For three decades, Freshwater Fishing Hall of Famer Billy Chapman Jr. had led the way in developing safe, adventurous and highly productive international fishing expeditions. Over the years Chapman’s Anglers Inn International has led thousands of anglers to their personal best largemouth or peacock bass, and he continues to innovate, always looking to get a leg up on the next great opportunity. While virtually every luminary in the fishing world has joined him on his amazing trips, his mantra is “Service is our focus,” and that applies whether you’re a first timer who’s saved for years to make a bucket list trip, or a celebrity joining him for the 10th time.
The Chapman family has been a fixture at Lake El Salto, Mexico’s premier trophy lake, since its impoundment, and today he retains the premier lodge on the lake, with a longstanding and dedicated staff. On an hours-fished basis, it remains the best public water in the world for catching a double digit largemouth. No less an expert than Kevin VanDam recently told BASS times that it is the best lake in the world. He should know, as he caught a personal best five bass limit weighing 50 pounds on El Salto while filming a television show with Shaw Grigsby.
Chapman also operates lakeside cabins on the neswer Lake Picachos, where anglers can reasonably expect to catch over a hundred fish a day – sometimes as many as 300 – just an hour from the Mazatlan International airport.
The Mexican lodges are open 10 months out of the year, and whether you want to chase these tilapia-fed bass on topwater or prefer the offshore bite, Anglers Inn can suggest a package and time that meets your particular preferences, and no matter what you choose the service will be five star.
Chapman also pioneered fishing for peacock bass in the Amazon, first venturing into the Amazon Basin in 1980, “Wild West” days in that part of the world. Manaus, now an international city of about two million people, had about a tenth that many and there were few if any anglers chasing the peacock bass. During those years, he explored the Ventuari and Orinoco River systems in Venezuela. On three occasions he made the long and somewhat treacherous trip up the Rio Negro from Manaus to Columbia. Over a decade of time when he spent at least 9 months out of every year in the Amazon, he gained a great appreciation for the people, the wildlife and the environment of that region. Along the way he built multiple lodges including the first one to have a swimming pool. He even delivered the first banana split ever seen in the jungle – a little soupy, but still identifiable and delicious.
For many years he has operated a “train” of “floating suites” in the Amazon, which has enabled his clients to reach shallow and unpressured headwaters. This year he added two new Amazon properties to the list of international trips – the Anglers Inn Amazon Santana, the premier houseboat in the region; and the Anglers Inn Rio Negro Lodge, a fixed resort. They offer different amenities, but in both cases the service is five star and the fishing is world class. Pete Robins
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