GB2366172A

GB2366172A - Floating fish feeder

Info

Publication number: GB2366172A
Application number: GB0018540A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roy Frank Weston
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-07-29
Filing date: 2000-07-29
Publication date: 2002-03-06
Also published as: GB0018540D0

Abstract

A floating fish feeder 10 comprising: a stem 12 for attachment to a fishing line 44; a chamber 14 slidably mounted on the stem which chamber is open at its lower end 24 and closed at its upper end so as to trap air in the upper part of the chamber and impart buoyancy to the feeder when in the water; and a cap 30 mounted on the stem 12 below the chamber for co-operation with the open end 22 of the chamber. In use, prior to immersion the cap 30 closes the chamber to trap bait that has been placed therein but when immersed the chamber floats upwardly away from the cap allowing bait to fall from the chamber. Air remains trapped in the upper part 20 of the chamber and imparts sufficient buoyancy for the feeder to continue floating.

Description

<Desc/Clms Page number 1> FLOATING FISH FEEDER The present invention relates to floating fish feeders, and particularly to floating fish feeders adapted for use in pole fishing. The invention also relates to methods of fishing using such feeders.

A popular method of angling generally and hereinafter referred to as "pole fishing" involves the use of a sectional and extendable pole rather than a conventional rod, reel and line. The "pole" is generally a long tapered rod up to about 25-30 metres in length which is assembled from sections by the angler. A baited hook, line and float (sometimes collectively referred to as a Agrig") are attached to the tapered end of the pole by means of fixing the line directly to the pole. In this way the rig may be presented to the water eliminating the need for a reel with which to retrieve a caught fish. In pole fishing the angler retrieves the float, line and hook along with any caught fish by dismantling the sections of the pole from the end which is being held by the angler thereby drawing the outer end of the pole towards him in the process.

To place the baited hook and float into the required position in the water, the reverse method is applied, i.e. sections are added by the angler until the required length is achieved.

The main object of this method of fishing is to allow fishing at a precise point some distance from the shore. As with other forms of fishing, loose feeding directly around the hook improves the results that can be obtained. Unfortunately, the current feeding methods used to achieve loose feeding leave a lot to be desired when applied to pole fishing. At best, these methods are precarious and time consuming and at worst they are useless. As many

competition anglers utilise the pole fishing method, an improved method of feeding would greatly enhance the effectiveness of this already popular fishing technique.

Several known methods of introducing bait directly to the fishing area will be discussed below, along with their inherent disadvantages and drawbacks.

Firstly, catapults are used to fire a quantity of bait into the vicinity of the float. This method is far from ideal as the bait tends to scatter over a wide area thereby defeating the object of precise positioning of the baited hook. Furthermore, this method is limited by the accuracy of the catapult, the catapult operator, and external conditions such as wind. In fact, if the wind is too great this method will not work at all.

The second method utilises a so-called bait dropper which is a metal or weighted plastic perforated container that is filled with bait samples and lowered to the bottom of a river or lake. Then a lever is automatically operated by the weight of the device thereby releasing a hinged flap which allows the bait to fall out. The main disadvantage of this method is the need to assemble and disassemble the pole each time the angler needs to feed the fishing area (also known as the "swim"), and then again disassembling and assembling the pole so that the rig may be positioned back at the fishing area. In effect the bait dropper must be attached to the pole and the pole must then be extended to the required distance. The bait dropper must then be lowered to the lake floor to release its bait. Subsequently the dropper must be recovered, the pole shortened section-by-section, the bait cup removed from the outer end of the pole so that the rig may be re-attached,

and the pole re-extended back to the fishing area. This can be extremely time consuming. Not only that, this method of feeding drops bait at the bottom only, rather than through the water.

