Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Tunnel Barn Farm
It may be cold outside but Brandon George heads to the Midlands complex where heart- warming action is guaranteed
Warwickshire
THERE’S little doubt in the minds of commercial fishery fans that they will enjoy a good day’s sport when the temperatures are sky high. No matter which venue they visit, the fish are on the hunt for a feast during summer and elastic- stretching action galore is expected.
But the goalposts shift drastically in winter. Some venues – often ones that are carp dominated – become much trickier. The fish become moody, shoaling up in specific places and only feeding sporadically – if at all.
Selecting a venue that as good as guarantees prolific sport now involves a little thought. It needs to be of a size where the fish can’t drift out of reach with ease, be well- stocked and hold species that are still willing to have a feed when the chill kicks in. That criteria will probably rule out a few fisheries that you’ve frequented during the summer, but Tunnel Barn Farm isn’t a venue you can afford to chalk off.
The Warwickshire complex comprises nine lakes and it is the diverse stocking policy of each that keeps the banks busy in winter.
As with all commercials, carp do feature but they aren’t the focal point, with F1s providing the mainstay of the action. Silverfish also come into the equation and roach, skimmers, perch, ide and barbel could all take the bait.
Up and coming starlet Brandon George has fished the venue on numerous occasions throughout the summer and has no intention of looking elsewhere now.
“If you are looking for a venue that is capable of providing lots of bites, then Tunnel Barn Farm should be number one on your list,” said Brandon.
“I’ve visited it in the worst conditions this country can throw at us and even then I’ve put lots of fish in the net.”
Stocking delights
When you analyse the stocking policy in detail, it is clear that the owners had a dream of creating a fishery that was capable of producing red- letter sessions all year round. And it’s fair to say they’ve passed that test with flying colours.
From the sizzling heights of summer to the icy depths of winter, Tunnel Barn is rarely quiet and it is that consistency that keeps anglers returning.
“There are so many F1s and they are happy to feed in pretty much any conditions. Add to that a healthy sprinkling of silverfish that behave in a similar manner and you can see why it is so good in winter.”
When pushed to name his favourite lake, Brandon paused but eventually came up with an answer.
“I love Extension Pool because it really gets you thinking.
“There are pegs where it is 16m to the island and others where it is half that, enabling everyone to reach a feature. There are also swims with lots of open water to attack, with the pair of small ‘ plant pot’ islands also a magnet for fish.
“You can’t just use any rig you fancy and expect to catch – it’s important to feed in a manner that tempts a reaction and lean on the correct set- up.”
“I’ve visited it in the worst conditions this country can throw at us and even then I’ve put lots of fish in the net”
Two- line attack
There’s plenty of cover both down the edges and tight to the islands that look very enticing.
But Brandon tends to ignore the vegetation at this time of year, preferring instead to explore areas of open water available to him.
“As the water clears, the fish are less likely to come close to the reeds because the water is often too shallow for them to settle in. I’m on peg 5 today and I’m fishing a few feet off the island, looking for between 24in- 30in of water. I’ll keep my feeding tight here, cupping in a small pot of 4mm pellets at the start and after every fish caught.”
Banded hookbaits are preferred to expanders as they tend to pick out the bigger stamp of F1s which run to over 4lb.
There’s only one other line that comes into play and that is plumbed up at 12m.
“I fish maggots over this spot and it really is a bite a chuck from a wide range of species.
“You can get away with feeding maggots much more positively without overfeeding the fish. I use a catapult to ping in around 20 maggots every couple of minutes.
“I aim to get my bites on the drop, or just as the hookbait touches the bottom on this line and use a strung out shotting pattern and a sensitive carbon- stemmed float to achieve that. It is often best to feed this for an hour or two to get the bigger fish in among the small silvers and then plunder it,” he said.
Instant indications
Brandon’s tackle was soon set up and his mission to prove just how good Tunnel Barn can be was under way.
A cold breeze and heavy showers were hardly ideal, but the early signs that we would be on to a winner was the number of pleasure anglers that had turned up for a midweek outing. Looking around the complex, most of the lakes had anglers chancing their arm and a good few of them were giving their elastic a workout. Most had a keepnet in as well, with the fishery permitting their sensible use for pleasure anglers.
Meanwhile, our man was wasting no time.
“I’ve already had three small F1s since I started,” beamed Brandon as I approached after a hike around the venue. “They’re only small at the minute, but it’s pleasing to get bites so quickly.”
A few pellets were tapped in after each bite, with the catapult regularly topping up the 12m swim.
F1s dominated in the early stages, with a couple of carp to 4lb also putting in an unseasonal appearance. Switching to the maggot line after an hour and a half, the rig slowly settled as the strung out shotting pattern sunk at an agonisingly slow pace. A quick dink was met with a few inches of elastic coming out and a small roach was soon in the net. This was the result on the next few drops and just when he was starting to think nothing sizeable had settled, the next bite was followed by more resistance.
“I think it is a small F1, so it is a good sign there are bigger fish around.”
But Brandon’s prediction was wide of the mark and seconds later a perch just under a pound was beaten.
“That’s the beauty of fishing maggots here – you just never know what you’ll catch next.”
Sticking to maggots kept that mixed bag mentality going and in the next three hours Brandon got among roach, skimmers, perch, F1s to 3lb and a couple of bonus mirrors.
“It’s been cold today, but we haven’t reached the harshest point of winter just yet. But even when we do get there, I’d still come here and feel confident of putting together a 60lb- plus mixed net like this. It’s a phenomenal venue that has very few rivals of similar quality at this time of year.”