GB2276302A - Fishing bait - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of forming a fishing bait comprising the steps of: (i) reducing to a paste a mature of some or all of the following; waste fish and crustacea; fish, meat and other offal; animal or vegetable waste; blood products; (ii) combining this paste as necessary with; (a) a binder or thickening meal or other suitable material; (b) flavouring such as fish oil, smelly additives, fish attractants or essences; (c) preservatives; (iii) Packing the resulting mixture into an elongate sheath or skin to create a long sausage-shaped tube of bait; wherein the skin has a degree of elasticity and adhesion such that portions of bait can be formed by twisting the resultant sausage-shaped tube about its longitudinal axis in much the same way that a cocktail sausage is formed.

Description

FISHING BAIT Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improved type of fishing bait and to a method of producing this new type of bait.

Background to the Invention Hungry sea-fish and fish in general will snatch any edible creature properly presented as hook bait. However, many species of sea-fish have favourite natural foods, and show a preference for particular baits. For example, bass, cod, dogfish and plaice show a particular preference for clams and crabs.

Currently fishermen use either whole or partly dissected fish or crustacea for bait but these are not always readily available. Furthermore, this practice is wasteful because only parts of the gut of the fish are used as bait and the remainder of the fish is discarded.

A variety of artificial fish baits have been developed using a variety of bait components, attractants etc and in many delivery formats. None of the baits developed thus far has proved in practice to be well adapted to the needs of the pleasure/sport angler or for commercial use by long-line fishermen where the bait must be secured to a hook and then exposed to a salt water environment for a substantial period of time. Many of the prior artificial baits are not easily applied to a hook, especially when automatic baiting machines are employed to bait the hooks. Additionally, while the bait must remain on the hook for a long period of time upon contact with water, once the hook is retrieved to the fishing boat, the bait must also be easily removed from the hooks. Moreover, the bait must have the capability of allowing a time release of the attractant from the bait to continuously attract fish to the hook over an extended period of time. One artificial bait that attempts to meet the foregoing requirements is disclosed in US patent No 4,882,174 (Burreson et al) this patent discloses an artificial bait comprising a mat of randomly crossed fibres of a fibrous material and a fluid mass of dissolved gelatine or pectin and attractant dispersed throughout the fibrous mat.

While the bait is retained reasonably well on a hook, it is sometimes difficult to remove from the hook because the barb becomes caught in the fibrous mat. Furthermore, it is difficult to formulate and form into the desired shape. Furthermore, the bait of Burreson et al can only be moulded into a desired shape. It cannot be extruded and then cut into desired lengths because of the presence of the fibrous mat.

Attempts have been made to improve this type of bait such as is described in US 5,062,235 (Harold T Cook) in which a mixture of a randomly dispersed fibre, an attractant and an alginate gel permeable to the attractant when it comes in contact with water is described. However, this mixture is only partly successful in overcoming the difficulties inherent with this type of bait.

The use of heat-treated and mechanically treated pectin-containing animal wastes to make fishing bait has been described in DE 3 525 232A (Knauer).

A wide variety of constituents can be used to vary the consistency of this type of product and to preserve it, with other constituents being added to increase the attraction, scent and lure of the bait which is protected from spoiling, drying out, or loss of odour by extrusion into ribbon-like shapes which are wrapped in an air-tight manner within plastic tubes. However, although this provides a conveniently handleable form of bait it is not in a format that can be easily used by pleasure anglers or commercial long-line fisherman.

Cutting the plastic tube to create portions of bait of the necessary size simply results in the bait ingredients exiting the now open plastic tube.

An alternative form of prior art process which is described in some detail in US 3,876,803 (Stephan) utilizes a proteinaceous material in the form of a gel which has a hardening agent incorporated into the gel prior to forming the bait into its finished shape. After a short curing time a homogeneous fish bait is produced which resembles a fish egg to a certain extent. However, not only does this product not have the natural appearance and feel of a fish egg product but it provides less than the desired amount of solubility in cold water to act as a fish attractant.

