In November the IGFA lost James C. Chapralis, who for over 25 years was a valued IGFA Representative for Illinois. He passed away Nov. 10th after a long battle with cancer.
In the early 1960s, Jim started PanAngling Travel Service, one of the first travel agencies for globe-trotting fishermen, a profession that allowed him to indulge his own fishing fantasies across the globe.
For 25 years Jim edited and published The PanAngler, a monthly newsletter devoted to international fishing. Through the years, he booked more than 40,000 trips for a global clientele to fishing camps and lodges in locales both rugged and exotic, most of which he visited himself fishing in about 40 countries. In 1998 he sold PanAngling Ltd.
A prolific writer Jim penned dozens of articles for major fishing and outdoor magazines and wrote “World Guide to Fly Fishing” (a 450-page hardcover book) in 1987, and co-authored, “Fishing Escapes” in 1998. His books include “Fishing Passion: A Lifelong Love Affair With Angling,” and “Master Your Fly Casting!”
In “Fishing Passion,” he recounted fishing adventures with legends of the sport such as Lee Wulff and A.J. McClane. He also started the anglingmatters website for anglers to learn how to protect their waters and their sport.
An accomplished fly-caster for both distance and accuracy, Jim won medals for his prowess in the 1950s as a member of the Lincoln Park Casting Club. He returned to the sport as a senior citizen, winning age-group championships.
At age 23, Jim won the International Distance Fly Casting Championship (Paris, France, 1955) and the All-Round Casting Championship (Stuttgart, Germany, 1956). Although he had not participated in a national tournament for 45 years, Jim competed in the ACA National Casting Championships held in Lexington, Kentucky, August 2001, and won the Gold Medal (first place) for the Senior Distance Single-Handed Fly Casting Championship with a long cast of 163 feet and another Gold Medal in the same event in 2006 with a distance of 172 ft..
Jim was elected to the original Fishing Hall of Fame and is a recipient of the Dolphin Award for his contributions to international fishing. In 2007 he was inducted into the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame for his contributions to international angling travel; and especially for fly fishing. Jim’s numerous contributions to the IGFA will be missed.By: Pete Johnson / Johnson Communications
