GB2264030A - Fishing lure - Google Patents

Abstract

An artificial fishing lure for use in conjunction with a pronged hook device (16) incorporates 3 or more spinners (14) mounted in line along a shaft (11) each of which, in use, is capable of spinning independently of the others to give a multi- flash effect as the fishing line pulls the lure through the water, thus simulating a shoal of small fish highly attractive to predators. <IMAGE>

Description

FISHING LURE Field of the Invention The invention relates to artificial multi-spinner fishing lures.

General Background When fishing in fresh or sea water for game fish, coarse fish, or sea fish, anglers frequently use the technique known as "spinning" and "trolling". The kind of artificial bait used in these techniques is called a lure.

In spinning, the lure is cast out and, as the line is rented in, the lure literally spins,(ie rotates), or wobbles, (moves from side to side) or dips (moves up and down), according to the type of lure used. The technique of tolling differs from spinning only in that the lure is not cast from the shore but is trolled (drawn) behind a dinghy or motor boat.

In both cases, as the lure moves through the water it presents flashes of light and movement, which attracts predatory fish towards the lure.

Review of Art Known to the Applicant There are a number of types of spinning lure available and some of the more popular ones will now be described briefly.

Known forms of spinning lure include devons and minnows; the repala; the mepps lure; the bZair-type spoon lure; and the toby. These are used mostLy for game fishing - fishing for predatory coarse and sea fish uses variants of them - and they are only examples of what is currently available.

Devons and minnows, for instance, are generally tubular bodied lures with a relatively blunt leading end and a more tapered tail section.

They are usually fitted with fins causing the tubular body to rotate.

They are made from a variety of materials including plastic, wood, copper or quilL These lures are usually painted and are available in a range of colours and sizes.

The rapala, is generally fish-shaped and coloured to resemble fish colours. The lure is fitted with an adjustable fin approximately paced in the gill area and this fin causes a diving and/or dipping action. This type of lure is generally made from plastics mateaal and is available in different sizes. There is also a jointed rapala which has a flexible mid-joint affording a degree of articulation.

A blair-type spoon s an oblong shaped "spoon" $i.e. dished-contoured plate) metal lure with a dimpled finish. It is usually available in metallic colours and different sizes. As the lure moves through the water it presents a semi-spinning action.

A mepps lure is an oblong shaped shallow spoon fixed to a central wire by its leading end and which rotates repidty. It is available in a range of metallic and paint colours and in different sizes.

Tobies are generally fishahaped with a semi-spoon contour, coupled with a shallow curve resuung in a wobble action. They also are available in metallic and paint finishes and in a variety of sizes and are usually made from metal.

The above-described lures, as has been mentioned, are used mostly for game fishing. Fishing for predatory course and sea fish uses variants of these lures. Anglers generally refer to all these lures as "spinning" lures irrespective of whether or not they spin, literally, in use.

Similarly the actual moving flashing parts of the lures themselves are habitually called "spinners" irrespective of whether or not they literally rotate as the lure moves through the water. The terms "spinning" and "spinner" refer to the fact that all these lures can be used for spinning in the technique sense and not necessarily - although not excluding - the literal rotational movement sense. They wifl be used in this specification on that same basis.

The Inventive Concept The purpose of the invention was to create a range of Artificial Spining Lures with greater effectiveness than the various alternatives commonly available.

The invention takes as ins stating point the well known fact that the prey of predatory fish live in shoals. These shoals may compnse sprat, pilchard, sedine, herding, sand eel and (in fresh waters) small fry, fresh water sprat, powan, poLan etc. Predators are accustomed to seeing entire shoals of these fish emitting a multi-flash effect as they move through the water. In particular, sand eel - the staple diet of migratory game fish - in addition to living in shoals also emit individually a multi-flash effect.

The conventional lures do not reproduce this action of a multi-flash effect.

The Artificial Spinning Lures embodying the invention do, and it has been found that totally unexpected and highly advantageous results are obtained when they are used.

