GB2252226A

GB2252226A - Fishing aid

Info

Publication number: GB2252226A
Application number: GB9201465A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ralph Walter Horrocks
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-01-23
Filing date: 1992-01-23
Publication date: 1992-08-05
Anticipated expiration: 2012-01-23
Also published as: GB2252226B; GB9101490D0; GB9201465D0

Abstract

An automatic striking device for a fishing line comprises a recoil member (20, 22) attached to and capable of movement along the axis of the line wherein said movement is impeded in a set position by temporary securing means (27) said securing mean being gradually releasable upon movement at a hooked end of the line until movement of the member is no longer impeded and causes a sudden pull on the line to cause a strike. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: Fishing Aid DESCRIPTION This invention relates to a fishing aid.

In rod fishing it is necessary when a fish has taken the bait for the angler to pull the line sharply in order that the hook becomes lodged firmly in the fish's flesh. This is known as "striking".

Timing of the strike is critical so that the fish is hooked having taken the bait, this being shown to the angler by a movement in the line caused by a fish tugging at the bait.

It is an aim of this invention to provide a means for automatically striking in order to help hook a fish so helping even inexperienced anglers to land a fish.

According to the present invention there is provided an automatic striking device for a fishing line comprising a recoil member attached to and capable of movement along the axis of the line wherein said movement is impeded in a set position by temporary securing means, said securing mean being slowly releasable upon movement at a hooked end of the line until movement of the member is no longer impeded and causes a sudden pull on the line to cause a strike.

The recoil member is preferably removably fixable in a housing, and temporarily securable at a fixing position in the housing. Means for pulling the member in a direction opposite from the hooked end of the line are counterbalanced by means for temporarily securing the member at a fixing position.

Preferably the means for pulling the member away from the hooked end of the line comprise an elastically deformable recoiling member or portion thereof securable in an extended position, preferably to the housing.

In an envisaged embodiment of this invention the recoil member is preferably partially divided along some portion of its length and open-ended so that it may engage with a transverse rod mounted in the housing.

Engagement with said rod may be improved by suitable notching either side of the recoil member partial divide, In this envisaged embodiment temporary securement of the recoil member may be effected by a winding of a portion of the line connected to said recoil member towards the open end of the partial divide preventing recoil of the member and disengagement from the transverse rod. The partial divide in the recoil member may be rigid or may be closable.

The winding of line is preferably facilitated by grooving on the outer surface of the recoil member towards the open end. Preferably a further means of preventing premature unravelling of the line during casting out is provided.

The further means could be a lozenge insertable into an aperture of the device to trap the line between the device and the lozenge. Alternatively the line may be coated with a slowly soluble stiffening spray.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention a lozenge is inserted into an aperture at the open end of the recoil member and is able to fix a portion of the fishing line, such as a loop therein, in the aperture.

Alternatively the lozenge may be inserted in an aperture of the device to trap a loop of the line therein.

Additionally a lozenge may be inserted into an aperture through which the line actually passes, such as a nose of the housing of the device.

The lozenge would preferably dissolve upon contact with water whereby dissolution of the lozenge primes the device for striking action upon unwinding of the line from the recoil member by a fish that has taken the bait.

It may be desirable to have both means for delaying priming of the device as described above, whereby the lozenge in the nose of the housing delays priming while the line is cast and the lozenge in the recoil member, which will preferably be in a substantially water tight compartment of the housing at least until the first lozenge has dissolved, or possibly the stiffening spray delays priming for an additional period of time while the line settles in the water. The substantially water tight compartment may be provided by a slidable or removable cover of the housing of the device, whereby access is available to the recoil member itself.

One primary use of the device of the invention will be for ledger fishing often at night. In this a rod might not be constantly attended for striking movement of the line to be detected, it is envisaged that a strike indicator will be included in the device.

One possible indicator is a so-called "night light", which may be retained in a chamber that is attached to but freely movable along the line to the device from the rod and that is released from the device to float to the surface upon striking occurring. The chamber may have part held between the housing of the device and a part associated with the recoil member, whereby when that member recoils the chamber part is released. Of course, during daylight the chamber need not include a light device but may still be used to indicate a strike.

