Welcome to Part 2 of our frequently asked questions about Len Thompson Lures.

1. Len Thompsons are famous for catching Lake Trout, Northern Pike, and Arctic Grayling. Do they only work in Canada?

   Len Thompson lures have worked their magic on many gamefish throughout the world, including Alaskan Salmon, Scandinavian Pike, Venezuelan Peacock Bass, New Zealand Browns, Indian Ocean Bonita, and the list goes on. If you've landed an exotic fish using a Len Thompson, please send us a photo or note.



2. How should you "rig" a Len Thompson lure... do you tie it directly to the line?

   We rarely tie a spoon directly to the line, but you certainly may if you wish. We generally use snap swivels because they ease the task of changing lures to find the particular size and color working that day. The snap swivel must be roomy enough to allow the spoon to work freely and the appropriate size (not too big) for the type of lure you are using and fish you are targeting.



3. Should I use a steel leader?

   Not very often. We try to avoid using leaders with our spoons. We believe leaders may spook fish. However, certain situations require leaders, such as a lake full of aggressive Northern Pike. Start with shorter leaders and, if black leaders are unavailable, color them with a black felt marker to reduce the visibility.



4. The Lake/Province/State we are fishing has barbless regulations in place. Do you manufacture lures with barbless hooks?

   We do occasionally assemble lures headed North with barbless trebles; however, to meet most regulations all one has to do is pinch the barbs down with a set of pliers. Make sure the barbs are completely pinched down. As far as fishability is concerned, as long as you keep tension on the line by holding the rod tip up, you should be able to continue on with a similar hook-to-catch ratio as with a barbed lure.



5. What about single hooks?

   It is difficult to find single hooks with large enough eyes to fit our split rings. The single hooks that we use are Eagle Claw 085M (offset) or VMC 9170NI (siwash) in the following sizes:

   • No. 6, 7, 10 - Size 8 hook
   • No. 8 - Size 4 hook
   • No. 00, 11, 11X - Size 1/0 hook
   • No. 0, 13, 13X - Size 2/0 hook
   • No. 1 - Size 3/0 hook
   • No. 2 - Size 6/0
   • No. 4 - Size 7/0

   The offset single seems to be more productive when casting. Any single siwash is a decent alternative... particularly when trolling.

   Ask your favorite tackle store to source these hooks for your Len Thompsons if you are heading to a fishery that only allows single hooks. It is our opinion that while single hooks make releasing fish a lot easier, they do tend to get taken in more deeply than trebles. When releasing fish, please handle them with respect.

   Try to stay away from using single hooks on our smaller trout-sized lures, unless regulations state otherwise... they fish better with trebles.



6. What's the theory behind the dimpled spoons?

   Our dimpled spoons perform impressively. The flatter shape encourages a wide, consistent wobble through a large range of speeds and in heavy currents. The dimples create extra turbulence and a unique light reflection in the water. Richard loves to fish a No. 10 on a small trout stream and Cecil will pull a No. 13 out of the box every time when we are fishing for Northern Pike. Hammered out of extra heavy solid nickel, the 11X and 13X spoons were initially designed for the fast salmon and steelhead waters of British Columbia; however, they work well in any fast water or setting where extra weight is helpful.

   Although around since the 1950's, dimpled spoons have only rarely caught the fancy of the consumer and are tough to locate in a typical retail setting. Retailers have a limited amount of shelf space, so they tend to carry the traditional smooth-model Len Thompsons that anglers demand. Trust us: if you take the opportunity to try one of our dimpled spoons, you will be impressed.



7. What is the explanation for Len Thompson's confusing numbering system?

   There is no system to it. Len Thompson designated his first production spoon the No. 2 thinking that he would someday manufacture a smaller lure and call it a No. 1. The success of his larger lures lead to the development of other popular sizes like the No. 0, No. 00, and the even larger No. 4. Realizing that he was running out of reasonable numbers, he then began a new sequence of numbers (6, 7, 8) for his smaller "trout-sized" lures and finally the dimpled spoons (10, 11, 13, 16) were added to the product line.

   Note: His numbering "system" left room for a No. 3, but we have yet to produce this size. Many people who fish for the large Lakers in the North ask us to produce a much larger spoon than the No. 4.... maybe someday.

   Len Thompson was prepared to renumber all the spoons in the late '40s. However, Cecil Pallister convinced Len that most Len Thompson fans were familiar with our numbering "system" and there was no need to change.



8. Where are you located?

   Lacombe is a town situated between Calgary and Edmonton in the province of Alberta (straight north of Montana). We're near decent Pike and Walleye fishing in some local lakes and excellent trout fishing on the east slope of the Rocky Mountains.



9. Who takes care of your product research and development?

   Nothing works better than a Len Thompson lure, and there is no need to alter the existing designs. We do, however, experiment with various color patterns. For example, we will be fishing with a few "perch" lures this season. Greg already caught a couple of nice little brown trout with one on his first stream trip of the year. If it proves to be a productive pattern, we may introduce it in the fall for the 2001 season.



10. Until recently, Len Thompson only offered a white spoon with a red stripe. Why?

    In the days before airbrushing our spoons, we believe it was easier for Grandpa to hand paint a red stripe on a white spoon. The red stripe on white covered better than a white stripe on red.