JERRY BARTLETT MEMORIAL ANGLING COLLECTION

The Catskills is famous as the place where fly fishing began in North America. As early as the 1830s Phoenicia is distinguished for having the first boarding house that catered to fishermen.The Jerry Bartlett Memorial Angling Collection at the Phoenicia Library celebrates Catskill angling history and traditions with an extensive collection of books about fishing and fly tying, as well as historical memorabilia, artworks, archives and other resources. The special collection opened in 1996 in memory of Jerry Bartlett (1939-1995) a conservationist and tireless advocate for the cold water fisheries of the Catskill Mountains.

An Interactive web site (catskillanglingcollection.org) provides Catskill anglers with a comprehensive digital “hatch chart” that shows what the trout are eating, the artificial flies that best imitate those insects and when and where to fish the trout. It also offers a history of angling on the Esopus Creek, the natural history of local trout species, recipes for tying the flies, and podcasts and photographs from past programs.

The Angling Collection at the Phoenicia Library has fly rods and spinning rods that can be checked out with a library card. Throughout the year there
are programs about fishing, author book signings, fly tying classes and other special programs and events.

If interested in becoming a member and receiving our Newsletter, and notices of special events, please email your name to angling@phoenicialibrary.org.

Events will be announced through this library webpage and FB page “Phoenicia Librarians.”