EP3934419A1

EP3934419A1 - Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait

Info

Publication number: EP3934419A1
Application number: EP20767039.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gábor László SZALAI
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-03-07
Filing date: 2020-02-19
Publication date: 2022-01-12
Also published as: HU231157B1; WO2020178656A1; HUP1900070A1; EP3934419A4

Abstract

The present invention relates to a tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait, featuring a bait tank (1) to receive the hook bait and/or alluring groundbait or live bait fish, a closing element for the bait tank (1) and a plunger (2) for emptying the bait tank (1) placed in the lower end (1b) of the bait tank (1), actuated by a spring, connected to a line protector tube (12). The closing element of the bait tank (1) is a hard and solid water-soluble cap (7). A seat (4) is established for receiving the water-soluble closing element (7) at the upper end (1a) of the bait tank (1). The seat (4) having a flange (21) with an opening (22) on the end opposite to the bait tank (1) for inserting and securing the water-soluble closing element (7) in the seat (4).

Description

Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait

The present invention relates to a tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait (hereinafter referred to as "fishing weight") for bottom fishing sets.

In bottom angling, the fishing weight plays an important role in the process used and its outcome. The prerequisite for the bottom fishing weight is that it shall allow the bait hook to be thrown to long distances into the water and then, after reaching the bottom of the water, the hook bait shall be fixed to wait for the fishes’ interest. Commercially available fishing weights and fishing tackles meet these requirements, but when used, the hook bait often breaks off the hook or becomes damaged when the set is thrown in the water, and the freely hanging hook front winds up in the air and entangles with the fishing weight or the main fishing line, so you can't catch fish with your fishing set.

The advancement of angling techniques necessitated the development of fishing weights. Since the angler does not always have available a boat for habituated fish feeding, or the use of a boat is prohibited in the given water area, there is a need to get not only hook baits, but also enticing baits into the water using the fishing weight at great distances from the shore. Widely used feeder basket fishing weights, equipped with wires or wire mesh of various shapes and sticky, water-soluble groundbaits pressed on, are suitable for this purpose. Groundbait is temporarily stuck in the wire and is only released from the feeder basket when the fishing weight reaches the bottom of the water so that hungry fish are lured near the hook bait.

Bait tank or bait basket fishing weights equipped with a compression spring plunger emptying system are known in which the bait tank or basket is temporarily sealed by sticking water plasticine made of groundbait powder or micro pellets or bread paste into the bait tank or basket for the time the set is thrown into the water.

Such a fishing weight is described in patent document GB 2194721 A, which has a plunger actuated by a coil spring in a cylindrical container. Alluring groundbait or fishing bait can be placed in the bait tank. Before throwing in the water, a water-soluble plasticine plug made of the powder of alluring groundbaits shall be pressed into the bait tank to temporarily seal the tank. After the fishing weights are thrown into the water, the plasticine plug dissolves and the working plunger pushes the alluring groundbait or fishing bait out of the tank. The disadvantage of the solution is that the composition, water content and density of the plasticine plug have to be experimentally determined by the angler. A further disadvantage of the solution is the insecure sealing of the plasticine plug on the inner wall of the tank. In the case of high-powered long throws, the loose plasticine plug may, due to its inertia, break out of the tank and the alluring groundbait or fishing bait may fall out of the tank before reaching the water. If the plasticine plug is too hard, there is a chance that after throwing it in the water, it will be released only after a long time in the bottom of the bed, which is unacceptable in angling. It is also a problem that if the angler presses the plasticine plug into the tank with too much force for a good grip, it can damage the softer fishing bait or alluring groundbait placed in the bait tank, so the fishing bait must be placed outside the tank when it is thrown into the water. In Figure 1 of the patent document, the alluring groundbaits in the bait tank consist of fly larvae separated by a sharp line on the drawing from the closing plug pressed into the bait tank. However, the idealized state shown in the drawing cannot be achieved in practice because the greasy sap of fly larvae flows out of the bait tank due to the plasticine plug forced into the bait tank and infiltrate between the side wall of the bait tank and the plasticine plug. This prevents the bait tank from being sealed with a plasticine plug. This state cannot be practically achieved with large boilie bait balls, pellets, or seeds either, because the malleable plug pressed into the bait tank will squeeze between the large grains to form a compact unit, thus preventing the bait tank from being emptied.

