GB2128061A - Line feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

A floatless line feeder comprises main feeder body 20 and a removable end cap 21 both in the form of plastics mouldings made by injection moulding. Openings 26 formed in cylindrical section 22 of body 20 cooperate with those in end section 23 thereof and in end cap 21 to enable a charge of bait in bait cavity 24 to discharge when a hook fishing line is threaded through the feeder using apical apertures 43 and 44 and the tackle as a whole cast into water. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Multi-purpose reversible line feeder The invention relates to feeders for use in angling.

Feeders are commonly used in angling to discharge bait in the vicinity of the hook or hooks carried by the angler's line. These feeders represent an improvement over the use of more basic traditional methods, which involve simply dropping or throwing bait into the water in the general region where the line enters the water, but they are, however not entirely satisfactory in use. They can be classified into stream feeders, droppers, and float feeders.

Stream feeders, sometimes called spoon feeders, conventionally comprise an open-ended cylinder attached to a swivel connector by a short length of line, the swivel in turn begin attached to the angler's main line. The cylinder is weighted, usually with a lead strip which also serves as an attachment point for the line to the swivel. The cylinder is, in use, charged with bait, for example ground bait at each end and maggots therebetween, and rests on the river or lake bed. The bait discharges gradually, through the cylinder ends and, in the case of more modern versions, through perforations in the cylinder wall. The current carries the bait towards the hook(s).

Because the feeder normally lies some distance from the hook(s) not all the bait may reach the hook(s). The success of the feeder also depends on the ground bait "end plugs" breaking up, and this is not always predictable.

A dropper is a closed container which is secured close to the hook itself on the angler's line. The container has a door which, in theory, is urged open once the dropper comes to rest on the lake or river bed. Bait, usually maggots, charged to the dropper prior to casting of the line, discharges into the water through the open door to attract fish to the hook. In practice, the door does not always open, and droppers generally tend to be cumbersome and relatively expensive.

Stream feeders and droppers, reviewed above, are designed to sink rather than to float, and are intended to be used in conjunction with a separate and conventional float. Float feeders, by contrast, are intended to discharge bait at or near the surface of the water, the bait then being carried down to the hook by the current to attract the fish. They incorporate a float portion. One example is shown in U K Patent Specification No 949358. It has a removable cap, to give access to the bait chamber, but the cap screws into a central boss in the feeder and this can be awkward to engage whilst not always giving a firm peripheral seal between the cap and the bait chamber. The threaded boss-engaging stem of the cap is also quite highly stressed in use, and can easily break.

Float feeders, like stream feeders, depend on the current to carry the bait down to the hook.

The present invention is concerned with a feeder which is not intended to float, and does not incorporate a float portion, but which can be positioned on the hook line at any suitable distance between the hook and the angler's float to combine the simplicity of the stream feeder and reliability of the float feeder with the accurate bait discharge of the dropper.

According to the invention, such a floatless feeder is hollow; is cylindrical; has a cap at one of its ends; is perforated to allow bait to escape from the feeder once the feeder is in the water; and incorporates two apertures which allow itto be threaded, in use, on to an angler's line so that the line enters at one end of the feeder and leaves at the opposite end of the feeder; the nature and disposition of the two apertures being such that the feeder can be threaded on to the line, and used, either way round.

Such a feeder can be positioned at the most appropriate point on the fishing line, to suit local feeding conditions, and baited appropriately.

One of the apertures will, in practice, be formed in the end cap, but the other may be constituted by sinply leaving the opposite end of the feeder open and uncapped. That open end may then form a main bait discharge perforation or, indeed, the only bait discharge perforation.

A feeder embodying the invention can be used for fast feeding or slow feeding, depending which way round the feeder is used.

In float line angling, a feeder disposed on a line with said open end nearest the hook will discharge bait relatively quickly with the assistance of gravity acting through the open end. The same applies to float ledgering with the feeder disposed substantially up-line from the hook and to ledger angling in flowing water where hydraulic action through the bait cavity has an effect analogous to gravity.

With the feeder disposition reversed, slow bait discharge can be ensured due to the partial (or compiete) closure of the capped end of the cylinder.