In an attempt to overcome the problems described above, a further method utilising a so-called bait cup has been suggested. In this method a small open-topped cup is fixed to the other end section of the pole and is filled with bait samples. The rod is then slowly assembled and extended until the cup is located over the fishing area. At this point the pole is rotated to empty bait from the cup into the water. Unfortunately, this method does not overcome the need to frequently disassemble the pole, remove the cup and replace with a rig and then reassemble the pole to position the hook in the fishing area. It is conceivably possible to fish leaving the cup on the end of the line, however this makes the pole very difficult so it is highly undesirable to fish with the cup remaining on the pole. More importantly, the cup by its nature must have an open top and therefore it must be slowly extended over the water filled with bait. Unfortunately, poles by their nature are difficult to handle because they can extend a significant distance from the angler. It is hard when using a bait cup not to lose a significant proportion of the bait during the process of extending the pole. As such, when the bait cup finally reaches its destination some, if not all, of the bait may have been lost along the way.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the problems associated with these prior art methods of feeding and to provide a feeder that allows the precise fishing area to be supplied with loose feed without losing or scattering bait in the process. A further aim of a preferred

embodiment of the present invention is to provide a feeder that will also function as a conventional float so that the feeder may remain in the fishing area after feeding, to catch fish.

Therefore, according to the present invention there is provided a floating fish feeder comprising: a stem arranged for attachment to a fishing line; a chamber slidably mounted on the stem which chamber is open at its lower end and is closed at its upper end so as to trap air in the upper part of the chamber and so impart buoyancy to the feeder when in the water; and a cap mounted on the stem below the chamber for co-operation with the open end of the chamber; whereby in use and prior to immersion of the feeder the cap closes the chamber so as to trap bait therein but when immersed the chamber floats upwardly away from the cap so opening the chamber and allowing contained bait to exit the chamber whilst still trapping air in the upper part of the chamber so as to permit the feeder to continue floating.

As used herein, the terms upper and lower, and upwardly and downwardly are taken to have their normal meanings with respect to the feeder when it is in the water. In such a position, the feeder is disposed in a generally vertical orientation with the lower end of the stem being disposed closest the bottom of the body of water, and the upper end being disposed nearest to or above the water surface.

Whilst most, if not all, feeders according to the present invention can, by appropriate configuration, also act as normal floats once they have dispensed their load of bait, feeders according to the present invention

generally come in two basic configurations. Firstly, there are those that have small chambers and are designed to be sized as bite indicators. Secondly, there area those with large volume chambers that are primarily intended to drop a large amount of bait and then be removed.

Attachment of the feeder according to the present invention to a fishing line may be achieved in a number of ways. For example, the stem may be hollow and define a path therethrough for the fishing line. In this way the feeder could be slid onto a continuous piece of line extending from the pole to the hook and may be fixed in place by crimping stops onto the line just above and below the feeder. Alternatively, a locking device attached to the lower end of the stem may be provided. This locking device can selectively attach to the line thereby holding the feeder at an appropriate position along the line.

It is desirable that the distance by which the chamber floats upwardly away from the cap is variable. For example, if the chamber floats a significant degree away from the cap the chamber will essentially deposit its entire content of bait at one time, whereas if only a small opening is provided between the chamber and Gap the bait may exit at a slower, more controlled rate. Therefore, in order to achieve this and for other advantages that will become apparent from the following specification, the position of the cap on the stem may be adjustable. Preferably, the cap will be slidable along the stem. In addition an abutment may be provided on the stem above the chamber, which abutment will limit the upward travel of the chamber when immersed. This abutment may be fixed on the stem at a point below the upper end thereof, or more preferably may be adjustable along the length of

the stem. The abutment may be frictionally slidable in a similar way to the cap.

By appropriate positioning of the cap and abutment, the range of sliding movement of the chamber may be carefully defined. If a small range of movement is defined, the open lower end of the chamber will remain partially obstructed by the cap even when the chamber has been immersed. In this way the bait will be allowed out at a slower more controlled rate. Alternatively, if a larger range of movement is defined by the positioning of the cap and abutment, once immersed the chamber will move a suitable distance above the lower cap so that the contained bait exits the chamber at the maximum rate.

In addition to the control of the bait release rate, the slidable Gap and abutment can be used to control the distance by which the upper end of the stem projects above the water surface. As the present invention may provide a feeder that can also serve as a feeder, it is important that the feeder may still be visible to the angler so that the dipping of the feeder beneath the surface caused by a biting fish may be noticed and appropriate action taken. As the chamber will tend to float at or adjacent the waters surface (dependent of course upon the buoyancy conferred by the trapped air and the weight of the device and anything hanging therefrom) the upper end of the stem needs to extend above the water. If the cap and abutment are positioned lower down the stem, the amount by which the stem will project will be more than if the abutment is located higher up the stem.

