One of our first times out fishing at Charlie Lake we were fishing off the dock and there was this guy on shore just slaying the pike. Every few casts he would be pulling in a new pike releasing it then pulling another one in. This went on for the whole time we were there. I was so curious as to what he was using and how he was catching all these pike, while we were catching nothing. I walked over and asked if he would mind telling me what he was using to catch all these pike, he showed me a Five of Diamonds. Back then, being still new to fishing, I had no idea what a Five of Diamonds was. Little did I know that it would be a staple in my tackle box today! Just this last summer we stood in the same spot that guy was years before and this time we were the ones slaying all the pike on Len Thompson Spoons!
We went out in the boat one day this summer and as we were coming back into shore there was a little boy fishing off the dock. He moved off to the side while we were docked the boat and grabbed the truck to load it. He asked me if we caught any fish and I told him we had caught 17 walleye that day and he was just in complete awe, looking up at me like I was a fishing God with his big eyes! It was the best feeling ever as I am still learning a lot about angling but to this kid I was so cool! I asked him if he had caught any and he said he hadn’t, but wanted to so badly. He had so many questions and I did my best to answer them all for him while his mom was silently mouthing thank you to me behind his back. I gave him some tips and tricks on where to fish from shore and where the fish seem to bite for us; and I gave him a Five of Diamonds from my tackle box to try. I tied it on his line for him and then he and his mom walked over to where I told them to try, and he had the biggest smile on his face. It’s amazing how something so simple can make someone’s day. After loading the boat up and heading on our way he was still fishing away with mom watching on. I never did get to find out if he caught a pike that day but I am really hoping he did!
So why the Five of Diamonds From: The Quick History of the Five of Diamonds (lenthompson.com)
“Len Thompson himself was colour blind and could easily see yellow. The original Five of Diamonds was painted in yellow and black and first appeared on paper invoices in 1951. A silver and red was also offered but it was quickly swapped out in favour of the yellow and red.”
“Scientific studies indicate the rods and cones in different eyeballs affect the way things are perceived and it is believed that most fish species see colour. Our theory is that the contrast of red diamonds on a yellow background is very easy for fish to see. High visibility is important to any fishing lure’s success – it grabs attention encouraging the fish to investigate. After all, they don’t have anything more important to do.”
Where To Fish For Pike
When fishing for pike, look for structures such as weeds, shoals, sunken wood, docks, cliffs, drop offs, boulders and sandy flats; basically anything that provides cover. The reason why pike like to hang out in these areas is that they are predator fish meaning that they prefer ambushing their prey rather than chasing it through the water and therefore using up too much of their energy. Pike are really good at camouflaging themselves in covered area and have the ability to remain perfectly still for long periods of time which make the pike the perfect ambush predator. They like to lie waiting for their prey to come to them, then attack it in short rapid bursts. Pike have long feeding and short digestion times which means that they will generally go after anything that moves. Pike are known to be less active at night which is why I personally prefer to try and catch them in the mornings. I mean the early bird catches the worm (pike) right!
Catching Pike
When fishing for pike remember that this fish will occasionally bite through the line (or your finger if you are not careful) so you can try a wire leader in murky/stained water and in clear water try a a heavier fluorocarbon leader as this will not spook the fish as much as a wire leader would. I have lost many pike to them biting right through the line or getting off the line at the last second with those sharp teeth of theirs. Pike continue to be one my favourite fish to catch, there is something so thrilling when they smash your lure and the fight to reel them in.
For pike 8-16 inches, a size 8 Len Thompson will do well. For pike 17-25 inches try a 00 and for big pike over 25 inches a size 0,1 or 2 will work just fine. However in my experience fishing for pike, they are very greedy with big appetites and will go after any size spoon if it gets their attention.
As someone who likes to catch and release my fish, please make sure you take some time to swap out your treble hooks for single hooks as studies have shown it has a significant impact on the mortality rate of fish.
When fishing from shore you can try casting and letting the lure sink so it drops just above the weed bed and then starting to reel. If you are fishing from a boat try jigging just above the weed bed. If you are lucky enough to catch one, jaw spreaders and long needle nose pliers to unhook them is a good idea since pike will occasionally inhale the lure (another good reason to use a leader), which makes them tricky to unhook. We want to give the pike the best survival rate possible so we can continue to fish for these amazing creatures.
Fishing For Food Banks 2021
Did you know that Len Thompson has some limited edition fishing lures out right now with 50% of the proceeds going to support food banks and food security programs across Canada. Last year alone they donated over $24,000 and helped 29 communities! This is such an amazing cause and what better way to get some limited edition fishing lures for yourself, friends or family members and support the food banks across Canada at the same time. Thank you Len Thompson for giving back to our communities! I just picked some up the other day from our local fishing store and cannot wait to give them a try!
Len Thompson spoons prove to be successful time and time again while we are fishing especially with pike. It really doesn’t seem to matter if it is a Five of Diamonds, Red and White or a Perch pattern there is something about it that drives pike crazy! When you go into a fishing store (and trust me we have been in many), if you ask them what to use or what they can suggest for fishing in a new body of water, they will almost always include a Five of Diamonds and say you can’t go wrong with it! The yellow and red Five of Diamonds continues to be Len Thompson’s top seller, and my personal experiences have shown me why everyone recommends it!
Make sure you check out my fellow host Amanda Weibe as she has some awesome videos on catching pike!
