04/29/2026
Len Thompson came home from the first World War to the little town of Abernathy and picked up where he had left off, farming and in his spare time, fishing in the nearby calling lakes system. Not satisfied with the store-bought lures Len began fashioning his own, carrying tools including a ball peen hammer in his tackle box. In 1929 he started Len Thompson's Bullet and Bait and ran it part time out of the farm. And in 1945 Len took a leap; he arranged suppliers, built and outfitted a factory in Abernathy and began making and marketing his fishing lures. Len Thompson Bait Company relocated to Lacombe, Alberta in 1958 and will be celebrating 100 years as a family owned and operated business in 2029. Since 1929 over 50 million lures have been made and sold worldwide. The five of diamonds come in a number of colours, the original is yellow with black diamonds which Len could discern as he was colour blind.
hang a sign on my door
Gone Fishin
Instead of just a wishin
bing crosby/ louis armstrong