The chamber may be generally cylindrical in shape. The chamber may be provided with a sleeve for sliding engagement with the stem, which sleeve

projects downwardly into the chamber from the upper end thereof. Such a sleeve can ensure that air trapped within the upper part of the chamber cannot simply escape through any aperture provided in the chamber wall for passage of the stem.

In order both to increase the stability of the feeder in the water, as well as control the buoyancy imparted by the chamber, a hole or holes may be provided in the side walls of the chamber. These holes allow water to enter the lower part of the chamber without releasing air trapped in the upper part. When the feeder is lowered into the water, water may enter the lower part either through the holes, or air within the lower part may exit through the holes as water enters from the open lower end of the chamber. In this way the lower part of the chamber becomes flooded. This flooding of the lower part of the chamber has a further advantage in addition to the stability and buoyancy reducing characteristics mentioned above, in that it aids the exiting of the bait from the chamber. If the chamber is provided with a sleeve, any holes in the chamber walls are preferably aligned substantially with the lower end of the sleeve. The spacing between the sleeve and the stem is not usually an airtight seal so air can escape up this passageway from the lower part of the chamber. Therefore the lower end of the sleeve could effectively define the lower limit of the upper part of the chamber. As water will rise to this level anyway it is preferred that the hole or holes provided in the side walls align with this level to ensure that flooding of the chamber up to this level is as rapid as possible. The diameter of the holes should be small enough to prevent bait exiting through the hole or holes.

As mentioned above, the chamber may be generally cylindrical and have a circular cross-section along the majority of its length. The lower portion of the chamber may have a larger cross-section than the upper portion so that it may contain more bait. The upper portion traps a volume of air suitable to impart the correct buoyancy and so generally speaking (given the inherent buoyancy of some of the materials that may be used to construct the feeder) will have a smaller diameter than the lower portion.

In order to increase the visibility of the feeder when in use, the upper end of the stem or other suitable parts may be provided with a visibility- enhancing means or indeed may themselves be coloured with a high-visibility paint such as fluorescent yellow. In addition, the lower end of the stem may be provided with a removable weight, so that the feeder is encouraged to float in a more vertical position. In addition, a range of interchangeable weights may be used to counteract excessive buoyancy imparted by the air trapped within the chamber. This weight or weights may be received upon the stem by slidingly engaging the lower end of the stem with a complementary recess formed in the weight.

The external shape of the chamber is not critical as will be understood by a skilled reader. The essential features are that it must contain a sufficient volume of air to impart enough buoyancy so that the at least some bait within the chamber is released upon immersion into the water. Furthermore, while the present invention has been described mostly with reference to its use in pole fishing, and indeed it was with this use in mind that it was developed, the present invention could also find application in other types of fishing.

By way of example only, three embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure I is a cross-sectional view through a first embodiment of the device according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows the embodiment of Figure 1 being loaded with bait; Figure 3 shows the next stage of the process wherein the open end of the chamber is closed by cap; Figure 4 shows the next phase wherein the chamber and cap are positioned at a desired location along the stem; Figure 5 shows the feeder being lowered into the water; Figure 6 shows the feeder immersed in the water dispensing contained bait; Figure 7 shows an alternative situation where (when immersed) the bait is dispensed at a more controlled rate; Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative second embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 9 is a third embodiment of feeder having a large volume chamber and adapted to dispense bait only.

As mentioned above Figure 1 shows a feeder (generally indicated 10) according to the present invention. The feeder 10 comprises a stem 12 upon which is slidingly mounted a chamber generally indicated 14. The chamber 14 is generally circular in cross-sectional shape but with varying diameters along its length. A sleeve 16 extends downwardly within the chamber from the upper end thereof. The upper part of the chamber 14 defines a space 20

within which air may be trapped when immersed in water. An opening 22 into the interior of the chamber 14 is defined at the lower end 24 of the chamber. Holes 26 are provided in the walls of the container 14 at approximately the top of the lower part. Upon immersion in the water, these holes permit the lower part of the chamber to fill with water.

Mounted on the stem 12 below the chamber 14 is a generally circular cap 30. The cap 30 has an aperture (not visible) defined in the center thereof, and the stem is a frictional fit within this aperture. The position of the cap 30 on the stem 12 may be adjusted by an angler by sliding the cap along the stem. However, the cap grips the stem sufficiently tightly so as to resist unintentional movement of the cap during use. The cap 30 and the opening 22 at the lower end of the chamber 14 are so configured that the cap will close the opening when the chamber abuts thereagainst. The upper section 32 of cap 30 is conical in shape so that the upper surface slopes outwardly from the stem to the peripheral edge of the cap. In this way the bait failing from within the chamber is prevented from being deposited on the cap.

