It's why he is confident the future of fishing is bright in the region as the next generation continue to make an impression and wet their lines.

"A lot of the kids are now environmentally conscious; they're into catch and release rather than just taking everything they're entitled to," he said.

"There's been a real shift towards sustainability and it's coming out in the younger generation which is good to see for the future."

While the older fellas are still wetting their lines regularly, they're also providing plenty of knowledge for young anglers - both male and female alike.

Isaac acknowledged these young anglers are now using that knowledge to make up their own minds on what to do with the fish when they catch them.

"While people still catch fish for the table of course, there's a big emphasis on catch and release and looking after the stocks of the future, so I think the industry is going to be in good hands going forward," he said.

"The younger generation get a lot of media attention around sustainability whether it be natural resources, fish, gas, oil or whatever.

"It flows on from that and it's pleasing to see future generations are going to be a little more focused on ensuring the fishing is going to be the same for generations ahead as what it is now."

The Ned Kelly Bait and Tackle shop owner "would like to think" he has played a part in generating awareness and interest in making fishing popular over the years.

"That's what differentiates us here a little bit from your standard shops," he said.

"We take a bit of care and pride with our customers and a lot of it is educational rather than just selling. We teach them about the gear, how to use it, what to do and it pays dividends."

The Port Macquarie fishing tragic said some of his highlights over the past 21 years had been seeing members of some families come into the shop in nappies.

They had then grown into keen fishermen.

"You watch them grow up, learn, perfect their skills, come in tune with the industry and now they've got kids of their own to pass that onto as well. Hopefully we've played a bit of a part in that so we're teaching and guiding them as they go along,"

One of those people that he had seen grow up from being in nappies is Kate Shelton who will take over his weekly column from next Friday.

"My family has been heavily involved in the maritime industry and it's really been a passion of mine and I'd like to continue that on for some time," she said.

"I think I want to explore some of the local fishing techniques.

"[Recreational] fishing in the Port Macquarie and Mid North Coast area has been going on for some time and there's a lot of history in that and I'd like to learn about the different fishing techniques and spread that on to everyone else."

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