For example, it is well known that when salmon are returning from the sea to froth water, to spawn, they are generally very diffcult to catch. During the development of the invention, in "non-public" tests for experimental purposes only, in this instance specifically for salmon fishing, the applicant has found that using his new fishing lure, many times more salmon were caught than would be expected with traditional lures.

Summary of the Invention In its broadest aspect, the invention is embodied in an arULrZal fishing lure incorporating shaft-mounted spinners which spin as desired, in use, to give a multi-flash effect as the fishing line pulls the lure through the water; characterised by the features, that there are at least three such spinners on the lure and that they are so mounted as to be aKe to move, in use, independently of one another.

AngZers tend to use the terms "spinner" and "spoon" interchangeably and synonymously This present patent specification refers almost wholly to "spinners" but, for the avoidance of doubt, herein this spinners illustrated are all spoons - and a "spoon" is a particular (dished contoured, ie literally spoon-shaped) shape of spinner in our usage.

The spinners may be tear drop-shaped or oblong in overall shaping and examples of slituule shapings will be described and ifluslreted with reference to the drawings accompanying this description. In gen and as shown, the spinners may be attached to the shaft by means of snap links with the spinners being fitted to the snap links through holes provided for the purpose in the leading end of the spinner.

The shaft itself is preferably a multi-strand stainless steel wire.

To allow free and independent rotation or other movement of each spinner, appropriately contoured weights may be crimped or otherwise Bed onto the shaft to act as spacers between successive spinners.

Such weights, which for practical purposes may be metal weights, also serve to weight the lure to act casting and depth control The shaft may have a swivel attached to ins leading end whilst its trailing end has a treble hook attached. Larger lures (which may be laager in the sense of individual spinner sizes as wall as, or instead of, numbers of spinners used on the lure) may have an additional treble hook attached farther forward.

The spinners may have a metallic finishs typically for example, gold, brass, copper, bronze, chrome or nickel. They may be finish-painted to include luminous, holographic, and other appropriate affects.

The so-called shaft may in practice be constituted by an interconnected series of swivels, split rings and/or weights and spacers Lures where very small and lightweight spinners are used - typically intended to be used with fly line and fly rod - could be so made up, in a general swivel/split ring formation with a spinner repeating up to four or more times and finishing in a tremble hook, for example.

The drawings show currently preferred embodiments and win now be described in detail. The complete range of Multi Spinner ANaZ Fishing Lures encompasses lures specificafly developed for various coarse fish and sea fish species. In essence all these lures are of the same basic inventive concept under discussion. Their suitability for deployment with particular predatory fish is ensured in practice through detailed design of the spinner (shape, depth of contour, size, colouring etc.) as well as numbers of spinners per lure, the construction of the overall lure, and the colour combinations of spinners making up the lure.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figures 1 to 4 show diagrammatic representations of four embodiments of the invention.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments Figure 1 shows a fist embodiment of the invention. The swivel 10 serves as a connection point for the fishing line and ensures that the fishing line wire not become twisted. Shaft 11, made for example from a multi-strand st@ stainless steel wire, has loops, one at either end. The loops are formed by the use of steel crimps The leading loop is linked through one eye of the swivel 10. The end loop holds a treble hook 16. Such a hook can be placed along the shaft towards the leading loop. The multi-strand stainless steel wire provides a degree of flexbility and reduces the possibility of permanent deformation.A bead 12 mounted on the wire 11 ensures a snag froze rotation of snap links 13 also mounted on wire 11. Tea drop shaped or oblong "spoon" contoured spinners 14 are attached to the wire 11 by snap links 13.

The spinners 14 are mounted on the snap links 13 with concave side towards the wire 11. Shaped metal spacers/weights 15 are crimped onto the wire 11 affording separation and free rotation of snap links 13 and spinners 14. The presence of weights assets in the casting of the lure and in depth controL The spinners can have a variety of metallic finishes, typically, gold, brass, copper, bronze, chrome or nickeL Alternatively, the finish can be painted and include luminous and holographic materials.

