Few things excite a 鈥榝isherfolk鈥� more than finding a new lure to try.
Let鈥檚 face it, you can always buy a new lure when you want, catching a fish, well that鈥檚 just pure hard work and luck, good and bad on the whim of Mother Nature.
So it was intriguing to see online Len Thompson with some new paint jobs this year.
And, it was even more interesting to discover they were lures being sold for a good cause.
鈥淭o say that 2020 so far has been a challenge may be the understatement of the decade, if not the century,鈥� stated Brad Pallister, President, Thompson-Pallister Bait Co. Ltd. in a letter on the company website.聽 鈥淐OVID 19 has indiscriminately taken many lives and left countless numbers of sick people in its path. While the health concerns of the virus are tragically real for many; the level of fear, uncertainty, mental health implications and economics impact nearly every person in the world.
鈥淥ur area of Central Alberta (and many other rural areas in Canada) have thus far avoided the brunt of the health crisis associated with the virus, of which we are very thankful.聽鈥�
鈥淗owever, much like the virus, the economic impacts of COVID19 has no boundaries.聽 People across the country are struggling, and pressure on food banks has never been higher.鈥�
So the company moved to do something to help the situation.
鈥淔ishing intimately connects you with the outdoors either as a solo activity, or with your closest friends or family.聽 It really does help to heal your mind, body and soul.聽 That is why we strongly believe that fishing and the outdoors will be a popular healing activity for many people this season,鈥� said Pallisterin the letter.聽
鈥淎s a company, we wanted to do something special during these turbulent times.
鈥淲e have launched six new special, limited edition lures聽that are now available for purchase.聽We believe these unique -- yet proven colours -- will not only help anglers realize a more successful day on the water, but it will help smaller communities across the prairies.鈥�
The best part is the company is donating 50 per cent of every #fishingforfoodbanks2020聽lure sold to smaller community food banks.聽
Among the lures are some quite startling colours, a green stripe on yellow, with red diamonds plus a sparkle finish, the same sparkle on a pink lure with a black stripe, and a third being lime green with a yellow stripe and black diamonds.
鈥淓ach of our lures is airbrush painted by hand, so we decided to use existing templates with modified popular colours combinations so we could manufacture these quickly,鈥� said Jessica Pallister-Dew, Custom & Marketing Manager with the company via email.
鈥淲e own the Five of Diamonds trademark and the visual of five diamonds is very intertwined with the Len Thompson brand. We decided to print this on each spoon with the Canadian maple leaf - in case you or your readers didn't know, our lures are proudly made in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada.鈥�
The question of course is whether the designs become permanent offerings to the Len Thompson line?
鈥淲e haven't discussed adding these to our permanent assortment but never-say-never. If the demand is there we will consider it but our 2021 assortments have already been finalized,鈥� said Pallister-Dew.
Of course Len Thompson lures have long been a favoured choice for yours truly, especially when pike hunting. I suspect that is because my Dad was a dedicated red and white and black and white spoon user, and I naturally still gravitate to the tried and true lures.
It鈥檚 also interesting to me that the lures have a history leading back to Saskatchewan.
According to the company website 鈥淟en Thompson,a returned First World War soldier and farmer, developed his first fishing spoon in Abernethy, Saskatchewan, in 1929.
鈥淎fter many years of trying all kinds of manufactured lures, he was convinced he could make a better spoon.
鈥淗e believed that the slow wobbling action which antagonized game fish into striking could be created with a more intricate combination of shape and weight. Always looking for better results, he carried a file and ball peen hammer in his tackle box to perfect his already very successful prototypes.鈥�
And a fledgling business was born.
鈥淟en Thompson Bullet and Bait operated as a part time, winter business out of his farm until 1945 when Thompson decided to make a career change,鈥� notes the company history. 鈥淗e traveled to Toronto where he secured suppliers of brass, components, paint, packaging, and production equipment as well as hired his first professional tool and die maker. Within a few short months, he had a factory built and fully equipped.鈥�
Len Thompson Bait Company entered into full time production in nearby Abernethy.
After a decade of impressive growth, Len & Myra Thompson and Myrtle & Cecil Pallister formed Thompson-Pallister Bait Co. Ltd and chose to relocate to Lacombe, Alberta in 1958. 鈥淟acombe was closer to suppliers and customers as well as offered many fishing and hunting opportunities,鈥� notes the history.
Len Thompson continued to experiment and promote while his son-in-law Cecil Pallister refined the manufacturing processes.
Len passed away in 1979, but his name is carried to anglers on approximately 500,000 fishing spoons each year.
Approximately 50 million lures have been produced since 1929 and between Len Thompson and Northern King, more than half a million spoons are manufactured each year. Proudly made in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada.
For more information check out www.lenthompson.com
