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  • Home
  • About
    • Our History
    • Our Factory
    • World's Largest Lure
    • Conservation & Community
  • Products
    • Fishing Lure Patterns
    • Fishing Lure Kits
    • Fishing Lure Sizes
    • Why choose Len Thompson?
    • Where to Buy
    • Distributors
    • Northern King Lures
  • Custom Lures
  • Online Store
  • More
    • Podcast
    • Fishing for Food Banks
    • Extras
    • Blindman Five of Diamonds Pilsner
    • Brand Ambassadors
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Photo Gallery
  • Contact

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FISHING IN FIVE (2)

8/4/2017

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Take a five minute fishing trip with us! 
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Rick's Retrospect: Picking Your Lure Sizes & Patterns

5/14/2015

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I’m often asked what to use on what fish.  I like using what other people aren’t using so I don’t fish with the YR 5-of-Diamonds very often.  However, I’d recommend that pattern as the best place to start for most species. 

I like to match the size of the lure to the size of the water I’m fishing.  In other words, little streams, little spoons.  Big rivers, heavy spoons.  Little shallow lakes with small fish, smaller spoons.  Big deep lakes with big fish, biggest spoons.


These are my preferences.  Please develop your own list. 
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You’ll notice a lot of Nickel Blue and Flame in my choices.  I tend to use Len Thompson colours that aren’t the top sellers, thinking I’ll try the ones that fish don’t see as often. 

I also tend to fish a lot of local (Albertan) streams for Trout.  I’d take RW first for Rainbows, but Yellow first for Browns.  Cutts and Bulls seem to care less about colour.  I’d take Yellow or Nickel for Walleye and make absolutely sure you get to the bottom by using some weight.  I’d put on a RW or GF first for Pike but they can be quite picky about colour so don’t stick with one colour too long if they aren’t biting. 
Everyone uses YR for Lake Trout.  As camp operator Hank said at Lynx Tundra Lodge, “If they aren’t biting five of diamonds, may as well go home because they aren’t biting anything!”

Richard Pallister is the Director of Thompson-Pallister Bait Co. Ltd. He has been with the company full-time since 1974. "Rick's Retrospect" is a series of blogs where he will share his tips, tricks, opinions and stories. Photo Credit: "Sportfish of Alberta" - The Alberta Guide to Sportfishing 2015.
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Rick's Retrospect: Smartphones & Sticks

9/25/2014

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PictureLen Thompson, Syd and Richard Pallister (1959)
Len Thompson was my grandpa.  He was the proverbial “good guy”, a soft spoken man who adored both the outdoors and his young, rambunctious grandsons, Syd and Richard.  After we moved to Lacombe from Abernethy, SK in 1958, we went fishing a lot, often to a trout pond or to the locally named “Burbank”, where the Blindman River runs into the Red Deer River at a 90 degree angle.  There has been a very good hole there for decades, a prime holding spot for Pike, Goldeye and Walleye, and if the stars lined up, the ultimate prize of a Brown Trout, which very occasionally wandered down from further upstream.  It was a very busy place on beautiful summer evenings. 

Grandpa was always zoned in on catching fish or experimenting with his spoons but Syd and I would lose interest in casting for fish quickly.  It was a great place to play.  The cliffs, hills and woods offered many opportunities to climb, run around, skip rocks, capture frogs & insects; all those things of great appeal to children, which have seemingly been replaced by smart phones. Regardless how fascinating computer technology is, I’m always pleased to see young families enjoying Burbank and learning the really important lessons of life.

Our computer guy David, once told me that he took his children of a similar age to that spot.  He told me that they didn’t catch anything but they’d had a great time; “the kids got to poke a dead beaver with a stick”.  You can’t duplicate that experience with any phone I’ve seen.


Richard Pallister is the Director of Thompson-Pallister Bait Co. Ltd. He has been with the company full-time since 1974. "Rick's Retrospect" is a series of blogs where he will share his tips, tricks, opinions and stories.
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Rick's Retrospect - Len Thompson & the King of England

8/11/2014

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Len and Myra at a trade show in the 1960s.
Len Thompson was my grandpa.  My grandmother (Myra) told me the story of them traveling in the Prince Albert area in the early 1950’s on a sales trip.  They stopped at a bridge at a fishy looking spot.  Len crossed the bridge and casted back towards the car, where Myra was knitting (she fished occasionally but not a lot).  He was having a very productive evening, catching a bunch of fish. 

Another angler wandered over to Myra and commented on how he’d never seen anyone catch so many fish as that guy across the river.  Grandma could brag given the opportunity.  She said, “He should be catching fish - that’s my husband Len Thompson!”  

The guy said, “Yah, right, and I’m the King of England!”   


Richard Pallister is the Director of Thompson-Pallister Bait Co. Ltd. He has been with the company full-time since 1974. "Rick's Retrospect" is a series of blogs where he will share his tips, tricks, opinions and stories.
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RICK'S RETROSPECT: THE NEW ALBERTA RELM WEBSITE

4/14/2014

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I bought a fishing license today on the “new” Alberta RELM website.  Eons ago, it was quite easy to stop in at the fishing shop or Mohawk gas station, give them some cash and then leave with a current handwritten fishing license.  I’ve owned 45 annual fishing licenses in the province of Alberta and from that information you can accurately guess how old I am.     

I’m not a computer IT guy, but I do spend a few hours each day using a computer so I’m not computer illiterate.  I didn’t read the first paragraph word for word upon entering the “new” website, which was my first mistake. 
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I assumed that since I had purchased a fishing license on the first of April on my computer for a few years now, it would be a piece of cake.  That assumption was my second mistake.  Have I mentioned it’s the “new” RELM website?

Alberta RELM didn’t accept my WIN number password combination that I’ve used in the past.  I was pretty sure they were correct since I had written them down in my master password list; not supposed to do that you know.  After several tries over a few minutes by myself and then recruiting 25 year old Bridget for help, we phoned the 800 number for help.  After 10 minutes and 26 seconds of telephone help, we finally got past the password page, into something that looked promising whereupon we politely signed off with the southern lady who was providing help.  I asked her what she did to make it work.  She replied nothing really, just got me to click on “First time user” of the “new” AB RELM site.  A few minutes later I printed my license.
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This is why old guys don’t get along well with computers.  I am not a first time user of Alberta RELM, far from it.  However I most assuredly was a first time user of the “new” AB RELM since in fact everyone is a first time user of the “new” AB RELM.  This isn’t obvious at a glance.  

So here’s my advice.  If you buy your Alberta fishing license on line, CLICK ON FIRST TIME USER!!!!  It’ll make your life quite a bit more relaxed.   

Richard Pallister is the Director of Thompson-Pallister Bait Co. Ltd. He has been with the company full-time since 1974. "Rick's Retrospect" is a series of blogs where he will share his tips, tricks, opinions and stories.
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