KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — At the Knoxville Convention Center, the Bassmaster Classic, also known as the Super Bowl of bass fishing, attracted huge crowds.
Lines were everywhere waiting for games, food and shopping. And in one of those lines was Hank Parker, a two-time Bassmaster Champion and Hall of Fame inductee.
Parker is one of the few anglers to win more than once and people gathered around to get his autograph and share their personal experiences.
"I've heard every fishing story imaginable," Parker said. "Don't let emotion or excitement, man if you catch two or three don't get over excited, if you don't catch any don't get under excited. Stay focused and execute and that is the way you win."
Visit Knoxville said the Super Bowl of fishing is bringing record numbers to town and which means local businesses have also been winning in the past few days.
More than 150,000 visitors arrived this year over the last four days, according to Kim Bumpas, the president of Visit Knoxville.
"The stores are packed, the restaurants are packed, all of our hotels are full," Bumpas said. "That creates sales tax, hotel occupancy tax and that's a great thing for everybody."
While visitors may spend money locally, during Bassmaster there are several games where they can win prizes. One of those games is aiming to throw the bait in a hole with a rod.
Chris Walls is visiting from Thomasville, North Carolina with some friends and family and he got a chance to do some of the activities.
"You get to play, they give a lot of free stuff we come through yesterday got a rod got a cooler," Walls said. "The price of the deals and the products that I learned about, the new products I get, but you also get a lot of famous people."
It's not only about the prizes and the free stuff, the value is elsewhere.
Chad Metz from West Virginia is visiting Bassmaster with his family for the first time.
"I was there for the first weigh-in and live right in the stage area, so that was my best experience here so far," Metz said. "The boats coming in, the gentlemen getting off their boats and coming up on stage... that was a good time."
For Sara Seaward, Parker's granddaughter, it was all about supporting her grandfather in his journey to spread joy with his presence and time.
She spoke about him with admiration and shared why his story is inspiring so many people including her.
"He started from the bottom. He was a high school dropout and then he made a career for himself because he had such a passion for fishing," Seaward said. "I'm very proud of him, I look up to him for that."
One can easily look at a successful story and the glamor around the winner and forget that there is a lot of work that goes behind it.
He said, during his journey, he held his relationship with Jesus Christ high and tried to redirect his focus to what he needed to do.
"It's the one thing that I tell kids today... there is always going to be obstacles. It's always going to be tough times. But maintain your focus and never give up," Parker said. "If it's your dream, don't let go of it. Don't get discouraged. Keep digging, keep fighting. Just do whatever you have to make it happen."