Tom Jones Reservoir near Berry Creek: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Set in Butte County, California, this is Tom Jones Reservoir. It stands 1,381 feet above sea level. Head to Berry Creek, 7 miles away, for anything you forgot. It is 17 miles to Chico, the nearest city. Close by you also have: Morgan Reservoir out at 0.1 miles, Littlefield Reservoir just 0.1 miles, Wilson Reservoir out at 0.4 miles, Grub Flat Reservoir just 0.9 miles and Cannon Reservoir out at 0.9 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Tom Jones Reservoir

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. County-wide records name green sturgeon, Chinook salmon, striped bass and rainbow trout. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Tom Jones Reservoir fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 46°F in December to roughly 78°F in July. Winter is a mild inconvenience here, nothing more. Shade and hour of day matter more than month. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. It holds true on Tom Jones Reservoir more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, Morgan Reservoir is 0.1 miles distant. Signs at Tom Jones Reservoir carry more weight than any list.