GB2152341A - Fishing apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

A plurality of side lines 16 having hooks 18 and connecting clips 14 are baited and stored in a support comprising an array of tubes 22. The clips 14 are held accessible at the tops of the tubes and are connected onboard a fishing boat to corresponding clips 12 on a main line 10, one end of which has been anchored to the sea bed by an anchor having a marker float. To catch fish, the main line with the side lines connected thereto is shot from the boat, preferably with the boat drifting down-wind to save fuel (Figure 6). The support loaded with bait side lines may be frozen and stored before use. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Fishing apparatus and fishing method This invention relates to line fishing and aims to improve the efficiency and convenience of that type of fishing.

The invention provides fishing apparatus comprising a main length of fishing line having means for attachment at points spaced along its length of side lines each extending to at least one fishing hook.

The attachment means preferably comprise first parts of two-part releasable connectors (e.g.

connectors comprising two interengageable hooks), each first part being capable of connection to a corresponding second part attached to a side line.

The invention also provides a method of preparing a fishing line for use, the method comprising baiting respective hooks attached to a plurality of side lines each connected to a first part of a two-part releasable connector, supporting the side lines with their connector parts accessible and connecting the first connector-parts to corresponding second connector-parts spaced along a main fishing line.

For use in the above method, the invention provides support means for a plurality of baited side lines each extending to a first part of a two-part releasable connector, the support means being arranged to support the first connector parts accessible for connection to corresponding second parts spaced along a main fishing line.

The support means advantageously includes shielding means for preventing entanglement of the hooks of adjacent side lines.

A preferred support means comprises a plurality of tubes, conveniently in an array of rows and columns, the upper end of each tube being capable of supporting the connector-part of a respective side line and the walls of the tubes, providing the shielding means.

The support means may be moulded from plastics material and can comprise, for example an array of, say, ten rows and ten columns of tubes each about 4cm in diameter and about 25cm long.

With the apparatus and method of the invention, a large number of side lines can be baited before shooting of the main fishing line and the baited lines arranged in the support means. The hooks are shielded by the shielding means and the possibility of inadvertent engagement of the hooks with each other or with the hands or clothing of a fisherman is much reduced. The support means and its baited hooks and side lines may be deep-frozen and used subsequently as convenient.

In use of apparatus embodying the several aspects of the invention, when it is desired to attach the baited side lines to the main line, the main line with its attachment means is fed to the support means, for example from a drum of a winch, and its attachment means attached to already-baited side lines received in the support means. The main lines and baited side lines are then ready for fishing. The whole operation may be carried out onboard a boat which can be drifting down-wind during the operation, thus saving fuel.

By connecting each end of a length of main line having baited side lines to a respective anchor, the whole arrangement can be left on the sea-bed with marker floats attached to the anchors by appropriate lengths of line.

The invention will now be further described by way of example with reference to the drawings of this specification. In the drawings; Figure 1 shows a length of main fishing line, Figure 2 is a top view of a support unit, Figure 3 is a side elevation of the unit of Figure 2, Figure 4 is an enlarged side-elevation of a single tube of the unit of Figure 2, Figure 5 shows a length of fishing line attached to an anchor and float, and Figure 6 shows fishing using apparatus illustrated in Figures 1 to 5.

Referring now to Figure 1, this shows a length of nylon fishing line 10 having a number of spacedapart connector parts 12 in the form of "C"-shaped clips attached to it. The line 10 may be interrupted at each connector-part 12, or may pass continuously through the parts.

The connector-parts 12 can be engaged with similar second connector-parts 14 shown in Figures 3 and 4. Each second connector-part 14 is connected to a side line 16 of nylon fishing line extending to a hook 18.

Figure 2 shows a support unit 20 consisting of a ten-by-ten array of circular plastics tubes 22 each about 4cm in diameter and about 25cm long, and a surrounding wall 24. The entire support unit may be integrally moulded or alternatively, it may be fabricated from individually-moulded parts.

The upper end of each tube 22 is shaped and dimensioned to support one of the second connector-parts 14, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

Figures 5 of the drawings shows the length of main line attached at one end to an anchor 26 which is attached to a float 28 by a line 30 of length appropriate to the depth of water to be fished. The distance between the anchor 26 and the first connector-part 10 on the main line 10 is chosen according to the depth of the water. A further anchor and float can be attached to the other end of the main line 10.