The housing of the device of the invention is preferably an elongated cylinder which may also serve as an anti-tangle aid by putting sufficient distance between the line from the rod attached to the recoil member and the line from recoil member to the hook. The recoil member may include a resilient tube such as of rubber, one end of which is attached to the split part of the recoil member and the other end has a plug to which is attached the line to the fishing rod. As a safety measure to prevent loss of the device it is proposed that the tubing include a length of line connecting the plug and the split part of the recoil member.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,: Figure 1 shows a plan view of a recoil member according to the invention; Figure 2 shows a plan view of a housing according to the invention; Figure 3 shows a plan view of a recoil member and housing; Figure 4 shows an alternative housing; Figure 5 is a sectional view showing additions to a device according to the invention; Figure 6 is a section through an alternative embodiment; and Figure 7 is a plan view of the embodiment of Figure 6.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3 a fishing line 1 is attached to a member 20 at 21. The member 20 is attached to elastic tubing 22. Member 20 is provided with a longitudinal slot 23 with notching to form a substantially cylindrical through transverse hole at 24.

The slot 23 is open-ended with one of the two free ends so formed having an extension 25. Said extension 25 has an aperture 26.

Circumferential grooving 27 is provided towards the two free ends of member 20. A housing 30 comprises a hollow blunt ended tube having a cylindrical transverse rod 31 disposed towards a central position.

A blunt end 32 has an aperture 33 to allow fishing line 10 to pass through. The housing 30 has cutaway portions 34 to allow fitting of member 20.

Member 20 and its associated elastic tubing 22 may be fitted via aperturing 34 into the housing 30.

The open-ended slot 23 is dimensioned to allow passage of the rod 31 so as to locate member 20 in the housing 30 and tending to fix rod 31 in cylindrical notching 24.

The line 10 is fixed at 21 and may be threaded through the aperture 33 in the housing 30. The recoil member 20 at its cylindrical notching 24 may be pivoted about rod 31, whilst part of the tubing 22 remains in a rearward part of the housing and the line 10 runs from 21 through the aperture 33.

In this pivoted position with the member 21 no longer centrally located in the housing 30 but projecting out of aperturing 34, the device may be set for use. The line 10 is wound a number of times about the member 20, principally at the grooving. This effectively fixes the rod 31 into notching 24. Further securement of the line 10 is provided by a soluble lozenge 13 pushed together with a loop 12 of line through aperture 26 in extension 25 so fixing said logo during casting out.

Once set in the aforementioned way the member 10 may be carefully pivoted back into a central position in the housing 30 and any slack in line 10 gently pulled through aperture 33 in the blunt-end 32.

The mechanism is set by extending the elastic tubing 22 and fixing it by way of a protuberance engaging with a notch in an open end of the housing 30.

When a line is cast out the device is in the water and the lozenge 13 dissolves. If a fish begins to take the bait causing movement in the line the winding at 26 slowly releases until the rod 31 is eventually able to move out of notching 24 and a contraction of the extended elastic tubing 22 causes a rapid rearwards pull of member 20 and hence the attached line 10.

Turning to Figure 4 an alternative housing 40 is similar to that of Figure 2 except that its nose 42 has an indent 44 for receiving a water-soluble lozenge 46 in order to trap line 45 to delay priming of ne device during casting in addition to the delay already available as described with reference to Figure 1 of the drawings. In addition, housing aperture 50 may be sealed from water ingress by slidable sleeve 52 on the housing until the lozenge 46 has dissolved allowing water to enter the aperture through the nose 2.

In Figure 5 at the other end of the housing either of Figure 2 or of Figure , the rubber tubing 22 has a plug 60 to which line 64 is attached. The plug 60 has a flange 62. On the line 64 is a carrier 66 for a chamber 68 suitable for containing a so-called "night light" The carrier 66 has a limb 70 at one end that has a large through hole 72 relative to the line and a bifurcated limb 74 at its other end. The flange 62 of the plug 60 traps the limb 74 against the end cf the housing when the device is primed. Upon a strike occurring the tubing 22 will recoil to release the limb 74 allowing the carrier and its chamber to oat upwards along the line. Whether or not a light device is present the appearance of the chamber at the surface of the water will indicate that a strike has occurred.

