GB2170081A

GB2170081A - Fishing rod

Info

Publication number: GB2170081A
Application number: GB08529993A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Reid
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-01-30
Filing date: 1985-12-05
Publication date: 1986-07-30
Also published as: GB8502376D0; GB8529993D0

Abstract

The present invention provides a fishing rod 1 with a built-in bite indicator and comprising a shaft 2 with a hollow interior 7 extending from the translucent tip portion 4 towards a handle end portion 3 of said shaft 2. A light source 15 is mounted inside the hollow interior 7 so as to transmit light down the hollow interior 7 to the translucent tip portion 4 in use of the fishing rod 1. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Fishing rod The present invention relates to fishing rods and in particular to fishing rods with built-in bite indicators.

One popular form of fishing is night shore fishing where the fisherman sets up a number of rods along the waters edge and then waits for a 'bite'. It will be appreciated though that due to the prevailing darkness the fisherman can often have difficulty in detecting a bite with the result that there may be a delay in attending to the rod which has hooked a fish. This in turn may give rise to the risk of the fish getting away.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid or minimise one or more of the above disadvantages.

The present invention provides a fishing rod comprising a shaft with a flexible tip portion of a translucent material, said shaft having a hollow interior extending from said translucent tip portion towards a handle end portion of said shaft with a light source mounted in said hollow interior portion, preferably towards or at a handle end portion thereof, so as to transmit light down said hollow interior to said translucent tip portion in the use of the fishing rod.

With a fishing rod of the present invention the flexible tip portion is illuminated in a particularly convenient and effective manner which does not interfere with the normal construction or performance of the rod to any appreciable extent, and any movement of the rod tip due to a bite may be readily observed from a distance thereby enabling more rapid bite detection.

Further preferred features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description given by way of example or two preferred embodiments illustrated with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a first fishing rod of the invention; and Figure 2 is a similar view of a second fishing rod of the invention.

Figure 1 shows a fishing rod 1 of generally conventional construction with a hollow fibreglass multi-section body 2 which tapers progressively from a handle-end portion 3 towards a flexible tip portion 4 whose extreme end 5 is solid. In conformity with generally conventional practice the sides 6 of the hollow interior 7 are coloured so as to give the rod a coloured appearance except at the solid tip 5 and part 8 of the hollow flexible tip portion 4 adjacent thereto.

The base 9 of the handle-end portion 3 has a removable plug 10 provided with a contact means 11 thereon for retaining batteries 12 which are housed within the hollow handle-end portion 3 and supplying electrical power via suitable leads 13 and a control switch 14 to a light bulb 15. The bulb 15 is provided with a suitable reflector 16 formed and arranged so as to throw a beam of light down the hollow interior 7 of the shaft to the flexible tip portion 4. This light beam is reflected off the uncoloured walls 17 in the hollow part of the flexible tip portion 4 and internally off the sides of the translucent solid part of the tip portion 4 - particularly when this is bent due to tensioning of the fishing line, and when the degree of bending in the tip portion changes - as will occur during a 'bite' - the way in which the light is reflected will also change.

In practice this tends to give the appearance of a flashing light which can be readily noticed even from a distance without the need for any special attention to the rod.

In addition the solid tip portion 5 tends to act as an optical fibre transmitting light to its extreme end thereby illuminating it even when the flexible tip is bent substantially. Thus during a 'bite' there may be observed a continuously moving light corresponding to the extreme end of the rod.

It will be appreciated from the above that the illumination of the relatively narrow diameter flexible tip portion in accordance with the present invention does not require any additional structural features within this part of the rod. Moreover the absence of any need for any solid link between the light source in the handle and the flexible tip portion enables a multi-section form of rod construction with two or more sections connected end to end, to be used without the need for any special adaptation.

It will also be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the abovedescribed rod without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thus for example the walls of the hollow interior could be coloured right up to the solid portion - though not of course the end wall thereat.

Also the side walls of the hollow interior could be silvered 26 (see Figure 2) in order to enhance light transmission down the rod shaft to the flexible tip portion.

Figure 2 shows a multi-section rod which is generally similar to that of Figure 1 like parts being indicated by like reference numerals. In this case though the batteries 12 are housed inside a hollow spigot portion 17 at the distal end 18 of the handle portion or section 3 of the rod 1, which spigot portion 17 is insertably located inside a socket portion 19 at the proximal end 20 of the tip portion 4 when these two sections of the rod are joined together for use of the rod. For convenience in use the operating switch 14 of the light is, as before, mounted at the proximal, hand-grip portion 21 of the handle portion 3, being connected to the batteries 12 and light bult 15 by suitable connecting leads 22 led along the hollow interior 23 of the rod 1.

The bulb 15 is advantageously of the lens type having a small integrally formed lens 24 at its tip for focussing the light output into a beam 25 which is thrown axially down the hollow interior 23 of the tip section 14 which is provided with a generally semi-cylindrical reflector 26 for maximising light transmission down to the solid tip 5.

As an, albeit less preferred, alternative, the bulb 15 could be mounted towards the distal end of the tip portion 4 as shown in dashed outline in Figure 2. In this case though further connecting leads 27 would need to be led down the hollow interior of the tip portion 4. Desirably in this case the spigot and socket portions 17, 19 of the rod joint are desirably provided with interengaging electrical connectors 28 which automatically make when the rod join is made to connect the leads 27 to the battery leads 22.

It will be appreciated that by mounting the batteries 12 inside the relatively stiff joint portion of the rod 1, the overall flexibility of the rod and hence its performance will be minimally affected.

Claims

1. A fishing rod comprising a shaft with a flexible tip portion of a translucent material, said shaft having a hollow interior portion extending from said translucent tip portion towards a handle end portion of said shaft with a light source mounted in said hollow interior portion so as to transmit light down said hollow interior to the translucent tip portion in use of the fishing rod.

2. A fishing rod as claimed in claim 1 wherein said flexible tip portion is substantially solid.

3. A fishing rod as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said light source is mounted in proximity to said tip portion.

4. A fishing rod as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said light source is mounted remote from said tip portion.

5. A fishing rod as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said light source is an electric light bulb provided with connection means for connection to an electrical power supply.

6. A fishing rod as claimed in claim 5 wherein said light bulb is provided with a lens for focussing the light output into a beam, in use of the rod, and said bulb is mounted so as to project said beam generally axially along said rod.

7. A fishing rod as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 wherein is provided at least one electric storage cell in the hollow interior of the rod connected to said connection means.

8. A fishing rod as claimed in claim 7 wherein said at least one cell is mounted in the handle end portion of the rod.

9. A fishing rod as claimed in claim 7 which rod comprises at least two rod portions detachably inter-connected at respective joints wherein said at least one cell is mountd at or in proximity to a said joint.

10. A fishing rod as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein at least part of the hollow interior is provided with a generally axially extending reflector means between the light source and said tip portion.

11. A fishing rod substantially as described hereinbefore with particular reference to Figure 1 or Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.