There are plenty of reasons to visit Lacombe, but seeing a giant fishing lure the size of a school bus probably wasn’t the first one that came to mind. Sitting beside a local trout pond, the enormous Len Thompson Five of Diamonds stretches more than 40 feet long and has officially been crowned the world’s largest fishing lure by Guinness World Records.
Here’s everything you need to know about the giant lure, from how big it is to why it ended up in Lacombe.
Everything you need to know about the World’s Largest Fishing Lure
What’s the story behind the giant fishing lure?
The giant lure was built to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Len Thompson Lures, the Lacombe-based family business behind the famous fishing spoon. The company was founded by Len Thompson in 1929, when he began making fishing lures in Abernethy, Sask. The business eventually moved to Lacombe in 1958, where its factory has remained for decades.
In 2019, the company decided to celebrate its 90th anniversary by doing something big. According to Len Thompson’s official website, fourth-generation owners Brad Pallister and Jessica Dew created a giant version of the company’s Yellow and Red Five of Diamonds lure, working with the Lacombe Fish and Game Association, Echo Lacombe Community Grant Fund and local fabricator Comet Welding on the project.
How big is the fishing lure?
The lure measures 12.32 metres long, making it roughly the length of a school bus. The spoon itself is about 27.4 feet long and 9.5 feet wide, while the giant treble hook measures about 14 feet long and 8 feet wide.
It’s painted in Len Thompson’s iconic Yellow and Red Five of Diamonds pattern, so it looks just like the classic fishing spoon you might find in a tackle box, but on a much larger scale.
The fishing lure’s massive size helped it land a spot in the Guinness World Records list in 2020, officially earning the title of the world’s largest fishing lure. Before that, the title belonged to a lure in West, Texas, which measured just 15 feet, 6.72 inches long. Locaombe’s version absolutely blew that record out of the water, beating it by nearly 25 feet.
Where can I see the world’s largest fishing lure?
The giant lure is located beside the Len Thompson Pond at the north end of Len Thompson Drive in Lacombe, Alta. It sits in the city’s Wolf Creek Industrial Area and is visible from Highway 2A, so you can even catch a glimpse of the enormous attraction while passing through the area.
So, the next time you’re driving through Lacombe, you might want to make a quick detour for a photo with Alberta’s most oversized piece of fishing gear.
Where: Len Thompson Dr., Lacombe, Alta.
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Kaiya Williams
Kaiya is a Calgary-based writer and content creator with a background in marketing and digital storytelling. She has a passion for community-driven stories and covering local experiences that connect people.
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