Patent document GB 2448075 A describes a fishing weight with feeder basket, in which a pre soaked micro pellet has to be pressed into a cylindrical plastic bait basket. The basket has a plunger driven by a coil spring. The side of the bait basket is perforated. After throwing in the water, the micro-pellet swells due to the absorbed moisture and becomes detached from the side of the bait basket, which causes the spring-loaded plunger to eject the micro pellets from the basket. Because setting the compactness and water content of the micro pellets is uncertain, their adherence to the side wall of the bait basket will be also uncertain, which is not sufficient for high-power throws. Here, too, the problem is that if the wet micro pellet is pressed with force into the bait basket for good adherence, the hook bait inside the basket may be damaged and the emptying of the bait basket will be significantly delayed, too. Therefore, this arrangement is not convenient either for placing the hook bait in the bait basket when the set is thrown into the water. Another disadvantage is that according to the commercial instructions of the device, it operates only with a wet, water-soluble micro pellet and not with other fishing baits.

Patent document GB 2432768 A presents a bait basket opening to the side, equipped with a delay mechanism. The opening basket halves are perforated and can be secured to each other for throwing in the water by means of a water-soluble closing element. The closing element dissolves in the water over a period of time, the tensioned basket halves open, and the alluring groundbait may be ejected from the basket. The disadvantage of this solution is that the bait basket does not have a mechanical drainage system and is therefore not suitable for placing the bait hook in the bait basket when throwing in the water as the hook bait would be stuck in one of the basket halves.

Anglers using feeder basket sets may throw up to several kilograms of pulpy-sticky lure into the angler water daily, much of which dissolves there, which can significantly increase unwanted algae formation in angling waters. This is especially true for no-drain overfished stagnant waters, so some water managers often restrict angling with bait basket fishing weights to protect the purity of their waters, and there are angling competitions where the use of water- soluble alluring groundbaits is prohibited. For this reason, there is a need for fishing weights that are usable not only with alluring groundbaits that are easily soluble in water and tend to turn into a paste. The boilie fishing method developed primarily for the fishing of giant carp has become widespread from England. There is a growing demand for performing high-power long throws in boilie angling. The hook front baited with a boilie of commercially available angling sets equipped with fishing weights is particularly prone to snagging in the air, and the use of pasty and cloudy alluring groundbaits is not desirable in boilie fishing, as these materials attract masses of smaller fish near to the boilie bait hook and larger target fish may be discouraged. The popular boilie angling also requires a fishing weight that is particularly suitable for the use of grainy and chunky fishing baits and alluring groundbaits.

The object of the present invention is to overcome the above problems. The aim of the invention is to provide a tubular fishing weight with bait tank, provided with a plunger drainage system, for which a bait hook can be placed in the bait tank when throwing into the water and, if desired, grainy, chunky, dry or wet alluring groundbaits, too, that are expelled to the bed bottom only after the tubular weight reaches the bed bottom, within a short time, spreading over a small area. It is also the purpose of this invention to provide a tubular fishing weight that is capable of working correctly with all known and widely used natural fishing baits and alluring groundbaits while not damaging the fishing baits and alluring groundbaits placed in the bait tank. A further goal of the invention is to provide tubular fishing weights for the safe execution of high-power long-hauls with a closed bait tank.

The goal is accomplished by a tubular fishing weight featuring a bait tank for receiving hook baits, alluring groundbaits or live bait fish, which is closed by a hard and solid yet water-soluble closing element during the time of throwing in the water. The water-soluble closing element is housed in a seat formed at the upper end of the bait tank, which ensures that the water-soluble closing element remains in the bait tank in a locking position until softening after throwing in the water. The emptying of the bait tank is accomplished by a spring-driven plunger connected by a line protector tube, which is held in place by a hard, solid, perforated, water-soluble fastener or spacer tube against spring force during baiting and throwing of the fishing weight. By locking the plunger during baiting and throwing, the plunger can be prevented from damaging or compressing the fishing baits and alluring groundbaits placed in the bait tank, thereby eliminating the possibility of clogging or compacting in the bait tank, that would make it difficult to empty the bait tank. Both the water-soluble closing element and the water-soluble fastener will soak after the fishing weight has been thrown and will lose their solidity. Therefore, the compressed plunger is capable of breaking the water-soluble fastener and then the water-soluble closing element, too, pushing the hook bait or alluring groundbait out of the bait tank. When using live fish for bait, the spacer tube provides protection for the bait fish against the spring-loaded plunger’s pressure.