An abutment 34 is provided on the stem above the chamber 14. The abutment 34 is frictionally slidable along the stem 12 in a similar fashion to the cap 30. The abutment limits the upward floating movement of the chamber when the feeder 10 is immersed in water. Therefore the relative positioning of the abutment 34 and the cap 30 define the range of movement that the chamber 14 can accomplish.

Mounted on the lower end 36 of the stem 12 is a weight 38. This weight helps to control the buoyancy of the feeder 10 as well as ensuring that the feeder floats in the correct orientation. During use it will tend to be the

upper end 40 of the stem 12 that will be visible to an angler. Therefore to enhance its visibility a high visibility sight tip 42 is fitted to the upper end 40 of the stem 12. The sight tip 42 may be formed from or coated with a fluorescent or other high visibility material.

The feeder 10 is then connected to a fishing line 44. The fishing line 44 may be continuous and extend through the center of a hollow stem 12.

In order to understand the present invention it is important to appreciate its mode of operation. Therefore, Figures 2 to 7 indicate stages in the use of the present invention. The embodiment shown in these Figures is the same as that shown in Figure 1 and therefore like numerals will be used to describe like parts.

The feeder 10 is attached to a fishing line 44 by passing the line through the hollow stem 12. Stops 46, possibly in the form of weights, or the locking device described above, are crimped onto the line 44 just above and below the feeder 10. These stops prevent the feeder from moving along the line. The portion of line 44 extending out from the lower end of the feeder 10 and the hook 50 connected thereto will hereinafter be referred to as the trace 48.

The feeder 10 is now ready for use, and in Figure 2 it is shown in an inverted position with the chamber 14 slid away from abutment with the cap 30. Bait 52, possibly in the form of maggots, is loaded into the chamber 14 through the open end.

As shown in Figure 3, the cap 30 is slid along the stem 12 so that it covers the open end of the chamber 14. The bait 52 is thereby held within the interior of the chamber 14, and as the chamber is held firmly between the

abutment 34 and the cap 30, cannot escape from the chamber 14. When in this position, no sliding movement of the chamber 14 is possible and so the bait 52 will stay contained within the chamber. This may be useful if loading of the feeder 10 is to be carried out at some point before manoeuvring the feeder into the required fishing area.

Turning now to Figure 4, the feeder 10 is rotated into its normal position with the lower end 36 of the stem 12 being directed generally downwards. The chamber 14 and the cap 30 are then slid down along the stem 12 keeping the two in close engagement to prevent loss of any bait 52 from within the chamber. The abutment 34 remains in its original position on the stem 12 (although it too could be adjusted). The chamber 14 and cap 30 are slid far enough to define a suitable range of movement for the chamber between the cap and the abutment 34.

As shown in Figure 5, the feeder 10 is then suspended from the end of a pole (not shown) and the pole is extended section-by-section until a desired length is reached. The pole, trace 48, and feeder 10 are then manoeuvred so that they are above the fishing area. As it hangs from the lower end of the device, the trace 48 is lowered into the water first. While the chamber remains above the water surface, gravity ensures that the chamber 14 remains abutted against the cap 30, and no bait will spill from within the chamber. As the feeder 10 is lowered into the water 56, as is shown in Figure 6, liquid starts to enter the lower end of the chamber 14 as indicated by arrows 58. The water will only rise to about the level indicated 60 whereat no further air may escape from within the upper part of the chamber. The air in the lower part of the container will have escaped either up any spaces

between the stem 12 and the sleeve 16 or through holes (not shown) in the side of the chamber 14 at about the level of 60.

The buoyancy of the chamber caused by the air trapped therein causes the chamber to float, whereas the remainder of the feeder 10 comprising the stem 12, cap 30 and abutment 34 will continue to sink under their own weight. This will happen up to the point that the abutment 34 comes into contact with the upper surface of the chamber 14. As the chamber effectively floats up the stem 12 (although it is in fact the stem that sinks) the cap 30 moves out of alignment with the opening at the bottom of the chamber and the bait 52 previously contained therein falls out from the now open end. In this way loose feed may be scattered very precisely above the trace 48.

