The Individuals Sea Angling Club (ISAC) based in Portchester, Hampshire represented the Angling Trust at the 17th World Shore Angling Championship for Clubs, an annual event organized under the control of the International Governing body, the Federation Internationale de la Peche Sportive en Mer (C.I.P.S/F.I.P. S-M). The 2009 competition attracted 17 teams from nine nations and was hosted by the German Anglers Association (DAV) in Kuhlungsborn near Rostock.

The team representing ISAC were: Captain Steve Deathe, Darren Phillips, Ian Dancey, John Brown, Ally Harvey and Team Manager Trevor Sutch.

Fishing times were from 4-8pm each day from the venue to the west of Kuhlungsborn. This beach comprised rubble reefs at various distances interspersed with sandy patches. The features could be clearly seen due to the high clarity of the water and it soon became apparent that it was the sandy areas that held the fish. The tidal flow in the Baltic is minimal and the rise and fall was just 6 inches each tide. The target fish throughout the event were Cod and Flounder with the odd Rockling, Dab and Whiting making an appearance.

All fish over the allocated size limits were awarded one point per centimetre plus ten points per fish. Anglers fished in five pegged zones and scored points based on their zone and overall position. The four best scores decided the teams total each day. The winning team on the day was allocated one point, the second two points, the third three points, etc. The Champions would be the team with the least amount of match points after all four competitions. All competitors were provided with identical bait comprising one Herring, 100 Lugworm and 100g of Ragworm. A single rod and two hook trace only was allowed.

Day One: The water was flat calm and crystal clear with a Southerly wind behind us, not good for the venue. Ally won his zone while Ian added a third and Steve and John zone seventh. Our anglers landed a total of five codling and one flounder. ISAC gained 84 points to finish in third place overall.

Day 2: The weather had now changed with three inches of snow and an Easterly side wind greeting the teams on the venue. The conditions were perfect even though the temperature had dropped to -1 degrees centigrade. ISAC made good use of the conditions and recorded zone wins for John and Ian, and second places for Ally and Darren, gaining a very impressive 22 points to win the day. The team landed a total of 31 codling and one flounder and now held the overall lead on four points, much to the amazement of the hosts.

Day 3: The temperature had now risen to a barmy eight degrees and the snow had vanished. The wind had returned to the South. All colour from the previous day had completely disappeared. There were far fewer fish around with just six teams managing four anglers with sizeable fish. 37 anglers recorded blanks. Ally had again won his zone with John gaining a second and Steve a match saving eigth to give us 121 points and ninth position overall in the match with a total of five codling and three flounders. We had dropped down to second place overall behind the Team Marinella from Italy, who lead with an impressive 12 points achieved by three consecutive fourth places.

Day 4: The weather conditions had not changed overnight and were a bad omen for the venue. Nevertheless we were determined to finish strongly and managed a zone third from Ian and fourth from Darren with a sizeable codling from a total of three, caught in the last five minutes of the match. Just three teams had three anglers weighing in from 28 anglers with 57 blanks. Our eigth place secured the Silver Medal for ISAC.

The team were proud of their performance in our first ever event at this level and were absolutely delighted at never being lower than third place throughout the four day event. The presentation of medals held on the Saturday was the highlight of the week for the team, especially when standing in front of all the other competitors whilst the National Anthem was played.