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About Windmill Lake

Surface Area (acres): 24.00
Maximum Depth (feet): 17.2 ft. (2014)
Motoring Restrictions: Electric Motors Only
See below for additional location-specific regulations

Location

County: Taylor
Description: Windmill
Coordinates: 40.72927752, -94.82624005

Nearby Parks

Lake of Three Fires State Park

Amenities

Amenities at Windmill Lake include:

Boat Access
Fishing Jetty
Picnic Area
Trails
Accessible Facilities
Restrooms
Camping
Good/Excellent Shorefishing
Hard Surface Boat Ramp

What to Fish For

Fishing Report

- No recent updates found

Popular Fish Species

Fishing Forecast

Spring electrofishing indicated good numbers of Largemouth Bass up to 17 inches. Good numbers of Bluegill up to 8 inches are available to anglers. No Blue Catfish were captured in 2024.(2024)

Consumption Guidelines

Iowa-Caught Fish Are Safe to Eat, In Almost All Cases

In nearly all cases, Iowa fish are safe to eat. Cleaning and/or preparing the meal causes most of the problems regarding taste or color of fish. Like all living creatures, fish are susceptible to diseases, parasites, and other naturally occurring conditions in the water. If you suspect your fish is affected by any of these conditions, do not eat it. Consider eating smaller and younger fish which usually have lower levels of contaminants than larger ones. Most contaminants accumulate in larger, older fish. For additional information, check out our resources for eating and cooking Iowa caught fish.

To learn more about fish tissue monitoring, visit our Fish Tissue Monitoring page .

Where to Go

Printable Map (PDF)

Explore the full Fishing Atlas

Stocking and Management

Stocking

10/5/22 - 436 Blue Catfish (6)
October 2021 - 8,946 Bluegill (1.3)
10/01/2021 - 621 Blue Catfish (6.6)
09/15/2015 - 125 Channel Catfish (8")

Management

2024 - Survey-Population: A general spring electrofishing survey was conducted to evaluate the Largemouth Bass population. Low-frequency electrofishing and hoop nets were used to evaluate the Blue Catfish population.
2023 - Survey-Population: Spring electrofishing was conducted to evaluate the Largemouth Bass population. A low-frequency electrofishing survey was conducted to evaluate the Blue Catfish population.
2020 - Fishery Renovation-Chemical-Rotenone: A chemical renovation was conducted in summer 2020.
2017 - Survey-Population: A comprehensive fish population survey was conducted using electrofishing, baited hoop nets, and fyke nets.
2015 - Survey-Population: A trend survey was done with electrofishing and fyke netting.
2013 - Survey-Population: A trend survey was done that included electrofishing and fyke netting.
2011 - Survey-Population: A Comprehensive survey was done that included electrofishing, baited hoop netting, and trapnetting.
2010 - Survey-Population: Fish population estimate was done on Windmill lake because of common carp.
2009 - Ramp-Construction: Concrete ramp was constructed in the summer.
2009 - Survey-Population: Windmill was sampled with spring electrofishing and fall trapnetting.

Regulations and Who to Talk To

Motoring Restrictions

Motoring Restrictions: Electric Motors Only

Contacts for this Location

Andrea Bevington, Conservation Officer; 712-520-0508; Andrea.Bevington@dnr.iowa.gov
Andy Jansen, Fisheries Biologist; 641-464-3108; Andy.Jansen@dnr.iowa.gov

Fishing Regulations

Bluegill

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: 25 fish
Possession Limit: unlimited
Length Limit: none
Other: No daily limit on private waters

Channel Catfish

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 8 fish
Possession Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 30 fish
Length Limit: none
Other:

Common Carp

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: none
Possession Limit: unlimited
Length Limit: none
Other: May be taken by hand fishing, by snagging, by spear or by bow and arrow, day or night.

Green Sunfish

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: none
Possession Limit: unlimited
Length Limit: none
Other:

Largemouth Bass

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: combined black bass, 3 fish
Possession Limit: combined black bass, 6 fish
Length Limit: 15-inch minimum
Other:

White Crappie

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: combined black and white crappie, 25 fish
Possession Limit: unlimited
Length Limit: none
Other: No daily limit on private waters

Fish Iowa - Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs - Windmill Lake