GB2299738A

GB2299738A - Spinner eel

Info

Publication number: GB2299738A
Application number: GB9507493A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roy Goddard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-04-11
Filing date: 1995-04-11
Publication date: 1996-10-16
Also published as: GB9507493D0

Abstract

The lure incorporates a plastic sandeel with a shaped moulded weighted head, a fishing hook 17 is moulded into the head to provide a means of retaining the plastic eel body to the head, providing a hook to catch the predatory fish, and the eye of the hook would provide the means to attach the weighted eel to a wire frame (Fig. 5) with a revolving blade (45) providing some resistance in the water which would help to give the angler a means of retrieving the lure (to give action) at a slower speed than just retrieving a weighted plastic eel body.

Description

This invention relates to fishing lures.

In this Description I use the term "hooked lure" to mean a device designed to be attractive to fish and comprising one or more fish-hooks. Many such hooked lures are known, some with bodies resembling fish, others bearing no such resemblance, consisting, for example, of a small plastic filament.

I also use the term "composite lure" to mean a device (sometimes known as a "rig") comprising a wire hanger or frame with a centrally located ring or other means to secure it to a fishing line and adapted to be towed through the water by the line, and arms extending outwardly to the ends of which are attached various devices which will generally include at least one spinner of coloured or polished metal or plastic designed to rotate or shiver as it is towed through the water In this description I refer to the hooked lure as resembling a fish, but of course the resemblance is, to human eyes, rudimentary. What is important is that the body should, by whatever means or for whatever reason, attract fish so that they are caught on the hooks.

A common known type of composite lure consists of a wire hanger or frame adapted to be towed through the water by a fishing line and having generally oppositely extending upper and lower arms. To the upper arm is secured one or more spinning blades and to the lower arm is attached a hooked lure. When the composite lure is dragged through the water by the line the spinner or spinners and the hooked lure stream out behind the hanger and attract fish.

Although hooked lures consisting of a flexible fish-like body are known, composite lures incorporating such a body are not.

Indeed, in the known composite lures the hooked lure frequently does not (to human eyes) resemble a fish at all, consisting, for example, of a fan or fringe of brightly coloured plastic filaments.

Likewise although hooked lures with rigid bodies, on the one hand, or with flexible bodies, on the other hand, are known, no lure is known to me which has an articulated body.

According to the aspect of the invention I now provide a hooked lure comprising a body resembling a fish characterized in that the body consists of a plurality of segments articulated to each other, at least two of the segments having an upwardly facing hook.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention each segment is of plastics material moulded around a hook, and the articulation is achieved by the shank of the hook in each segment (except the last segment) passing through the eye of the hook in the following segment.

The hooks can project from the upper or lower surface of the hooked lure. If the hooks are on the lower surface they act as a keel and no weight in the nose of the lure is necessary.

However if it is desired, in order to avoid snagging on the bottom, to have the hooks in the upper surface of the lure, it is necessary to weight the head of the lure to keep the hooks pointing upwards.

According to another aspect of the invention, I provide a composite fishing lure adapted to be towed forwardly through water by a fishing line comprising a hanger with central means to secure it to the line and swept back upper and lower arms, a spinner secured to the end of the upper arm and a hooked lure with an upwardly pointing hook secured to the end of the lower arm such that when the composite lure is dragged through the water by the line the upper arm remains uppermost and the lower arm underneath, characterized in that the hooked lure comprises a fish-like body which is flexible or articulated and has a weighted head.

The combination of the hooked lure, which is heavier than water, on the lower arm and the spinner on the upper arm provides, through water resistance, "buoyancy" which keeps the composite lure upright.

A plurality of hooks rather than a single hook may according to the invention be embedded in the body of the hooked lure. It is advantageous to configure the hooked lure with a resident tail which oscillates in the water and attracts fish. The spinner is, as is conventional, preferably brightly coloured or of polished metal. More than one spinner, which can be of the same or different finish, and of the same or different sizes, can be attached to the upper arm.

Preferred embodiments of my invention will now be described by reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 (a) : shows a hooked lure known to the prior art, made to resemble an eel Figure 1 (b) : shows an articulated hooked lure according to the invention resembling an eel.

Figure 2 (a) : shows another unarticulated hooked lure with a weighted head, known from the prior art.

Figure 2 (b) : shows an articulated hooked lure in two segments according to the invention.

Figure 3 (a) : shows a fish-like hooked lure according to the prior art with a weighted head.

Figure 3 (b) : shows an equivalent version articulated according to the present invention.

Figure 4 : shows a composite lure according to the prior art.

Figure 5 : shows a composite lure according to the present invention.

In the hooked lure shown in Figure 1 (a), a flexible or rigid plastic body configured and coloured to resemble an eel shown generally at 1 has a hook 2 fixed in and projecting out of its lower surface.