The partially or completely closed end will conveniently take the form of an end cap which will in practice be apertured to as to enabie some escape of bait therethrough in use. The end cap will most preferably be of conical form with the cone apex terminating the feeder. The end cap surfaces divergent from the apex may in cross-section define two sides of a triangle or in the alternative such surfaces may be convex or concave. The end cap may less preferably take the form of a hollow frusto-cone (or other configuration tapering in the direction away from the bait cavity), the divergent surfaces thereof for example being as just described in connection with an end cap of conical form.

The above-described preferred forms of end cap offer relatively low water resistance in use. In slow release fishing, as described earlier, slow release is preferably achieved using such an end cap to reduce the resistance which on striking of a bite would otherwise be relatively high due to the presence of slowly discarging bait in the bait cavity. The small probability of bait remaining in the bit cavity to the point of striking usually avoids the need for a low drag cap in fast feeding. However, such a cap is desirable in order to provide dual functionality of a feeding.

The end cap in any forms of the feeder referred to above may be removable and conveniently will slide-fit into or over the remaining portion of the cavity-defining member at an extremity thereof.

Alternatively, the member will include the cap as an integral part.

Feeders of the invention may include a cap of any of the types described above at each of two opposed extremities of, for example, a body member defining a right cylindrical cavity. One such cap may be fixed whilst the other may be mounted removably as described above or otherwise.

A preferred feeder of the invention comprises a hollow body formed, for example, of plastics sheet material and configured as an elongate open-ended right circular cylinder, and end cap of hollow circular base conical form disposed as a closure to one axial extremity of said cylinder, an aperture penetrating said end cap through the apex thereof and communicating with the hollow interior of said cylinder and a plurality of bait discharge orifices being formed in the cylindrical surfaces of said hollow member.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing diagrammatically one form of a feeder according to the invention; Figure 2 is an exploded view of a second form of feeder representing a preferred embodiment of the invention; Figures 3a and 3b show, in diagrammatic form, use of a feeder according to the invention, respectively, in slow release and fast release float line angling; Figures 4a and 4b show, in diagrammatic form, use of a feeder, respectively, in fast release and slow release float ledger angling; Figures 5a and 5b show, in diagrammatic form, use of a feeder, respectively, in fast release and slow release ledger angling; and Figure 6shows, in diagrammatic form, slow release float angling using the feeder shown in Figure 2.

The feeder shown in Figure 1 comprises a right circular hollow cylinder 1 of external diameter about 0.5". The cylinder 1 is made of transparent injection moulded polyvinyl chloride of nominal thickness about 0.012". The cylinder 1 defines a bait cavity 2 accessible through open axial end 3. The cylinder 1 is perforated by pairs of openings 4,5 and 6 provided at centres spaced 9/32,1/2 and 23/32 inch, respectively, from the axial end 3, the openings of each pair being diametrically opposed with respect to each other. The openings 4,5 and 6 are of diameter 3/16 inch.

A conical end cap 7 is provided to cap the axial end of cylinder 1 opposed to axial end 3. The cone of cap 7 is of circular base and is integral with a cylindrical flange 8 extending therefrom. The base of the cone is of the same external diameter as that of cylinder 11 whilst the outside diameter of flange 8 is slightly smaller than the internal diameter of cylinder 1, the flange 8 being accordingiy receivable in the cylinder 1 as a close sliding fit. Flange 8 has an axial dimension of about 3/16" and is made of the same plastics sheet material as that of cylinder 1. The sheet material of the cone itself is of slightly larger gauge, about 0.015 inch. A pair of openings 9 perforate the sheet material of the cone at points diametrically opposed at the periphery of a circular plane which divides the cone into two parts of approximatley equal axial extent.Openings 9 are of diameter 3/16 inch.

Afurther perforation 10 is provided at the apex of the cone of cap 7 and is of diameter 0.05 inch.