The objectives of the invention are achieved by the means described in claim 1; the preferred implementation is set forth in the dependent claims.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

- Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section of a first implementation of a tubular fishing weight according to the invention in a closed state prior to throwing in the water, - Figure 2 shows the tubular fishing weight shown in Figure 1 after throwing in the water, in an emptied state,

- Figure 3 is a top view of the tubular fishing weight shown in Figure 1,

- Figure 4 is a top view of the tubular fishing weight shown in Figure 3 in a closed state,

- Figure 5 is a cross-section of the tubular fishing weight shown in Figure 1,

- Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional of a second implementation of a tubular fishing weight according to the invention in a closed state before thrown in the water;

- and Figure 7 shows the tubular fishing weight shown in Figure 6 after throwing in the water, in an emptied state.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section showing the construction of the first implementation of the tubular fishing weight according to the invention and its structural parts layout. The device comprises a bait tank 1 having an interior space for receiving the hook bait and the alluring groundbait. In the figure, the groundbait is indicated by dotted circles. At the upper end la of the bait tank 1 there is a cylindrical seat 4 receiving a water-soluble closing element 7 having a diameter larger than the diameter of the bait tank 1. The flange 21 at the end of the seat 4 on the opposite end of the bait tank 1 has an opening 22, through which the water-soluble closing element 7 can be inserted into the seat 4. The configuration of the flange 21 and the water- soluble closing element 7 is illustrated in Figure 3.

The water-soluble closing element 7 closes the bait tank 1 when the tubular fishing weight is thrown in the water. The water-soluble closing element 7 must be sufficiently rigid and solid when throwing the tubular fishing weight, so that the hook bait placed in the bait tank 1 can withstand the inertial force resulting from the sudden acceleration, but it must lose its strength in the water within a short time after the tubular fishing weight reaches the bottom to release the closure of the bait container 1 within optimum time. The water-soluble closing element 7 is preferably made from a dough of mixed cereal flour, vegetable fat and sugar, or other similar ingredients, by baking. The hardness and strength of the water-soluble closing element 7 result from the heat generated during the baking of the element.

It is preferred to add a bulking agent, e.g. baking powder to the raw material because the bulking agent makes the structure of the water-soluble closing element 7 sponge-like, which accelerates the soaking and softening at the bed bottom and ensures that the temporary closure of the bait tank 1 is definitely released within the shortest time required.

At the lower end lb of the bait container 1 there is a cylindrical plunger 2 and a coil spring 3 below it, which moves the plunger 2 in the bait container 1 upwards in the direction of the seat 4. The plunger 2 is intended to eject by spring force the hook baits and alluring groundbaits from the bait tank 1, moving towards the seat 4, when after throwing in the water the water- soluble closing element 7 reaches the bottom and loses its solidity and dissolves. Practically, four stops 15 are screwed in the wall of the bait tank 1 to prevent the plunger 2 from sliding out of the bait tank 1 after emptying the bait tank 1. The stops 15 also play an important role in the assembly of the tubular fishing weight, since only after the stops 15 have been unscrewed, the plunger 2 and the coil spring 3 can be placed in the lower end lb of the bait tank 1. A seat 19 is created in the plunger 2 through which a line protector tube 12 is inserted and secured to the plunger 2, with a tube flange 13 in the seat 19 and a securing ball 14 under the base of the plunger 2. The line protector tube 12 serves to safely guide and protect the hook bait line. The tube flange 13 is formed by folding back the end of the line protector tube 12, although the function of the fastening flange can be accomplished, for example, by a plastic ring fixed to the end of the protection tube 12 as well. On the bottom plate 24 of the lower end lb of the bait container 1 there is a hole 20 for the exit of the line protector tube 12 fed through the coil spring 3 out of the bait container 1.