Figure 6 shows a boat 32 from which a fisherman 34 is shooting the main line 10 after attachment of the side lines 16. The line is stored on a winch drum 38. The anchor 26 is anchored in the bed 38 of the water being fished and the float 28 marks its position. The position of the main line 10 whilst being shot is shown is full lines and its position whilst fishing is shown in dashed lines.

The apparatus described above is used in the following way.

The support unit 20 is first loaded with up to 100 baited side lines 16. The loaded unit can be deepfrozen, or otherwise stored, or used immediateiy.

When fishing is to commence, one anchor 26 is dropped and a certain length of the main line 10 pulled into the sea. With the boat drifting down wind the fisherman now unwinds more of the main line 10 from the winch drum 36 and connects the first connector-parts 12 on the main line 10 to the second parts 14 supported in the support unit 20. After attachment, the main line 10 with side lines 16 and baited hooks 18 attached is shot over the side of the boat 32. The baited line comes to rest on the sea bed 38 (as shown in dashed lines in figure 6) and remains there whilst fish are caught on its hooks 18.

When a desired length of baited line has been shot, the line is attached to a second anchor and float and the anchor dropped overboard.

Afte; a suitable time period, the boat is returned to one of the floats, the adjacent anchor hauled aboard and the line 10 winched back onto the drum 38 whilst the side lines 16 are removed from the main line 10 by separation of the connector-parts 12, 14.

At the same time, or later, the fish caught are detached from the hooks 18. These operations can be carried out particularly quickly if the connectorparts 12, 14 are separated by one fisherman and the fish removed by another. The side lines are subsequently re-baited and returned to the support unit 20.

Claims (25)

1. Fishing apparatus comprising a main length of fishing line having means for attachment at points spaced along its length of a plurality of side lines.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which a plurality of side lines each extending to at least one fishing hook are attached to the attachment means.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the attachment means comprise a plurality offirst parts of two-part releasable connectors, the first connector parts being spaced along the main line.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, including a plurality of side lines, each extending from a second connector part to at least one fishing hook

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, in which the first and second connector parts comprise interengageable "C"-shaped clips.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which an anchor is attached to the main line at a point beyond one end of the attachment means.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, in which a further anchor is attached to the main line at a point beyond the other end of the attachment means.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, having a float attached by a length of line adjacent at least one of the anchors.

9. A method of fishing comprising baiting fishing hooks attached to respective ones of a plurality of lengths of fishing line, attaching the baited lines to a length of fishing line at points spaced along its length in order to form a main fishing line having a plurality of baited side lines, depositing the main and side lines in water to be fished, subsequently removing the lines from the water and detaching the side lines from the main line.

10. A method according to claim 9, in which the main line is attached to the side lines with the side lines supported so as to have their attachment points accessible.

11. A method according to claim 10, including the step of freezing and storing the supported and baited side lines.

12. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, in which the step of anchoring at least one end of the main line to the bed of the water to be fished.

13. A method according to claim 12, including the step of attaching a marker float to at least one anchor, orto the main line adjacent thereto.

14. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, in which the baited line is deposited by shooting from a marine vessel which is drifting down-wind.

15. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, in which the baited side lines are attached to the main line onboard a marine vessel.

16. A method according to claim 15, in which baited side lines are attached to the main line simultaneously with the main line with side lines being deposited.

17. A support means for a plurality of baited fishing lines, the support means including means for supporting lines in such a way that portions of the lines to be attached to a main fishing line are accessible for attachment.

18. A support means for a plurality of baited fishing lines, each extending to one part of a twopart releasable connector, the support means being arranged to support the first connector parts accessible for connection to corresponding second parts spaced along a main fishing line.

19. A support means according to claim 17 or 18, including shielding means for preventing entanglement of the hooks of adjacent lines.

20. A support means according to claim 18, including a plurality of tubes each being shaped to support a first connector part at the upper end of the tube, the tubes preventing entanglement of the hooks of adjacent lines.

21. A support means according to claim 20, in which the tubes are formed in an array of rows and columns and the support means is of moulded plastics material.

22. A support means according to any one of claims 17 to 21 and loaded with a plurality of baited fishing lines.

23. A loaded support means according to claim 22, the bait being frozen.

24. Fishing apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any figure of the drawings.

25. A method of fishing, the method being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.