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On Briones Reservoir the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 47°F in January up to 68°F in August. Heat sets the pattern from late spring onward. March through May is the strongest run, with autumn a second stretch. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. Briones Reservoir runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. The nearest mapped parking is half a mile away, so the last stretch is on foot. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Lake Cascade is 2.2 miles distant. Check the position on Briones Reservoir before loading the car.