Above the plunger 2, a water-soluble fastener element 10 is passed through a rectangular opening 11 in the cylindrical wall portion of the bait tank 1. The water-soluble fastener element 10 secures the plunger 2 against the spring force of the coil spring 3 at the lower end lb of the bait tank 1 when throwing the fishing weight into water. The water-soluble fastener element 10 prevents the plunger 2 from crushing the low-strength fishing baits placed in the bait tank 1 before releasing the temporary closure of the bait tank 1, and also prevents the hook baits and alluring groundbaits from becoming compressed or jammed in the bait tank 1, which would make it difficult to empty the bait tank 1.

The material and the physical properties of the water-soluble fastener element 10 are identical to those of the water-soluble closing element 7. It is important that after the fishing weight reaches the bottom of the water, the water-soluble closing element 7 and the water-soluble fastener element 10 lose their strength within a short period of time, thereby facilitating the emptying of the bait tank 1 within the optimum time accepted in angling.

When the angler throws the tubular fishing weight into the water, the water penetrates into the interior of the bait tank 1 through the slots of the opening 11 adjacent to the fastener 10 and loosens the water-soluble fastener element 10. At the same time, the water also dissolves the water-soluble closing element 7, which it contacts directly through the opening 22. When the spring force exceeds the strength of the water-soluble fastener element 10, the plunger 2 pushes the fastener 10 out of the opening 11 by disintegrating it, and pushes it upwards together with the hook baits and alluring groundbaits placed in the bait tank 1. When the pressure exerted by the materials pushed by the plunger 2 exceeds the strength of the water-soluble closing element 7, it is broken up and the materials contained in the bait tank 1 are expelled to the bed bottom. The condition of the bait tank 1 after emptying is illustrated in Figure 2.

The formation of the flange 21 together with the water-soluble closing element 7 is illustrated in Figure 3, which shows a top view of the bait tank 1. The flange 21 delimits the opening 22 by two straight flange edges 5 and a curved flange edge 6. There is also a short curved cut-out 23 on the straight flange edges 5 to facilitate gripping the water-soluble closing element 7 for insertion into the seat 4. The water-soluble closing element 7 has straight edges 8 and curved edges 9 that cooperate with the straight edge 5 and the curved edge 6 of the flange 21, providing easy insertion and fastening of the water-soluble closing element 7 into the seat 4, which is the essential condition for the intended use of the tubular fishing weight. The curved edges 6 of the flange 21 must be aligned with the curved edges 9 of the water-soluble closing element 7 and the straight edges 5 of the flange 21 aligned with the straight edges 8 of the water-soluble closing element 7 to push the water-soluble closing element 7 into the seat 4. The curved edges 9 of the water-soluble closing element 7 are rotated 90° below the straight edges 5 of the flange 21 to securely seal the bait tank 1 with the water-soluble closing element 7. A top view of the water-soluble closing element 7 is shown in Figure 4 as it closes the bait tank 1.

The construction of the water-soluble fastener element 10 is illustrated in Figure 5. The water- soluble fastener 10 is rectangular; its length exceeds the diameter of the bait container 1 so as to be securely seated at the bottom of the opening 11 when pushed in. An elongated slot 18 is provided in the centre of the water-soluble fastener element 10 to pass the bait hook front through the bait tank 1.

Baiting for tubular fishing weights should be done as follows. Keeping the mouth 22 opening of the tubular fishing weight upward, the plunger 2 is pulled down to the lower end lb of the bait tank 1 by means of the line protector tube 12 and the water-soluble fastener element 10 securing the plunger 2 is inserted into the bait tank 1 through the opening 11. The hook bait and if desired, the alluring groundbait can then be placed in the bait tank 1. The straight and curved flange edges 5 and 6 are then aligned with the straight and curved edges 8 and 9 of the water- soluble closing element 7, and then the water-soluble closing element 7 is pushed into the seat 4, and then by rotating the curved edges 9 under the flange edges 5 of the seat 4, the bait tank 1 must be closed. At this point, the tubular fishing weight is ready for throwing into water. Upon the tubular fishing weight reaching the bottom of the water, the water-soluble closing element 7 and the water-soluble fastener element 10 will soak and soften in a short time, thus the fixing of the plunger 2 and the closure of bait tank 1 become released, and the bait tank 1 is emptied by means of the coil spring-loaded 3 plunger 2 emptying system.

