beasty1711

Help. I’m struggling to see where I’m going wrong at tunnel barn farm. I’ve fished 5/6 opens there with my top weight being 53lb (next peg won match with 172lb). Yesterday I weighed in 9lb2oz, but I'm now at the point where I can’t see what I'm doing wrong when I do my post match analysis.

Firstly I’m realistic. I know there are better anglers there than me, so I’m not expecting to win, however I feel that I should be doing better than I am.

I drew peg 28 on extension. Immediate pegs either side were free, island at 16m, reeds to left and overhanging branches to right.
I decided to set up 3 rigs:

Black hydro laccy for both left and right margins (about 4ft depth, sz 16 kamasan animal to 0.13 hook length)
Black hydro laccy for tight to the island (about 2ft depth sz 18 kamasan animal to 0.13 hook length)
Grey hydro laccy for a backup paste rig about 8m out. (about 6-7ft deep no.4 tubertini to 0.13 hook length)

I mixed up some Sensas crazy bait (shrimp flavour) deciding to put two jaffa’s down the right margin and leave it for a while. I would also add extra water to some of this to form my paste.

10:15
Whistle goes and I put two jaffa’s down the right margin along with some corn and feed pellet.
I then fish the left margin with single bronze maggot, feeding about 5-10 maggots every 30-40 secs and also a few feed pellets

10:40
Not a sniff, not even a wobble of the float from left margin.

11:00
Right margin the same as the left.

11:15
Switch to 16m line, and have a couple of quick bites and then a couple of bumped roach. First feed was a pot of corn/ maggots/ feed pellet. But wind then stopped me from using pot at 16m. So ended up spraying maggots with catapult… about 15-20 every 45secs ish

11:25
WOW a fish. Small roach about 2oz followed by another couple of bumps.

11:35
Another small roach, but wind picks up and pretty much makes it impossible to fish this line.

11:40
Back to left margin. 1 small perch. Right margin still dead.

11:55
Paste line .. a couple of liners straight away. Then about 4 bumped/ pull outs. I swop the rigs around thinking that the grey hydro isn’t setting the hook properly. Lots of fizzing/ bubbles.

12:15
Carp! Finally get a carp on paste. But using VDE hydro paste. (pellet flavour)
More liners/ missed bites on paste.

13:00
Another small carp on paste line. Still getting lots of liners/ fizzing.

14:15
Paste all gone, and not really worth mixing any more. Switch back to maggot down the margins…. Still nothing

14:20
Two quick carp on single maggot fished about 5ft deep over my paste line.

15:15
Thank god that’s over with.

Chap on my left had 40lb on corn on his first visit, but it had started to rain so didn’t hang around to chat to anyone else.



Anyone got any ideas what i'm doing wrong???

compleat tangler

i havnt fished the venue but from what i've read the stamp of fish is relatively small so use a b911 hook...... animal is over gunned for there.

Bankside

Beasty

From reading your report, one thing that springs to mind is your feeding pattern. Tunnel Barn matches are won with F1's (unless the lumps show on Bottom Pool).

The key to building weights is feeding little and often and keeping it going for 5hours. Also, would tend to stick to a method/bait you are comfortable with because if you take too many you will only end up confusing yourself.

Sometimes you will bomb out but you will also have your day. Most of the regulars tend to stick to one method/bait at varying times of the year.

Hope this helps

leetwin

now i'm no expert at tunnel barn(only fished it once) but was told by a good angler who fishes there regularly that you need to fish 2 lines at 5 meters say at 10 oclock and 2 oclock either use pellet or worm/caster and feed very often but not too much and you should catch well... the only time i fished there i caught well all day on worm/caster so it does work

__________________
LeeTwin
Mr 3oz number 1 ><))))*>

beasty1711

for just maggots or for paste aswell?

thanks for the comments/ help

beasty1711

Would you say im over feeding or underfeeding then?
i did plan to fish maggot all day, but when bites didnt show thats when i switched.

thanks for the comments/ help

beasty1711

i did try worm last time i was there.. but its not something im confident in yet. once again i didnt catch that well then, but having said that it was when we had the really really hot sunday

thanks for the comments/ help

Glenn Archer

All carp eat pellets as they are reared on them. Always start off on pellet on any commercial fishery then change, or use the current in-bait. Feed with a pole mounted pot so you can be very accurate. The fish will come to your bait wherever you decide to fish (eventually). You may have to switch distances that you fish to find the fish, but don't sit there waiting for ages for a bite, whats the point on a venue like tunnel barn? its suffed full of fish. If you dont get a bite within a few minutes switch lines. You can always come back for another look later. Margins are best fished later in the match, never start there unless you see signs of fish, ie reeds moving, etc or its a renowned method and everyone is doing it and bagging up.
F1s are greedy, and can sometimes be hard to catch, sometimes unbelievably easy!
You have to think about the conditions you are fishing in, if its blowing a hooly or going to be (check forecast) think about the far bank has only been a last resort, because you know you wont be fishing it for too long.
Talk to the locals/on-site tackle shop or listen in on conversations if they are not forthcoming with the info, they are usually clued up on whats working on the venue.
Think about your rigs, if its blowing a hooly think about using a heavy rig and a heavy bait (corn, paste, meat, etc) and putting it on the deck (at least 2 inches, probably a lot more unless false or deep hooking occurs). Also think about putting shot a lot nearer the hook than you would normally, otherwise the bait will be wafting around resulting in foul hookers.
If its a warm day, set up a few shallow rigs at different depths. If you gets lots of liners but no bites, chances are the fish are shallow and intercepting any feed you are putting in. To get fish to feed shallow you will need to be feeding far more regularly than at full depth, so almost constant feeding will be required, say every 10 to 30 seconds depending on how the fish are responding. Be warned it can take 30 minutes or so of feeding to get the fish feeding confidently shallow and it can take quite a while to find the depth that they are most happy feeding at. Try and fish the same hook bait as you are feeding, pellets are best for this, but experiment if you arent getting the response you should be.
Feed between 6 and 20 pellets every time with a catty, say 4mm, or less of them if you are fishing bigger pellets, or more if you are feeding micros. The best size to feed will have to be worked out on the venue. I always find 4mm will catch you anything that swims.

I hope this helps a little and does not confuse you too much.

Glenn.

beasty1711

thats for that...
tbh i hadnt thought about pellet on the hook as most of the matches (according to AT) seam to feature mags or paste, but what you say about the carp being fed on them as fry is a fair point.

cheers

Glenn Archer

Are you quite sure that groundbait is working at Tunnel barn? I have known it to kill some swims dead on some fisheries. Just something else to think about.