Depth is what sets Lakeside Lake apart. The lake in Chuck Ford Lakeside Park on Tucson’s east side covers 14 acres at full capacity and reaches 35 feet at its deepest, nearly three times the maximum depth of Kennedy Lake and five times that of Silverbell. Stocked fish here are not confined to a uniform shallow bowl; when the surface warms or cools, they have vertical room to move.
The park’s name carries local history. According to the City of Tucson, Lakeside Park’s main feature, a dam, once collapsed. Dr. Charles “Chuck” Ford, who represented Ward 4 on the City Council from 1979 to 1987 and served as vice mayor, worked to save the park after that collapse and helped develop and fund parks across Tucson’s east side. The city renamed it Chuck Ford Lakeside Park in his honor after he retired from the council in 1987. Ford, a retired Tucson Unified School District elementary principal, was the first and only Black person elected to the Tucson City Council. He died in 2019.
AZGFD stocks the lake on the same Community Fishing Program rotation as the city’s other two lakes: channel catfish in fall and spring, rainbow trout through the cool months, and a pause from late June to mid-September. AZGFD gives the 14-acre figure “at full capacity,” so the waterline can sit lower at times.
Lake notes updated October 6, 2026No recent official weeks are listed for Lakeside Lake right now. AZGFD may still add this water in a later schedule.
No stocking activity found for this period.
AZGFD lists the lake at 8300 E. Stella Rd.; the city gives the park’s address as 8201 E. Stella Rd. Park features include ramadas, picnic tables, grills, restrooms, playgrounds, horseshoe pits, disc golf, fitness stations and several sports fields, and AZGFD lists a walking trail that makes it easy to try several stretches of bank in one visit.
Small boats, canoes, kayaks and paddleboards are allowed under Tucson’s lake rules: boats no longer than 14 feet, canoes up to 17 feet, licensing for motorized craft, no gasoline motors, daylight boating only, and life jackets on children 12 and younger. Swimming, wading, glass containers and open fires are prohibited.
Catfish deliveries resume once the summer pause ends on September 15. While days stay hot, bottom baits in deeper water usually outlast shallow presentations.
Rainbow trout replace catfish in the rotation. Trout thrive in water below about 68°F and often cruise the shoreline looking for food, but in a lake this deep they can also suspend well off the bank, so it pays to try several depths.
Stocking shifts back toward catfish as the water warms. Early spring can offer both holdover trout and fresh catfish before the program stops stocking on June 25.
No stocking. Deeper water gives fish a place to escape the heat, but plan around dawn and the evening hours before the 10:30 p.m. closing.
Lakeside is a designated community Lake. AZGFD’s 2025-26 regulations list its daily limit as 4 catfish, 4 trout, 2 bass (13-inch minimum) and 10 sunfish, and statewide limits cover other species. Community-water limits are reviewed with each regulations cycle, so confirm current numbers on azgfd.gov before keeping fish. Anyone 10 or older needs a valid Arizona fishing or combination license; unlicensed children under 10 may take their own daily bag limit. Live baitfish are not allowed.
Up to 35 feet, according to both the City of Tucson and AZGFD. That makes it by far the deepest of the three city-managed fishing lakes; Kennedy tops out at 12 feet and Silverbell at 7.
Dr. Charles “Chuck” Ford, a retired TUSD principal and former vice mayor who represented Ward 4 from 1979 to 1987. The city credits him with helping save the park after its dam collapsed and renamed it in his honor after he left the council.
Yes. Kayaks and canoes up to 17 feet are allowed in daylight hours; gas motors are not.
During the cool months, as part of AZGFD’s Community Fishing Program rotation. Check AZGFD’s community stocking schedule for the current weeks.
Dates are AZGFD stocking weeks, not guaranteed plant days. How this data is sourced