Quick start for anglers

This is the shortest path from "never used LakeBooking" to "fishing on Saturday". If you've already created an account, skip to step 2.

1. Create your angler account

Sign up with an email address. You'll get a verification email — click the link, set a password, and you're in.

What we ask for at signup:

• A valid email address and phone number. The phone is shared with the host 24 hours before your session, so they can reach you if something changes at the gate.
• Your name, exactly as it appears on a government ID. The host uses this to identify you on arrival.
• Optionally: your preferred fishing style (carp, predator, fly, coarse) — this just helps tune your search results, and you can change it any time.

We don't ask for a card at signup. Cards come out only when you book.

2. Tell the search what you actually want

Open the lake search. Out of the box it's sorted by distance from you. The filters are designed for fishing, not for hotel-style booking:

• Target species. Carp, pike, zander, perch, trout, grayling, catfish, coarse mixed. Multi-select. We match against the host's declared stock, not against reviews — so you only see lakes where the species is actually present.
• Session length. Pick the billing unit you want (12h, 24h, 48h, 60h, 168h). Lakes that don't support that length drop off the results.
• Water type. Lake, pond, reservoir, river beat, private canal. Useful if you specifically want or specifically don't want, say, a stillwater.
• Amenities. Toilets, electricity, on-site accommodation, parking next to the swim, drone-friendly, dogs allowed.

Every result card shows the lake name, headline image, distance from you, the cheapest billing unit, and a review score. Tap to open the lake page.

3. Read the lake page like an angler

The lake page is built for a five-minute read before you commit. The parts that matter most:

• Map and access notes. Where the gate is, what road number to follow at the last junction, and where you park. Anglers consistently tell us this is the most useful section, especially for unfamiliar lakes.
• Swim map. A photo or schematic with every swim numbered. Tap a swim to see its photo, capacity, suggested method, and any swim-specific rules ("swim 7 is left-handed only", "swim 3 has a hump at 30m").
• House rules. Barbless or barbed, no-kill or take, group size caps, quiet hours, dogs, children, drone use. If you came barbed to a barbless lake, this is your last chance to swap hooks at the tackle shop.
• Declared stock. Species and approximate sizes, edited seasonally by the host. Not a guarantee — fish move, weather changes — but it's the host's best honest snapshot.
• Reviews. Sorted with the most recent first. Per-aspect ratings (swim quality, host responsiveness, fish stock, value) plus free-text. Hosts can publicly respond.

4. Pick your swim and book

Tap the swim you want, then the billing unit (12h day, 24h overnight, 60h weekend, 168h week — only the units the host offers are shown). The calendar opens to the next available date.

The price you see at checkout is the total booking value. It's split into two pieces — the booking fee counts toward the total, it isn't an extra charge:

Confirm, pay the booking fee by card, and you have a confirmed booking. No bank transfers, no waiting on the host to manually approve.

5. The 24-hour window before your session

Twenty-four hours before your session starts, three things happen:

• The host's phone number unlocks on your booking detail page, in case you need to reach them en route.
• Your phone number unlocks for the host.
• Arrival instructions, gate codes (if any), and the "what to bring" checklist become visible.

If anything has changed — a swim is now unfishable, the lake is closed by the authorities, the access road is washed out — the host messages you here, not on Facebook. Keep notifications on for the platform during this window.

6. At the lake

Arrive at the time you booked. The host meets you at reception, confirms your ID against the booking, takes the remaining balance, and walks you to your swim. Setup is yours from there.

A full walk-through of what happens between arrival and leaving is at At the lake.

7. After your session

Reviews open immediately after the session end time. You have 14 days to write one. The host can publicly respond, but neither side can edit a posted review.

If your session was anything other than as expected — the host cancelled at the gate, the swim was unusable, the declared stock wasn't there — message the host from your booking with photos, and escalate to contact@lakebooking.com if it isn't resolved. That starts a mediation, not just a chat. See Refund Policy for what we can and can't do.

Where to next

• Finding a lake — the search filters explained, including the ones not covered above.
• Making a booking — the checkout flow, group bookings, and Stripe's 3DS step.
• At the lake — arrival, on-site payment, leaving.
• Glossary — every fishing-platform term we use, defined.