Kettles Farm Fishery is the setting for Andrews family to make memories

Kettles Farm Fishery near Rattlesden is a small but delightful day ticket lake which is particularly suited to beginners, pleasure anglers and family groups, although small clubs fish there too.

Local veteran match angler Ian Andrews made a visit earlier this month on a very hot Monday during the recent heatwave and enjoyed a family picnic and fishing session with his wife Rachel and their three grandsons (Wilfred aged 5, Heston aged 10 and 11-year-old Hugo)

Ian told me: “It took Hugo just three minutes to catch an 8lb carp and Heston five minutes to connect with a 6lb fish.

“There was also an angler fishing there away from us but I could see he was fly fishing and had five fish averaging around 9 to 10lbs each plus a father and daughter who landed a string of nice fish.”

Ian added: “They are all lovely looking fish with many perfectly scaled mirrors.”

The day ticket is just £7 for adults and £5 for juniors and it is a good idea to call (01449 737873) before you go as there are matches some weekends that book the lake.

The water is stocked with carp up to double figures plus hybrids, roach and rudd and there are comfortable level grassy banks from which you can fish from.

The lake is full of fish and the owners Carol and Will have a great set up where you can rent one of their glamping pods for the day or a night.

They have built a five-star toilet block too with tea making facilities and brilliant showers if you are glamping.

Kettles has a website and Facebook page for their glamping pods and a Facebook page for the fishery where you can also check closure days for matches.

I first met Ian more than 35 years ago when he joined the local fishing section attached to W Vinten Ltd, known as the Heron Club, which I was secretary of at the time.

Around the same time as this we both fished our first ever national team championship encounter for Bury St Edmunds Angling Association.

More than 1,200 anglers lined the banks of the 40 foot and 16 foot drains deep in the fens in August.

It was a memorable day in many ways, including our team finishing high enough for promotion into the next division the following year.

It was also the hottest day of that year and like recently it was almost unbearable heat.

Angling trips can leave lasting positive memories and I am sure that Ian’s grandchildren will reflect on their Kettles trips with their grandparents in years to come.

Another blast from my angling past who popped up last week was Dennis Vaughan, who had the winning weight from Florence Lake in the in the Old Codgers (his description not mine!) Tuesday match at Hinderclay (peg 16).

Dennis had what he described as a ‘stunning day’ weighing in eight carp for 72lb 4oz.

Simple maths puts the average fish weight at 9lbs. This was on the second day of reduced temperatures after our recent heatwave but there was still a high of 24C to contend with but there is always a breeze at Hinderclay to keep you cool in the summer.

Dennis fished in a private match but there are open matches most Thursdays and Sundays. But there is always space for pleasure anglers as there are six lakes in this day ticket fishery.

Call Stuart Platt (07787 521851) for match bookings and particularly if you want to night fish or to book one of the limited swims on Spring Lake.

Dennis is another angler that I fished with in national championships for Bury AA around 30 years ago.

None of our local clubs currently enter teams for the national champs but Dennis, James Boughton and Rene Mitchell will be fishing the Second Division National on the River Avon on September 10 for ‘Colin Barlow AC Sale Manchester’.

Hopefully it will evoke plenty of good childhood angling memories for James as we spent a week fishing the Avon, mostly at Twyford Farm (including a couple of matches), when he was 15.

Around the same time Dennis, James – plus Derek Blackman and I – had a week fishing in Holland mostly for bream with some spectacular catches: possibly worthy of a report here when local catch reports are few and far between this coming winter (especially the horror of the maggot chalet invasion).