It is the object of the current invention to overcome the problems inherent with any of these previously produced fishing baits and to provide a product which is convenient to use for both the pleasure angler and the commercial long-line fisherman alike.

Summarv of the Invention In its broadest sense, the first aspect of the invention provides a method of forming a fishing bait comprising the steps of: (i) reducing to a paste a mixture of some or all of the following; waste fish and crustacea; fish, meat and other offal; animal or vegetable waste; blood products; (ii) combining this paste as necessary with; (a) a binder or thickening meal or other suitable material; (b) flavouring such as fish oil, smelly additives, fish attractants or essences; (c) preservatives; (iii) Packing the resulting mixture into an elongate sheath or skin to create a long sausage-shaped tube of bait; wherein the skin has a degree of elasticity and adhesion such that portions of bait can be formed by twisting the resultant sausage-shaped tube about its longitudinal axis in much the same way that a cocktail sausage is formed.

Preferably the skin or sheath contains perforations.

Preferably the method incorporates an additional stage (iv) wherein portions of bait are formed by twisting the sausage-shaped tube about its longitudinal axis and separating each portion thus formed by making cuts at the nodes which have been created.

Preferably the method incorporates an additional stage (v) whereby the fishing bait is frozen or chilled directly it has been packaged.

Preferably an additional step (vi) is incorporated into the method wherein the skin or sheath is perforated after it has been packed with the fishing bait mixture.

Preferably the method incorporates an additional step in which the ends of the sausage-shaped tube are sealed to create an air-tight seal and the fishing bait is sold together with a perforater such that the angler can perforate the skin or sheath as required.

In a particularly preferred method vermin crab are used as an essential ingredient in preparing the paste in step (i).

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided fishing bait prepared by packing any suitable bait ingredients into a sheath or skin to form an elongate sausage-shaped tube, the said skin having a degree of elasticity and adhesion such that portions of bait can be formed by twisting the resulting sausage-shaped tube about its longitudinal axis, in much the same way as a cocktail sausage is formed.

Preferably the skins contain perforations, said perforations being either present in the skins prior to packing, or being added during the packing process, or alternatively being created in a separate process after packing.

In a particularly preferred embodiment vermin crab is used as part of the bait ingredients.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment A presently preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only.

An artificial bait formulated according to the present invention contains a variety of primary ingredients; a range of waste fish and crustacea, fish and meat offal or other low-cost ingredients; a binder or thickening agent; flavourings such as fish oils, smelly additives, fish attractants or other essences; and preservatives. These ingredients are known per se either through use in existing artificial baits or through use in the food/agricultural feedstocks industry.

The range of ingredients is selected from this list according to the type of fish that the artificial bait is designed catch. This selection is often made on an experimental basis followed by fishing trials in the area and for the species of fish that the particular batch of bait is intended to catch. It is entirely possible that sport, pleasure and long-line fishermen will have bait made up to their own individual tried and tested formulae.

The first step in the process involves mechanically reducing the fish waste etc to a paste. This process allows certain items to be used as bait which was hitherto not possible. An example of this is hardback shore crab, commonly known as "vermin" crab. The hard shell on this type of crab makes it difficult to use as bait but in this process it can be used whole or in sections.

Additional flavourings are then added as necessary. These flavourings are also known per se and include fish oil, smelly additives, fish attractants or essences. Their purpose is to attract the particular fish species which the angler wishes to catch and to encourage these species to take an interest in the bait. They will vary widely depending upon the intended catch. It will be appreciated that fish rely heavily on their use of smell when looking for food since, amongst other things, visibility under water in rivers and in the North Sea is often very poor. Thus it is a key factor in the effectiveness of any bait that the fish can smell it and are attracted to that smell.

Binding or thickening agents, such as bread meal, are then added as required to give the paste a consistency suitable for the next stage in the procedure.

Generally, a consistency akin to sausage meat is desired. Certainly the paste should not be so fluid that it can easily escape from the skin that it will be packed into in the next stage of the process.

