Buy your own peg for a year

THE DAYS of worrying about somebody else being in your favourite peg before you get to a fishery could be a thing of the past if a scheme being introduced at a popular venue in Lincolnshire proves a success.

Anglers at Langtoft Lakes, in Market Deeping, which is run by predator fishing ace Mick Brown, can now ‘buy their own swim’ for the whole year. Mick has introduced the initiative on the venue’s Pads Lake, which contains carp, tench and silvers, to give his customers their own private 12-month fishing spot, at a cost of £495 for two anglers.

It’s believed to be the first fishery in the UK to do a season permit on individual pegs, three of which have been sold already, revealed TV angling star Mick.

“By having your own piece of water, you know for sure that nobody else will have fished it or potentially spoilt it by putting loads of bait in - it’s like your own little piece of heaven,” he said.

“We’re encouraging people to personalise their own swim for the year, and they can have a guest along as long as one of the swim ‘owners’ is present.

People who buy into it will also have other privileges such as a shower and toilet block, night fishing and parking beside your peg,” he said.

One of the first to snap up a swim at Langtoft was local angler Dan Searby, who told Angling Times he thought that it was well worth the money.

“I’m very lucky that my girlfriend loves fishing and we go together about once a week. We were spending £20 a week on tickets, which works out at £1,000 a year, but the peg permit at Langtoft is half that so it’s a no brainer really. I’m not sure if we’ll get bored fishing the same swim all year but we’ve also got the use of two other lakes with the ticket,” he said.

The concept evoked mixed reaction on the Angling Times’ Facebook page. “You would soon get cheesed off seeing fish down the other end of the lake and not be able to fish there because you didn't have the right to,” said Lee Smith, from Norwich, while Staffs-based carper Jonny Bannister reckoned “If it was the best peg on the lake it would be a great idea!”