Famous Catskills Fly Fishing Lodge Burns To The Ground!

Wow! If the flooding up in the Catskills wasn't enough, now a famous Fly Fishing Lodge goes up in smoke. The Antrim Lodge was built back in 1890. Sounds like a fly fishermans mecca.

Anyone hear why the fire started?

-Michael

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Catskills fly fishing community dealt another blow...

Yet another disaster has struck in the breadbasket of American fly fishing. The Antrim Lodge in Roscoe was dealt its final death blow when a fire all but leveled the historic inn.

With clean-up still underway following the floods that rampaged the area recently, Monday morning saw yet another piece of history erased from the map. The Antrim — constructed in 1890 — was undergoing a long-overdue major rehabilitation and upgrade.

The inn had closed its doors in 1993, but in 2004 the owners started what was described as a major renovation, which would return the historic building to its former glory. Originally slated to be a two-year project, the latest schedule was for the re-opening to be sometime in 2007. As a result of Monday's fire the date will never come. The building is now damaged beyond repair.

Published reports say plumbers were working on the upper floors of the structure. The fire reportedly started on the fourth floor, completely consuming it and the roof.

The inn was the favorite meeting place for anglers who visited the area. The bar, located on the first floor, was called Keener's Hole — aptly named after the original owner, Frank Keener.

Fly fishers in particular in the early days of the sport seemed to establish favorite watering holes in close proximity to their favorite fishing holes. In the case of the Antrim Lodge, the Beaverkill, Willowemoc and the Delaware and other less famous trout streams were all within casting distance.

Another such place is Steinhoff's Sportsmen's Inn, located in Wilmington. Situated on the banks of the famous West Branch Ausable River, Steinhoff's is still operating today. Just don't expect to be rubbing elbows at the bar with the likes of Joe Brooks or Ray Bergman.

While the Antrim will always be remembered for its turn-of-the-century elegance, Steinhoff's has a more woodsy flavor, which serves as a constant reminder that you are in the high peaks region of the Adirondacks.

PoughkeepsieJournal.com - Catskills fly fishing community dealt another blow

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