In use, the feeder is placed on an angler's line by threading a free end of the line through the perforation 10 in the apex of the cone of cap 7 and through the bait cavity 2. The position of cap 7 in relation to the free end is determined first by the angler according to the desired rate of gait discharge required, as described earlier and as illustrated in Figures 3a and3b.4a and 4b and 5a and 5b of the drawings. Spiit lead shot is then secured to the line some distance from either end of the feeder and a hook is secured to the of the feeder is then charged with bait, a charge of maggots being preceded and followed buy a " plug of ground bait to fill the cylinder. The cap 7 is then slid into place with flange 8 thereof received within the bait cavity.The split lead shot may then be moved manually along the line in order to limit the degree of movement along the line of the feeder in use. The hook may now be provided with bait and the line and tackle cast for angling to begin.

The feeder shown in Figure 2 comprises a main feeder body 20 and a frusto-conical removable end cap 21 both made of transparent, colourless polyvinyl chloride co-moulded by one-shot injection moulding. The wall thickness is 0.015 inch with a variation of +0.005 and -0.000 inch.

Main feeder body 20 comprises a right circular cylindrical section 22 and a frusto-conical end section 23 integral therewith. A bait cavity 24 is defined within cylindrical section 22 and is accessible with end cap 21 removed through axial opening 25.

Cylindrical section 22 has an external diameter at opening 25 of 0.545 inch and is perferated by six openings 26 each of which is in register with a similar opening provided in an opposed surface of the section. Openings 26 are spaced at 0.5 inch centres and are of diameter 0.220 to 0.225 inch.

To accomodate release from its mould in manufacture, cylindrical section 22 has a diameter which reduces in 0.015 inch steps (shown at 35,36 and 37) with a gradient reduction of 0.006 inch between each of points 27 and 28,29 and 30,31 and 32, and 33 and 34.

End section 23 is perforated by two openings 38 formed in opposed surfaces of the plastics material of which it is made. Openings 38 are sized identically to openings 26 of section 22. An apical aperture 43 is provided for line entry.

End cap 21 is of circular base and comprises a frustro-conical section 39 and an integral flange 40.

Flange 40 is of non-uniform diameter, its diameter at its opening 41 being such as to accomodate the largest end diameter of main feeder body cylindrical section 22 with clearance but its reduced diameter at the junction with frusto-conical section 39 being identical thereto to provide a tight fit.

Openings 42 in opposed faces of frusto-conical section 39 are sized the same as openings 38 of end section 23 of main feeder body 20. An apical aperture 44 is provided for line entry and is in register with apical aperture 43 of end section 23.

Figures 3a and 3b,4a and 4b and 5a and 5b illustrate various forms of angling using a feeder, for example as shown in Figure 1, and these Figures will be understood by reference to the following specific Examples 1 to 6 which describe the forms of angling depicted: Example 1 (Slow release float line angling - Figure 3a) The feeder 1 is threaded on line 15 which runs through rod 13 and has float 16 attached to it. Stops in the form of split lead shots 17 and 18 are put on line 15 to limit movement of feeder 1 on the line.

Maggots are placed in the cavity of feeder 1 to 75% fill the cavity and the cavity is then topped up with ground bait. When cast, the maggots and ground bait slowly discharge into the water.

Example 2 (Fast release float line angling - Figure 3b) Feeder 1, rod 13, hook 14, line 15 and float 16 are arranged as in Example 1 but feeder 1 is threaded with its open end 3 facing hook 14 and shots 17 and 18 are repositioned as shown in Figure 3b with shot 17 bearing against the inside surface of cap 7 (it is important that shots 17 and 18 be spaced apart more than the height of float 16 above water).

When feeder 1 is charged as described in Example 1, it is cast and the bait charge discharges almost immediately to create a cloud of maggots and ground bait.

Example 3 (Fast release float ledger angling - Figure 4a) The tackle is arranged as in Example 3b with shot 17 bearing against the inside surface of cap 7.

However, line 15 is threaded through a link swivel 50 attached to a lead weight 51 so as to anchor the feeder 1 to the river or lake bed to compensate for buoyancy effects and water flow.

Example 4 (Slow release float ledger angling - Figure 4b) The tackle is used and arranged as described in Example 3 but a further removable conical end cap is fitted over axial feeder end 3 to reduce discharge rate and movement of feeder 1 towards hook 14 is prevented by placing shot 17 immediately downline so that the further end cap abuts against it.

