Freeman Lake in Swan Hills: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Freeman Lake falls in Swan Hills, part of Alberta. The bank is 1,074 metres above sea level. This is sizeable water at about 3.41 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. The perimeter runs near 10 km, so plan the walk before you start. Supplies mean a trip to Swan Hills, 9.3 km off. The big place round here is Edmonton, 185 km distant. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Freeman Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Public occurrence data for Swan Hills names Arctic grayling and fathead minnow. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Read Freeman Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 13°C and January at -14°C. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. The season between ice runs from about early May to early November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Freeman Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Overnight stays are possible 420 m away. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Edith Lake at 16 km is the nearest alternative. None of that is settled for Freeman Lake in what we hold.