I’d intended to go fishing in June, but just didn’t have the time. So, on a mild morning last month, I headed to Windmill State Recreation Area south of Gibbon to do some fly fishing for panfish.
I knew it was a little late in the season to try catching bluegills with dry flies. By now, the spawn was almost over, the water was warm, and fish were deep. Even so, there was still some cotton flying in the air with usually indicates potential surface action.
And there was some action to be had, albeit infrequent. Over the course of an hour or so, I managed to catch a couple of bluegills on an Ausable Wulff and Red Humpy respectively. The second fish measured nearly eight inches.
Best of all, I had my chosen lake all to myself.
Windmill SRA is one of my favorite places to fish. In the fall and early spring, rainbow trout are stocked in Lake Number 2, which also has a handicap accessible fishing deck. Overall, the park has six lakes. Fish species include bluegills, crappie, catfish, and largemouth bass.
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The park also has an archery range with six lanes with targets set from 10 to 60 yards, as well as a designated swimming beach.
Camping is the real draw at Windmill, which gets its name from antique windmills scattered throughout the park. There are 69 camping pads with electrical hookups, plus 20 primitive campsites. Drinking water, modern restrooms, and shower houses are a few of the park’s various amenities.
In springtime, Windmill SRA is one of the top spots for viewing migrating sandhill cranes. For that reason, there’s a viewing blind on the north side of the park that’s available on a first come basis, but really crane watchers can enjoy the show from almost anywhere in the park.
Nebraska’s larger recreation areas often get more attention, but for peace and solitude, Windmill is one of Central Nebraska’s best state parks.
I don’t know if I’ll get back there this summer, but I hope to this fall and definitely will next spring.
For more information about Windmill SRA, call 308-468-5700 or go to outdoornebraska.gov/windmill/ on the web.
Jarrod Spilger is the outdoors writer for The Independent.
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