Exampe 5 Fast release floatless ledger angling Figure 5a) The tackle is used and arranged as described in Example 3 but float 16 is omitted. A quiver tip or swing tip bite indicator (not shown in Figure 5a) can be used to indicate a bite.

Example 6 (Slow release floatless ledger angling Figure 5b) The tackle is used and arranged as described in Example 4 but float 16 is omitted. A bite indicator (not shown in Figure 5b) may be employed, as described in Example 5.

Figure 6 shows float fishing using the feeder shown in Figure 2. Example 7 below describes operations according to this form of angling.

Example 7 (Slow release float line angling - Figure 6) The tackle shown in Figure 6 is used and arranged essentially as is described in Example 1.

The feeder can be positioned on line 15 at any point between the two points on the line indicated by the arrows X, its position being determined by positioning of shot 17. This freedom of positioning allows bait discharge at virtually any water depth.

When using a feeder in this way, use of one shot less than would normally be used on the floatline has been shown to be satisfactory. In general, there is no significant difference in float draught between full and empty states of the feeder.

The invention as described earlier without reference to the drawings may include any one or more of the features described above with reference to the drawings.

In the arrangements shown in Figures 4a, 4b, 5a and 5b, a lead shot will usually be provided on the line between the link swivel and the feeder. A distance of 1 in. or more from the feeder has been found to be satisfactory to rule out any possibility of the swivel weight 51 fouling and possibly damaging the feeder.

Although the conical end caps described and illustrated are either a push-fit in or over the peripheral wall of the main body of the feeder, they could snap-fit over a flange on the outside surface of the peripheral wall with the inner surface of the wall of the cap base being ridged to give the snap-fit action. Alternatively, it could screw thread along the inner or outer peripheral walls of the cylinder end. In all cases, the removable end cap fits over the periphery of the chamber wall rather than fitting into a central part of the chamber.

Claims (13)

1. A floatless hook line feeder which comprises a hollow member defining a bait cavity, the member being perforated to allow bait to escape from the cavity when the feeder is in water and the feeder having two apertures allowing the feeder to be threaded onto the hook line with the line preferably passing through the bait cavity.

2. A feeder as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the member is a hollow, right circular cylinder.

3. A feeder as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein a first end of the member has a closure apertured for a hook line and a second opposed end is open or provided with a further such closure.

4. A feeder as claimed in Claim 3 wherein the member has two opposed end closures optionally perforated to allow bait to escape therethrough.

5. A feeder as claimed in Claim 3 or Claim 4 wherein the apertures through which to thread the hook line are provided one in an end closure and the other either in a further end closure or as an open end to the member.

6. A feeder as claimed in any preceding claim including a cavity end closure of conical form, the cone apex terminating the feeder.

7. Afeeder as claimed in any preceding claim including a cavity end closure in the form of a removable end cap.

8. Feeder as claimed in any preceding claim including a removable end cap of conical form with he cone apex terminating the feeder.

9. A feeder as claimed in any preceding claim and comprising a perforated cylindrical hollow member having a removable conical end cap at one end and a fixed conical end closure at the otherwith the cone apices spaced apart at the feeder extremities, the end cap and end closure having each an aperture by means of which to thread the feeder onto a hook line and optionally perforations for bait escape in use.

10. A feeder as claimed in any preceding claim which is of moulded plastics material.

11. Afloatless hook line feeder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.

12. Fishing apparatus comprising a line, a hook and a line feeder as claimed in any preceding claim threaded on the line and disposed up-line of the hook and down-line of an optional float, the feeder preferably being positioned on the line between two stops which determine the depth in water at which the feeder is located in use.

13. Afloatless line feeder comprising a hollow cylindrical member defining a main cavity by means of perforated walls and an end closure of tapered configuration disposed at least at one of the opposed axial extremities of said member and provided with an aperture for line entry, said end closure(s) being integral with said cylindrical member or having a flanged portion which defines a cross-section corresponding in configuration with that of the near wall extremity of the cylindrical member with the closure(s) and member being connected by friction between contacting surfaces of the cylindrical member near wall extremity and said flanged portion.