The Last Fifty Feet

The Last Fifty Feet - Essays on Saltwater Fly Fishing

Fly fishing means different things to different people, and it can be different things to the same person at different times in life. It can be anything from a trifling past time to a religion. For me, now, it as much a perspective, a philosophy, and a way of seeing things as it is a way to catch fish. This is especially true about saltwater fly fishing.

The catching is still central however, and it should never to be discounted. It is the catching that saves fly fishing from becoming a completely symbolic endeavor. The reality of a fish, alive in your hands before you release it, protects fly fishing from becoming abstracted into just another metaphysical platform which supports yet another philosophical inquiry into the meaning of it all.

Whatever fly fishing becomes for you, it will continue to flow and change like the oceans, the tides, and the rivers that support it.
You will eventually decide whether it is more like the entrance to a carnival or to a cathedral. Both are true. It can also undeniably be the entrance to a library since more has been written about fly fishing than any other sport. The books are an important aspect of the sport, and just like the fish, they vary.
Some are beautiful, robust, graceful, vital, uplifting, provocative and inspiring. Others are not. You will decide about mine.

Reading about saltwater fly fishing is no where near as much fun as actually going out fishing, but you save on the travel expenses, and its still more exciting than doing real work.

"The Last Fifty Feet is a perfectly delightful account, in clear, vivid prose, of the author's growing passion for saltwater fly fishing. Amusing, unusual, and genuinely exciting, Bill Lambot takes us with him as he catches a first bonefish, then pursues barracuda, permit, mackerel, and the great tarpon. This is a genial memoir any fly fisher will enjoy."-- Nick Lyons, Author of Spring Creek and founder of The Lyons Press

"One can feel the heat, smell the salt and join in the excitement of the take as Lambot's love of the chase washes over almost every page. A 'two fish' effort." -- Hoagy B. Carmichael, Angling historian and author of 8 by Carmichael

"For years I've read, and reread, the delicious angling stories of John Cole, Jeffrey Cardenas, Nick Lyons, and Bill Tapply, writers who not only spin terrific yarns but tell them with the authority and technical accuracy that resonates with even veteran fishermen. Authors of this stature accomplish in angling tales what Tom Clancy achieves in spy novels, they not only create intensity and get your heart thumping like a jackhammer, they make it so real you believe it's happening to you. After reading Bill Lambot's The Last Fifty Feet, it seems we have a new entry in this elite group of angling storytellers. Lambot is smitten by all my favorite fishes and especially my most favorite of all, the silver torpedo we call the bonefish." -- Dick Brown, Angler and author of Fly Fishing for Bonefish and Bonefish Fly Patterns

"Bill Lambot is an exciting new voice in outdoor writing in the finest tradition of men who are both keen observers and skilled fishermen. Lambot recreates glorious destinations, colorful guides and the constant thrill of stalking some of the world's most desirable fish. If your idea of a good time is being swept away into exotic locales and dramatic fishing adventures, The Last Fifty Feet is perfection. Highly recommended." -- Patrick Garner, Author of Playing With Fire The Life and Fly Rods of E. W. Edwards

The Last Fifty Feet is an engaging narrative about one man's journey into saltwater fly fishing. Sure to be appreciated by anyone with an interest in learning the subtleties of the sport." -- Marshall Cutchin, Publisher, MidCurrent

The stories and drawings in The Last Fifty Feet are like the air that I breathe; open and free; stories that express our passion in fly fishing. Beautifully done! Bill Lambot's writing is inspiring. He put me there."-- Lori-Ann Murphy, First Orvis Endorsed Female Guide; Co-Founder of Reel Women; Director of Fishing, El Pescador Lodge, Belize

Author: Bill Lambot Paperback, 6"" x 9"", 196 Pages