Figure 1 (b) shows a lure according to the invention,y resembling generally that shown in Figure 1 (a), except that according to the invention the body consists not of one but of two articulated segments shown generally at 3 and 4. Both segments consist of plastic material moulded around downwardl facing fish hooks; the hook 5 in segment 3 has its eye 6 projecting from the front end of segement 3 and its shank 7 projecting from the rear with its barb underneath. The rear segment 4 has the eye of its hook projecting from its front end and the shank 9 projecting from its lower surface. Shank 5 of the forward segment 3 passes through the eye 7 of the rearward segment 4 to form the joint; hook 5 and eye 8 can if required be prevented from becoming disengaged by a small plastic washer.

As explained above, if it is desired to have the hook projecting from the upper surface of a hooked lure the head must be weighted to prevent the hook acting as a keel.

Figures 2 (a) and 2 (b) show such hooked lures with weighted heads.

Figure 2 (a) shows generally at 10 a prior art hooked lure in the shape of a fish-like body moulded around a hook 11. The shank 12 of the hook lies inside the moulded body, its eye 13 projecting from the front end and its barbed end 14 from the upper surface of the body. A weight of lead or other heavy material 15 is moulded in or secured to the forward end of the lure.

Figure 2 (b) shows a generally similar lure articulated according to the invention. As with the lure shown in Figure 1 (b), the successive segments shown generally as 15 and 16 both consist of plastic material moulded around hooks. The shank 17 of the hook in the forward section 15 is passed through the eye 18 of the hook in the rearward segment 16 to form a joint. As explained above, the two segments can be prevented from becoming disengaged by a small plastic washer or stop.

It will be appreciated that the weighted head lure is also advantageous in that it is easier to cast and can also be used on a spinner bait rig, (one type of composite lure), because the weighted head keeps the eel the right way up.

Many different configurations of the body are of course possible as will be well known to those familiar with fishing.

For example, Figure 3 (a) shows a prior art hooked lure with a unitary body made to resemble a fish with a lead head according to the prior art; Figure 3 (b) shows an articulated version according to the present invention with hooks projecting from the upper surfaces of the fore and after segments, the joint between the two segments being provided by the shank of the hook in the fore segment passing through the eye of the hook in the after segment.

Turning now to the composite lure according to the present invention, Figure 4 shows a composite lure according to the prior art. A wire hanger shown generally at 40 having upper arm 41 and lower arm 42 is adapted to be towed through the water by a fishing line secured to its central eye 43. A spinner blade 44 is flexibly connected to the end of the upper arm 41 and a hooked lure consisting of a hook embedded in a head resembling the head of a fish 44 to the lower end of the lower arm 42. When the composite lure is dragged through the water by the fishing line, the blade spins or oscillates in the water and attracts fish which, it is hoped, will become hooked.

Such composite lures frequently include hooked lures bearing (to the human eye) little or no resemblance to a fish; for example the hook 44 might have a shredded skirt made of rubber or plastic.

Figure 5 shows a composite lure according to the present invention. A frame shown generally at 50 has two oppositely extending upper and lower arms 51 and 52 respectively and a central eye 53 for securing it to the fishing line. Blades 45 adapted to spin or oscillate in the water are connected to the upper end of arm 51 and a hooked lure resembling a fish or eel to the lower end of arm 52. The body 54 has two hooks 55 embedded in its upper surface and a heavy head of lead or non-toxic metal typically weighing approximately 0z. The body is made of flexible coloured plastics material and is formed with a tail 57 which causes it to undulate as it is dragged through the water.

The body 54 can of course within the invention be replaced by an articulated segmental hooked lure according to the invention as described above and shown in Figures 1 (b), 2 (b) and 3 (b).

General - One or two blades can be flitted, two blades gives more jift in the water and more flash - various colours.

Shown with hooks coming out of the back of the eel so the hooks do not catch the bottem or weed.

Body of propriety made eel, colours various.

Head to be made of lead or non-toxic metal to provide weight for casting and to give head effect.

Claims

SPINNER EEL 1 The lure has a weighted head for the angler to cast the lure a distance to the fish.
2 If the lure did not have a weighted head it would run up to the surface as the angler retrieved it, also it would tend to 'corkscrew' through the water rather than swimming in a natural fashion.
3 If the eel were just fitted with a weighted head, although this would provide enough weight to cast with, the retrieve by the angler or speed of the boat if being trolled, would have to be fast enough to keep the lure off the bottom where it would catch weed or snags. This speed would make the lure too fast for predatory fish to chase. The addition of the wire hanger with the revolving spoon provides a resistance on retrieval through the water meaning the weighted lure can be retrieved at a slower speed to attract the predatory fish without the lure catching in the bottom weed and snags.
4 Due to the upturned hook(s) the lure is less likely to catch in snags or collect water weed. At present manufactured sandeels and fish have the hook positioned to come out from the underneath therefor tending to catch in water debris, this is an attempt to provide a keel effect to keep the eel the right way up on the water. This is not necessary with the 'Spinner eel'.
5 The plastic eel can be fished with one hook or two, the larger sizes of eel can be fitted with two hooks in tandem, also the eel can be in two sections therefor being articulated. This is an important part of the patent.
6 The plastic eel is attractive to both freshwater and seawater predatory fish, fished in the manner described is a new way of presenting the plastic eel. It has been proved as a good fish catcher.