A widespread method of angling is bottom angling with live bait. The disadvantage of commercially available fishing weights is that free-hanging baits often fall off the hook when thrown into water, or become injured and killed when struck in the water.

A second implementation of this invention is a tubular fishing weight suitable for fishing with live bait fish, which is described with reference to Figure 6.

Figure 6 shows that a spacer tube 16 with an outer diameter of about the same diameter as the inner diameter of the bait tank 1 is located between the water-soluble closing element 7 inserted in the seat 4 of the tubular fishing weight and the plunger 2 at the lower end lb of the bait tank 1 to protect the bait fish from being struck or compressed by the plunger 2 with the force of coil spring 3 when the tubular fishing weight is thrown into water. The water-soluble closing element 7 is removed by the spacer tube 16 from the seat 4, after which the bait fish can escape from the tubular fishing weight. In order to prevent the spacer tube 16 from pushing the water- soluble closing element 7 out of the seat 4 bypassing the stop 15, a reduction tube end 17 is fixed at the end of the spacer tube 16 towards the seat 4. It is possible to produce the spacer insert tube 16 and the reduction tube end 17 from one single workpiece by turning or stamping. Figure 7 illustrates the condition of the bait tank 1 after it has been emptied.

The readjustment of the tubular fishing weight shown in Figures 1-5 to the tubular fishing weight shown in Figures 6-7 shall be performed as follows. Keeping the mouth 22 opening of the tubular fishing weight upward, the plunger 2 is pulled down to the lower end lb of the bait tank 1 by means of the line protector tube 12 and the water-soluble fastener element 10 securing the plunger 2 is inserted into the bait tank 1 through the opening 11. The stops 15 must be unscrewed from the wall of the bait container 1 and the spacer tube 16 shall be inserted into the bait container 1. The stops 15 must then be screwed back into place and the water-soluble fastener element 10 removed from the bait tank 1. The water-soluble fastener element 10 is no longer required for the fishing weight version combined with the spacer tube 16 to work, since the spacer tube 16 protects the bait fish placed in the bait tank 1 from any damage caused by the plunger 2.

The bait fish can then be placed in the bait tank 1 and, if desired, the alluring groundbait, too. The straight and curved flange edges 5 and 6 are then aligned with the straight and curved edges 8 and 9 of the water-soluble closing element 7, and then the water-soluble closing element 7 is pushed into the seat 4, and then by rotating the curved edges 9 under the flange edges 5 of the seat 4, the bait tank 1 is closed. At this point, the fishing weight is ready for throwing into water.

The baiting and operation of the tubular fishing weight version in combination with the spacer tube 16 is as follows. In the upright position of the tubular fishing weight, the hooked bait fish is placed in the spacer tube 16 in the bait tank 1, the plunger 2 is pulled down by the line protector tube 12 into the lower end lb of the bait tank 1 and the water-soluble closing element 7 must be placed into the seat 4 and secured. This version of the fishing weight combined with the spacer tube 16 is ready for throwing into water. As soon as the fishing weight reaches the bottom, the water-soluble closing element 7 becomes soaked, loses its solidity, and due to the pushing force of the plunger 2, the water-soluble closing element 7 is pushed out of the seat 4 by the reduction tube 17 of the spacer tube 16, so the bait fish can swim out of the weight, or can be forced to do so by flicks and smaller jerks. The structure of the tubular fishing weight does not need to be modified for the insertion and operation of the spacer tube 16, so the construction combined with the spacer tube 16 is an option for the fishing weight adapted to specific fishing needs.

