The Prescott area spans more elevation than its compact map suggests. Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood sits down in the Verde Valley, while Mingus Lake is high on Mingus Mountain, where nearby Forest Service sites top 7,600 feet. Between them are the City of Prescott's Watson and Goldwater lakes, Fain Lake in Prescott Valley and Lynx Lake, which the Forest Service calls the largest and busiest lake on the Prescott National Forest.
That range lets the season shift with altitude. In the Verde Valley, Arizona State Parks says AZGFD stocks the Dead Horse lagoons with channel catfish in summer and rainbow trout in winter. Up on Mingus Mountain, the lake's day-use season runs May 1 through October 31. The Prescott city lakes stay open year-round on longer summer hours from April through October.
Region notes updated October 6, 2026| Scheduled Week Of | Lake | Region | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 19, 2026 | GOLDWATER LAKE | Prescott Area | Trout |
| Oct 19, 2026 | LYNX LAKE | Prescott Area | Trout |
| Oct 26, 2026 | MINGUS LAKE | Prescott Area | Trout |
| Nov 2, 2026 | MINGUS LAKE | Prescott Area | Trout |
| Nov 2, 2026 | WATSON LAKE | Prescott Area | Trout |
| Nov 9, 2026 | GOLDWATER LAKE | Prescott Area | Trout |
| Nov 9, 2026 | LYNX LAKE | Prescott Area | Trout |
| Oct 5, 2026 | GOLDWATER LAKE | Prescott Area | Trout |
Goldwater Lake, about four miles from Prescott in the pines, is really two waters covering about 15 acres. Upper Goldwater allows electric motors and has a public ramp, but its bass limit is one fish of at least 13 inches. Lower Goldwater bans watercraft (a fin-propelled float tube does not count as one) and is catch-and-release only with artificial flies and lures; any bait, live or dead, is prohibited. Goldwater also appears repeatedly in AZGFD's state records, for bluegill, redear sunfish and Gila trout. Watson Lake, set among the granite of the Granite Dells, has no motor restriction but is flat-wake only.
Lynx Lake covers about 55 acres on the Bradshaw Ranger District and draws more than 90,000 visitors a year. Motors are limited to 10 horsepower, and part of the east shore closes to vehicles and foot traffic from December 1 to June 30 for nesting bald eagles. Mingus Lake, on the Verde Ranger District, is reached by Forest Road 104 off State Route 89A between Prescott Valley and Jerome, followed by about two miles of dirt road. It is a small, periodically trout-stocked lake where motorized boats are prohibited.
Dead Horse Ranch State Park has three fishing lagoons, two of which flank the Los Alamos Day Use Area and together cover about 16 surface acres. Largemouth bass and bluegill reproduce naturally, a pair of bald eagles nests in the cottonwoods, and the Verde River along the park's southern edge gets winter trout as well. Special limits apply: two bass, four catfish and ten sunfish.
No. Lower Goldwater is catch-and-release with artificial flies and lures only, and the City of Prescott prohibits any bait, live or dead.
Lynx Lake allows gas motors up to 10 horsepower. Watson Lake has no motor limit but is flat-wake only. Upper Goldwater is electric only, and Mingus and Lower Goldwater do not allow motorized boats.
Arizona State Parks says AZGFD stocks the lagoons with channel catfish during the summer months and switches to rainbow trout in winter.
Dates are AZGFD stocking weeks, not guaranteed plant days. How this data is sourced