NEW ROADS — For more than a year and a half, local anglers in New Roads haven't had to drive all the way to Baton Rouge to stock up on tackle and gear.

They just head over to Patrick Queen All Pro Fishing and Supplies.

The store in New Roads is owned by Livonia High School graduate, former LSU standout, and two-time NFL Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Queen. While Queen spends his autumns on the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers, his parents, Dwayne and Mary Queen, manage the daily operations back home.

For the Queen family, the bait shop is a full-circle return to a childhood hobby.

"When he was 8, he was always into sports," Dwayne Queen said. "We used to fish. When the fish weren't biting, he just wanted to drive the boat. So I think up until 13, we did that all the time, and he stopped because it was always football, baseball, basketball."

It wasn't until Queen was playing linebacker at LSU that he rediscovered his love for the water.

"Patrick is always fishing and buying fishing equipment, so the wife was teasing him one day saying, 'As much money as you spend on fishing equipment, you can open up a store,'" Dwayne recalled. "And they decided to do it."

While Queen's star power on the field brings plenty of curious customers through the door asking if the shop is really owned by the NFL star, the business has quickly become a practical asset for the surrounding community.

"A lot of people come in, first thing they say is, 'Thank y'all for opening the store. We don't have to drive way to Baton Rouge anymore,'" Dwayne said.