Matchangler.com gets an exclusive interview with the new 2008 European Champion, Günter Horler
 The following interview was only possible with the cooperation of Michael Borchers, Jayson Greatorex and all on the German national team site: www.champions-team.de
MA.com: What were your thoughts when you was told that you had drawn peg B23 on day two, a peg that had produced the section winner on day one?
Günter: After I was told which peg I was to fish, I had tears in my eyes as it was clear that I had drawn a flyer. In the past at international events, I often drew good pegs and made the best out of them, but on the second day my luck often deserted me. This time though, it was in my favour, I felt confident with the venue and was positively excited before the start of day two.
MA.com: Years after the last title for a German angler (1982 Kremkus) you have managed a title for Germany's beleaguered match anglers. What were your feelings during the award ceremony with your national anthem playing?
Günter: The award ceremony was a very emotional moment for me, the years of hard work had finally paid off. To bring home the first title since the great Wolf Rüdiger Kremkus was a great honour for me and fills me with pride. There were times when things didn’t run too good for the team and you would ask yourself, “why are we doing all this?” At the award ceremony, all these questions were answered and I knew the past years were worth it.
MA.com: What advance information did the German team have on the venue and how helpful and correct was it?
Günter: It was possible to obtain information in advance and it was clear that from this that bream were the main target. It would be similar to bream venues in Germany. Our information also included that to target the bream and barbel, we would have to fish accurately. So the knowledge we received was absolutely spot on and the team was well prepared.
MA.com: How did the training week in the build-up to the championships go and what role did the rod and reel play in training, as well as a shorter line for the smaller fish? Also, how did the river vary during the week?
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Günter: The preparation week went well for the team and indeed very well for myself eventually. We caught fish from the off and all felt comfortable on the water. Things were not perfect for me personally on the Monday and Tuesday, this was due to a hard peg and the fishing method allocated to me. After we laid down our tactics on the Wednesday it started to go very well for me. Rod and reel was definitely an alternative in some sections, but the results didn’t come close to those on the pole. The short line wasn’t really an alternative for us, we were sure that the bites on the short line would get worse and wouldn’t reach more than 4kg.
MA.com: Which groundbait was used and which soil did you use with the mix?
Günter: Because of the bream, we used 50% Explosive and 50% Favourite Bream (both from Mosella) we opted for TTX corn without water, so we had approximately 6-7 litres of wet feed. Just before fishing, I added a packet of Explosive powder. I had the feeling that the fish reacted to the additives as I had always taken fish after just 2-3 minutes of feeding. A few red particles would also appeal to the fish.
Apart from the groundbaits, we used about 10 litres of heavy river soil (Terre de Riviere), with 1 litre of grey leam which gave the soil a good bonding strength and allowed us to add plenty of bait. Just after the official inspection of bait, we added our entire joker to the soil/leam mix. The joker are not so active when in the mix, a fact that in our opinion, very important when using joker for bream.
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MA.com: Which tactics did the German team go for in the various sections, and how was initial feed introduced?
Günter: Our main tactic was clearly to fish the pole at 13 metres. The 13 metre line was the deepest line and because of the shy bite behaviour it was the cleanest way to fish. The rod and reel line was an alternative above everything else and in section E it played a important role. Further more in sections E and D we wanted to fish a little lighter, as here was shallower.
My initial feed consisted of approximately 2.5 litres of groundbait, 2.5 litres of soil (including joker) 100ml. of worm and 100ml of caster. The feed was introduced in 7 to 8 balls about the size of tangerines. A few balls were also put onto the rod and reel line. It was clear that the last hour would be decisive, so we would keep good feed for the right time on this line.
MA.com: With a customary bait limit of 2.5 litres, how did you divide this limit?
Günter: Our bait composed of 500ml. joker, 500ml. bloodworm, 750ml. worm, 500ml. of caster and 250ml. of red maggot and pinkies. In hindsight it seemed we had a good quality of bloodworm/joker.
MA.com: How did you manage to avoid the catfish and catch mainly bream?
Günter: I think the correct building-up of the swim played an important part. In training I found that the catfish reacted to worm, so based on this I was very careful introducing worm.
In the initial feed, and using the cup to 'top-up', I placed joker in the feed. It seemed important to me, not to use too much joker but to increase the amount I fed, according to the bites.
Also, it was important to fish the swim accurately; this was achieved by placing the float directly on the feed, waiting around 10 to 20 seconds for a bite, and then letting the rig gently run the swim, lifting and replacing the float perfectly back onto the feed. Just leaving the rig stationary over the feed brought no success and was not the correct approach in my opinion.
Every bream had to be led to the feed and the hook bait literally 'placed' in its mouth. This is a similar method that is used on my home water, the River Main, here we often only catch five bream in 3 hours. Every one must be precisely fished for, it's certainly a method that is second nature to me and one which surely helped me on the River Morava.
MA.com: It was noticeable that after nearly every time you fed with the cup, you caught a fish. In what circumstance did you cup and why, and with what?
Günter: Generally every 5 to 10 minutes and after every fish I caught. I cupped the soil/leam mix at the beginning with just a few jokers, but towards the end as the bream were there in numbers, I increased the bait content. Like I said, I held back on the worms and ended up using only half of my allocated 750ml. In every ball of top-up feed I placed a few casters, so that at the end of the session I had used all of them up. As I was increasing the amount of joker in my feed, the balls at the end were almost red in colour due to the quantity of joker in them. I withheld my best baits for the most important part of the match, the last hours of the session. Whilst most anglers were struggling and moved to the short lines, I continued to build my swim up and managed to continue catching big fish.
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MA.com: Which hook baits did you use?
Günter: The bream were caught mainly on bunches of 4-5 bloodworm, now and then sometimes with a red maggot combination.
MA.com: Which form of float was used and how was your rig set up?
Günter: I used the Cralusso Bubble model, this form of this float is tried and tested for this active method of bream fishing.
I set up rigs with sizes from 3gr. through to 8gr., but used mainly the 4 to 6gr. floats to 1.2mm elastic. Mainline was 0,12 mm with 25cm hooklengths of 0,10mm to a size 18 Series 1 hook from Mosella. The shotting pattern consisted of a no.7 shot directly on the hooklength, another no.7 was placed 15cm higher and then the main bulk 10cm away. Both the no.7s lay completely on the river bed with the main bulk just above it.
MA.com: How many years have you now fished for Champions-team and is this your first medal at international level?
Günter: I’ve now been fishing 16 years for the team, and must be the oldest serving member. This is my second international medal, the first being in 2000 with Team Mosella when we won silver at the World Club Championships in Portugal.
MA.com: What significance has this success for you and the team?
Günter: This title, for me, is confirmation of years of hard work and a great deal of satisfaction. Of course, I am also very proud, but I think that is natural. This title gives our team and also myself, new drive and energy for the next challenge.
MA.com: And finally, what does Günther Horler do when he's not fishing?
Günter: When I’m not fishing, I spend time with my girlfriend. During winter I´m often in the gym keeping fit. There just isn’t the time for anything else!
MA.com congratulates Günter on achieving such a notable success and wishes him well for the rest of his international career. One small note to Günter... you are not the only angler to have his name mis-spelt... they've been spelling England's Steve Gardener's name wrong for years... so you are in very in good company indeed!!!
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