Anglers are catching a variety of fish!

Watson Lake - Prescott, AZ (Yavapai County)

by Arizona Game & Fish Department
5-27-2026
Website

Anglers are catching largemouth bass, channel catfish, and rainbow trout at Watson Lake this time of year. Anglers have found success catching bass using soft plastics, inline spinners, and frogs. Catfish are also being caught out of the lake, typically on anchovies, nightcrawlers, and cut-up hotdogs. Rainbow trout were not stocked this month but can still be caught using PowerBait, PowerEggs, and small spinners. Special Regulations: None. For species not listed, or bodies of water without special regulations, refer to the statewide fishing regulations.

More Reports

Arizona Game & Fish Department Reports

for Wednesday, May 27th

Flagstaff City Reservoirs: Fishing should be excellent this week!
Kaibab Lake: Lake level is low
Cataract Lake: Rainbow trout recently stocked
City Reservoir: Channel catfish were stocked last week
Dogtown Lake: Dogtown Lake campground now open!
Santa Fe Lake: Anglers have been catching trout
JD Dam Lake: JD is full from recent storms
Whitehorse Lake: Anglers are finding success!
Russel Tank: Access to Russel Tank is open
Lower Lake Mary: Lower Lake Mary is dry
Upper Lake Mary: Northern pike and walleye are active
Frances Short Pond: Anglers are finding success catching rainbow trout!
Ashurst Lake: Rainbow trout were stocked last week
Kinnikinick Lake: Kinnikinick Lake is now open
Mormon Lake Lodge Pond: Access to the pond is open
Marshall Lake: Marshall Lake is now open
Bartlett Lake: Recent Videos!
Roosevelt Lake: Recent videos!
Lake Pleasant: Late-Spawn Topwater at Lake Pleasant
Oak Creek: Catch-and-release section has expanded
West Clear Creek: Smallmouth bass are unlimited harvest!
Wet Beaver Creek : Bass are unlimited harvest!
Dead Horse Ranch State Park : Anglers are targeting largemouth bass and channel catfish
Fain Lake: Fishing opportunity is great here!
Upper Goldwater Lake: Plenty of trout to be caught!
Lower Goldwater Lake: Trout bite is still going strong!
Mingus Lake: Rainbow last stocked May 11!

Arizona Game & Fish Department Reports

for Thursday, April 23rd

Kaibab Lake: The lake is very low and launching a boat is challenging
Cataract Lake: Anglers have been catching tiger trout on worms, lures, and flies
City Reservoir: The reservoir is down about six feet and is muddy
Dogtown Lake: The lake level is just on the old boat ramp and launching a boat is a little challenging
Santa Fe Lake: Santa Fe Reservoir is full
J. D. Dam Lake: JD is full from recent storms
Whitehorse Lake: Nice Largemouth at Whitehorse Lake
Upper & Lower Lake Mary: Northern pike are starting to get active
Francis Short Pond: Rainbow trout were stocked last week
Ashurst Lake: FR 82E to Ashurst Lake is now open
Kinnikinick Lake: FR 125 to Kinnikinick Lake is now open
Mormon Lake: Mormon Lodge is still closed, but access to the pond is open
Oak Creek: Mornings are your best bet to beat the tourist crowd
West Clear Creek: Stream flow is at base flow with a recent reading of 12.5 cfs
Dead Horse Ranch State Park : Dead Horse Ranch State Park Report
Goldwater Lake: The trout are still plentiful in Goldwater
Mingus Lake: Anglers are reporting a decent number of trout being caught out of Mingus
Watson Lake: Trout fishing has been good at Watson
Yavapai Lake: Yavapi Lake Report
Knoll Lake: FR 300 and FR 295E into Knoll Lake are now open.
Huffer Tank: Huffer Tank is full due to recent snow melt runoff
Lake Pleasant: 7 lb. Striper