Freeman Lake Fishing in Hardin County, Kentucky
Elizabethtown Area

Fished from a boat today. A little windy, but all I caught was a small catfish. I tried deep and shallow. I threw live bait and artifical. The catfish bit on a nightcrawler in a shallow bay. I say wait till fall to fish here.

First trip to freeman. Besides needing a state licenses, we also had to have a city license, which cost 5 for a day or 20 for the year. They don't allow outboard motors, but do allow trolling motors. They also rent row boats, 2 per hour or 10 for the day. There is good structure and coves around the lake. To reach the structure, you have to have a boat, but many of the coves are easily fished from shore. We caught a selection of fish from blue gills, decent sized red fin sucker, and even a small largemouth. We had another bass, but he shook off the line. Might not be a good fishing spot for the hot months of summer, but I'm interested to try the spring and fall seasons.

Fished here today for the first time. Im a very avid angler. Took the Ranger out, maybe it was just a bad day but I never caught a bass. I threw crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs, texas rigs and shakey heads with no luck. The pics at the office of the fish caught this year were pretty nice. Alot of bass in the 3-5lbs range. I couldnt figure them out. Fished shallow to deep. Water temp 80 Degrees

I've been fishing Freeman Lake heavily the past few years, mostly due to how close it is to my house. Spring fishing there is excellent, even from the bank. In fact, I regularly catch 2 and 3 lb largemouth from the bank. As the season goes on, and the place is fished by so many people, you best bet is to get out in a boat. I figure the fish are so used to seeing every type of lure thrown into the water and then cranked back to the bank that they don't even give it a second look. Throwing to the bank and reeling back to the open water is much more natural and different for the fish, so they tend to strike with more frequency. I see a lot of people catching large catfish and carp just about everytime I'm out there. The bluegill and crappie are plentiful, although their size is generally way to small to keep. I only catch and release there, and it's a great place to hone your skills for your prized spot later on. Fishing is open to the public, but you have to buy a fishing permit at the office. It's 5 bucks a day or 20 bucks a year and you have to have a valid Kentucky Fishing license. It's not the best, but it's great for what it is and a whole lot of fun. Hope you Enjoy!

I disagree with size of Crappie, heck the panfish there is excellent. I have fished it for the last 2 weeks. I've some huge Crappies., and have caught a large amount of them.

very nicely maintained and stocked. I like the overflow area best (take the road that the bus garage is on)