If, instead of positioning the capping 30 and the abutment 34 at a significant distance apart they are positioned closer together, the range of movement of the chamber 14 when immersed is significantly restricted. As shown in Figure 7, if they are positioned close together when immersed in the water the chamber 14 will move only slightly out of alignment with the capping 30. In this way only a partial opening is allowed so that bait may leave the interior of the chamber at a slower rate. In this way bait 52 may be supplied at a more controlled rate than in the situation shown in Figure 6 where all the bait is essentially deposited at the same time. This trickle feeding is particularly suited for use with maggots which by their nature will attempt to wriggle out of any opening. Therefore, a small aperture will allow them slowly to crawl from the interior of the chamber and fall towards the bottom.

In Figure 8 a second, slightly-mbdified, embodiment of the present invention is shown. Where possible like reference numerals will be used to describe like parts. In this alternative embodiment the chamber 70 is formed from two frictional ly-eng ag able portions which come apart to allow loading.

A chamber generally indicated 70 comprised of an upper section 72 and a lower section 74 is slidably mounted along the stem 12. The lower end of the lower section 74 is provided with a plurality of holes 76 through which bait may exit the interior 78 of the chamber 70. These holes 76 are instead of the totally open end in the previous embodiment.

Bait is loaded by parting the two sections 72, 74 of the chamber 70 but once loaded the upper and lower sections are reunited and remain so until refilling of the chamber is required. This embodiment of feeder then functions in essentially the same way as the previous embodiment. The chamber 70 floats upwardly on immersion so that bait may exit from the lower end - this time through the plurality of holes 76. The rate of feeding in this embodiment is slow because the open end is restricted regardless of the distance that the chamber travels from the cap 80.

Turning now to the third embodiment shown in Figure 9, a feeder generally indicated 90 is shown in an open configuration. This feeder 90 is designed to dispense larger quantities of bait than the two previous embodiments. In practice, this version would not subsequently be used as a bite-indicating float because it is too inaccurate and cumbersome.

The feeder 90 has a large chamber 92 mounted on the stem 94 and the lower open end of the chamber is closed by a cap 96. The rim 98 of the chamber sits on a ledge 100 formed on the peripheral edge of the cap 96.

The upper surface 102 is domed so as to encourage bait contained in the chamber 92 to roll off.

An abutment 104 is slidably-mounted on the upper end of the stem 94, and a weight 106 is mounted on the lower end of the stem.

Such a feeder will operate in a similar way to that described with reference to Figures 2 to 7, but will normally be withdrawn from the water once all bait has been dispensed.

Claims

Claims 1. A floating fish feeder comprising: a stem arranged for attachment to a fishing line; a chamber slidably mounted on the stem which chamber is open at its lower end and is closed at its upper end so as to trap air in the upper part of the chamber and so impart buoyancy to the feeder when in the water; and a cap mounted on the stem below the chamber for co-operation with the open end of the chamber; whereby in use and prior to immersion of the feeder the cap closes the chamber so as to trap bait therein but when immersed the chamber floats upwardly away from the cap so opening the chamber and allowing contained bait to exit the chamber whilst still trapping air in the upper part of the chamber so as to permit the feeder to continue floating.
2. A feeder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stem is a hollow tube and the fishing line passes therethrough.
3. A feeder as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the position of the cap along the stem is adjustable.
4. A feeder as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein an abutment is provided on the stem above the chamber to limit the upward floating movement of the chamber when immersed.
5. A feeder as claimed in claim 4, wherein the position of the abutment is adjustable.
6. A feeder as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the chamber is provided with a sleeve for slid ingly-engag ing the stem, which sleeve projects downwardly into the chamber from the upper end thereof.

<Desc/Clms Page number 17>
7. A feeder as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a hole is provided in a lower portion of the side walls of the chamber to ensure that water may enter the lower part of the chamber whilst still trapping air in the upper part.
8. A feeder as claimed in claim 7, wherein the hole is approximately level with the lower end of the sleeve.
9. A feeder as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the chamber is circular in cross section along its length, and the lower part has a larger diameter than the upper portion.
10. A feeder as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a removable weight is provided at the lower end of the stem.
11. A feeder as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a high visibility marker is provided at the upper end of the stem.
12. A feeder as claimed in any of the preceding claims and substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.