Turning to Figure 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings an alternative embodiment is illustrated. The main differences between this embodiment and the embodiments illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 will be described below and features not described in respect of Figures 6 and 7 will be substantially as present in the other illustrated embodiments.

In the embodiment of Figures 6 and 7 the recoil device comprises a rigid bifurcated member 100 to which is attached a rubber tube 102. The member 100 has a length of fishing line 104 attached thereto at 106 and the member fits about transverse rod 108 of generally cylindrical housing 110. When the member 100 is in position, so that its rubber tube 102 is stretched, the line will be wound around its end in the shallow regions 112 to retain the member 100 in its ready position. The line is passed through the nose 114 of the device where a soluble lozenge 116 is inserted and the line looped back into an aperture 118 of the housing into which another soluble lozenge 120 is inserted. A slideable cover 122 is slid up to the nose of the housing to cover the recoil member and the lozenge 120. A narrow slot 124 in the cover allows the line 104 to emerge. The line 104 has at its other end a hook 126.

When the device is cast out, the lozenges hold the device in its ready state. Once the device falls into the water, the lozenge 116 first dissolves, which allows water into the housing to dissolve the second lozenge 120. The device is then ready for a strike, so that when a fish takes the bait on the hook, the line 104 is pulled out of the housing and unwinds from the member 100, whereby the member 100 is freed to recoil causing the strike.

Claims

1. An automatic striking device for a fishing line comprising a recoil member attached to and capable of movement along the axis of the line wherein said movement is impeded in a set position by temporary securing means, said securing mean being slowly releasable upon movement at a hooked end of the line until movement of the member is no longer impeded and causes a sudden pull on the line to cause a strike.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recoil member is removably fixable in a housing, and temporarily securable at a fixing position in the housing.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the means for pulling the member away from the hooked end of the line includes an elastically deformable recoiling member or portion thereof securable in an extended position.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said securement of the recoil member is to the housing.

5. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the recoil member is partially divided along some portion of its length and open-ended so that it may engage with a transverse rod mounted in the housing

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein for engagement of the recoil member with said rod notching is provided either side of the recoil member partial divide.

7. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein securement of the recoil member is effected by a winding of a portion of the line connected to said recoil member towards the open end of the partial divide preventing recoil of the member and disengagement from the transverse rod.

8. A device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the winding of line is facilitated by grooving on the outer surface of the recoil member towards the open end.

9. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a further means of preventing premature unravelling of the line during casting out is provided.

10. A device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the further means is a soluble lozenge insertable into an aperture of the device to trap the line between the device and the lozenge.

11. A device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the line is coated with a slowly soluble stiffening spray.

12. A device as claimed in claim 10, wherein a first lozenge is inserted into an aperture at the open end of the recoil member and is able to fix a portion of the fishing line, such as a loop therein, in the aperture.

13. A device as claimed in claim 10, wherein a first lozenge is inserted in an aperture of the device to trap a loop of line therein.

14. A device as claimed in claim 10, 12, 13 or 14, wherein a first or a second lozenge is inserted in an aperture of the device through which the line actually passes.

15. A device as claimed in claim 14, wherein said aperture is in a nose of the device.

16. A device as claimed in claim 14 or 15, wherein said first lozenge is in a substantially water tight compartment of the housing at least until the second lozenge has dissolved.

17. A device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the substantially water tight compartment is provided by a slidable or removable cover of the housing of the device, whereby access is available to the recoil member itself.

18. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17, further comprising a strike indicator.

19. A device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the strike indicator is a so-called "night light", retained in a chamber that is attached to but freely movable along the line to the device from the rod and that is released from the device to float to the surface upon striking occurring.

20 A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 19 comprising a housing in the form of an elongated cylinder.

21. A device as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 20, wherein the recoil member includes a resilient tube one end of which is attached to the partially divided member and the other end has a plug to which is attached the line to the fishing rod.

22. An automatic striking device for a fishing line substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in any one of the accompanying drawings.