The mass of the tubular fishing weight can be controlled by selecting the weight of the components, in accordance with the purpose and method of fishing. The bait tank 1 may be made of steel sheet or plastic, while the plunger 2 and the coil spring 3 may be made of steel. Considering today’s fishing practice, the length of the bait tank 1 can be up to 250 mm, the diameter up to 60 mm and the weight up to 250 grams.

The colours and patterns of the tubular fishing weight presented in this invention can be adapted to the colours and patterns of the bed bottom, thereby misleading alert fish. The tubular fishing weight can be provided with air deflector wings to provide good aerodynamic properties, depending on the particular fishing water or method of fishing. The advantage of the tubular fishing weight according to this invention is that the bait hook can be safely placed in the bait tank when throwing into the water including, if desired, also the alluring groundbait, which becomes ejected to the bed bottom from the bait tank shortly after reaching the bottom, spreading over a small area. The tubular fishing weight being the subject of this invention is suitable for performing high-power long-range throws with a closed bait tank due to the hard and solid water-soluble element closing the bait tank and the controlled operation of the plunger for emptying the bait tank. It will work flawlessly not only with water- soluble and pasty alluring groundbaits, but also with grainy, chunky, dry or wet alluring groundbaits, and various fishing baits, even live bait fish, according to requirements, without damaging the hook baits and alluring groundbaits placed in the bait tank.

Claims

Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait Claims

1. Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait, featuring a bait tank (1) to receive the hook bait and/or alluring groundbait or live bait fish, a closing element for the bait tank (1) and a plunger (2) for emptying the bait tank (1) placed in the lower end (lb) of the bait tank (1), actuated by a spring, connected to a line protector tube (12), characterized by the following:

- the closing element of the bait tank (1) is a hard and solid water-soluble cap (7),

- a seat (4) is established for receiving the water-soluble closing element (7) at the upper end (la) of the bait tank (1), and

- the seat (4) having a flange (21) with an opening (22) on the end opposite to the bait tank (1) for inserting and securing the water-soluble closing element (7) in the seat (4).

2. Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait according to claim 1, where the lower end (lb) of the bait tank (1) has a hard and solid water-soluble fastening element (10) passing through an opening (11) in the wall of the bait tank (1) to hold the plunger (2) in place.

3. Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait according to claim 1, where the spring for moving the plunger (2) is a coil spring (3).

4. Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait according to any of claims 1-3, where the line protector tube (12) is attached to the plunger by a tube flange (13) in the seat (19) of the plunger (2) and a fixing ball (14) under the base of the plunger (2).

5. Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait according to any of claims 1-4, where a hole (20) is formed on the bottom plate (24) of the lower end (lb) of the bait tank (1) for leading the line protector tube (12) passed through the coil spring (3) out of the bait tank (1).

6. Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait according to any of claims 1-5, where there are stops (15) screwed into the wall of the bait tank (1) to limit the movement of the plunger (2) for emptying the bait tank (1).

7. Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait according to claim 1, where the flange (21) delimits the opening (22) by two straight flange edges (5) and two curved flange edges (6).

8. Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait according to claim 7, where a curved cut-out (23) is provided on the straight flange edges (5).

9. Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait according to any of claims 1-8, where the material of both the hard and solid water-soluble closing element (7) and the water-soluble fastener element (10) contains cereal flour, vegetable fat and sugar.

10. Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait according to claim 9, where the hard and solid water-soluble closing element (7) and the water-soluble fastening element (10) have a perforated structure.

11. Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait according to any of claims 9-10, where the hard and solid water-soluble closing element (7) and the water-soluble fastener element (10) contain bulking agent.

12. Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait according to any of claims 1-11, where the water-soluble closing element (7) has straight edges (8) and curved edges (9).

13. Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait according to any of claims 2-12, where the water-soluble fastener element (10) is rectangular and has an elongated slot (18) in its central part to provide passage of the hook bait front through the bait tank (1).

14. Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait according to claim 1, where a spacer tube (16) is placed between the seat (4) and the plunger (2) at the lower end (lb) of the bait tank (1) to fix the plunger (2) during baiting.

15. Tubular weight for throwing of fishing bait according to claim 14, where the spacer tube (16) has a reduction tube end (17) at the end towards the seat (4).