Figure 2 2 shows a lure having different permutations of spinners, e.g different sizes and a variety of finishes may be used. The construction of this embodiment is the same as that described in Figure 1 except that the end loop of wire 21 does not end with a trebie hook, instead end loop 21 is passed through a second swivel 20 which holds a split ring 26 and, to which is attached a wobble action spinner 27. The spinner 27 has a second split ring 26 attached through a hie provided.

A treble hook 28 is mounted onto the second split ring 26.

Figure 3 shows a lure where very small and bight weight spinners are used having swivels and split rings interconnecting the spoons instead of a central shaft and weight spacers. The fist swivel 30, again, serves as a connection point for the fishing line and ensures that the fishing line will not become twisted. A spit ring 31 passes through the second eye of the swivel 30. This method of mounting is repeated for second and third spinners 32. The final split ring 31 holds treSe hook 33.

Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the invention in which the shaft is a 30lbs plus nylon monofil and with spinners of plastics material The hook on the smallest lure will be single.

The swivel 40 serves as a connection paint for the fishing line and ensure the fishing line will not become twisted. The Monofil 41 has loops at the ends. The loops are formed by metal cimps. The leading loop is linked through a swivel 40. The end loop which is formed with the use of a heavy crimp holds a hook 45 which maybe singe or - as shown - treble. The monofil ensures low weight and supplenes.. Snap links 42 are mounted on nylon 41. The snap links are looped through small plastic spinner 43 which are mounted with concave side facing inwards. The snap links/spinners s are separated/spaced by spacers 44 crimped onto monofil 41.

In all the descdbed and illustrated embodiments, more than three spinners could be used although only three in each case have been illustrated. The illustrations are solely by way of example.

Claims (16)

1. An artificial fishing lure for use in conjunction with a pronged hook device, incorporating spinners mounted in line along a shaft, said spinners being, in use, capable of spinning to give a multi-flash effect as the fishing line pulls the lure through the water, characterized in that the lure includes at least three such spinners so mounted on the lure as to be able, in use, to spin independently of one another.

2. An artificial fishing lure as claimed in claim 1, also incorporating at least one pronged hook device for catching fish attracted to the lure by its multi-flash effect.

3. An artificial fishing lure as claimed in claim 2, in which the hook device is triple-pronged.

4. An artificial fishing lure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the minimum three spinners are all of essentially the same teardrop or oblong overall shape

5. An artificial fishing lure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein each of the spinners is attached to the lure by means of snaplinks (clevis) fitted to the spinners through a hole provided in the leading edge of the spinner.

G . An artificial fishing lure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the shaft is or includes an interconnecting series of swivels, split-rings and/or weights and spacers.

7. An artificial fishing lure as claimed in claim 6, wherein the lure is constructed in a generally swivel/split ring formation with a spinner repeating up to 4 or more times and finishing in a triple-pronged hook.

8. An artificial fishing lure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the shaft is or includes a multi-stranded stainless steel wire.

9. An artificial fishing lure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the shaft is or includes a nylon monofil.

10. An artificial fishing lure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, which also includes weights crimped or otherwise affixed along the shaft so as also to act as spacers between successive spinners thereon.

11. An artificial fishing lure as claimed in claim 10, in which the weights also serve to assist in casting and depth control.

12. An artificial fishing lure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, which includes a swivel attached to the leading edge of the shaft that serves in use to prevent twisting of the fishing line.

13. An artificial fishing lure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the spinners are provided with a metallic finish.

14. An artificial fishing lure as claimed in claim 13, in which the metallic finish is provided in the form of gold, brass, copper, bronze, chrome sr nickel.

.'r art:Ific l fishing lure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the spinners are finish-painced to achieve luminous or holographic effects.

16. An artificial fishing lure as claimed in any of the precacling claims and substantially as herein described.

17 An artificial fishing lure substantially as herein described and shown in the accompanying drawings.