In this next stage the paste is forced into a long skin or sheath that it similar in many respects to that used in the manufacture of sausages. The packed skins can have any desired cross-section and length and no novelty is claimed in this aspect. Generally the diameter of the packed skin is in the order of 8 mm but larger or smaller diameters can be used depending on the size of the desired fish catch.

The physical properties of the skin are important. The skins must have a degree of elasticity and self adhesion such that by twisting the packed skin about its longitudinal axis small bait-sized portions can be created in much the same way that cocktail sausages are produced. After cutting of these individual bait-sized portions at the nodes created by the twisting process the skins must be such that the portions retain their integrity and do not readily release their contents during handling or whilst in the water and on the hook.

It is also important that the skins do not act as a deterrent to the fish, for example having an odour or texture which fish might find distasteful.

Perforations are then introduced into the skins to allow the fish attractant to be released slowly in use and to allow the fish to experience the bait. This requirement sets further perimeters for physical properties of the skins. They must be able to withstand puncturing yet retain sufficient physical strength not to rip open between the perforations. The perforations can be any size or shape and in any suitable pattern. For example they could take the form of a-regular "prick marks" or punctures with a shaped instrument; but they must be sufficient to allow the controlled release of fish attractants yet retain the majority of the bait.

In a subsequent step in the process the bait can be chilled or frozen to prolong its shelf life.

In an optional step in the process the ends of the packed skin can be sealed off in an air-tight fashion to give a product which can be easily handled and sold without further processing.

It will be appreciated that the latter steps in this method can be performed in any desired sequence. For example, the skins might be perforated before filling or be supplied by the manufacturer in a perforated state. If the bait is to be frozen, perforations could equally well be introduced into the frozen product.

As a further alternative the bait could be supplied to the angler with instructions and a perforating tool. This has the advantage that the degree of perforation can be varied to suit individual circumstances.

Summarv The present invention extends the seasonal benefits of fresh crab baits to a year-round availability through the preservation of the natural crab scent that is so important for successful use. The resultant crab "base" can be used in various proportions to a fish and meal carrier to match conditions and catch species requirements.

The products will generally be available in stick form, comprising a processed bait encased in a perforated skin, not unlike a very thin sausage with the "prick marks" already made. These sticks will then be twisted and cut into suitable lengths prior to use.

The invention provides a reliable, standardized, easy to use and cheap alternative consumable product for a large national and international industry offering the following advantages: extension of crab bait season to year-round; uniformity of bait presentation; ease of handling and use; ease of supply, distribution and storage; consistent availability in consistent form; range of "type" to suit local requirements; cheapness; reduction of bait imports (eg. squid); use of existing and otherwise waste products to produce a valuable end product; will limit destruction of hook baits by non-target species.

Claims (12)

Claims

1. A method of forming a fishing bait comprising the steps of: (i) reducing to a paste a mixture of some or all of the following; waste fish and crustacea; fish, meat and other offal; animal or vegetable waste; blood products; (ii) combining this paste as necessary with; (a) a binder or thickening meal or other suitable material; (b) flavouring such as fish oil, smelly additives, fish attractants or essences; (c) preservatives; (iii) Packing the resulting mixture into an elongate sheath or skin to create a long sausage-shaped tube of bait; wherein the skin has a degree of elasticity and adhesion such that portions of bait can be formed by twisting the resultant sausage shaped tube about its longitudinal axis in much the same way that a cocktail sausage is formed.

2. A method of forming fishing bait as claimed in claim 1 wherein the skin or sheath contains perforations.

3. A method of forming a fishing bait as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 incorporating an additional stage (iv) wherein portions of bait are formed by twisting the sausage-shaped tube about its longitudinal axis and separating each portion thus formed by making cuts at the nodes which have been created.

4. A method of forming a fishing bait as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 incorporating an additional stage (v) whereby the fishing bait is frozen or chilled directly it has been packaged.

5. A method of forming a fishing bait as described in any of claims 1, 3 or 4 wherein an additional step (vi) is incorporated into the method wherein the skin or sheath is perforated after it has been packed with the fishing bait mixture.

6. A method of forming a fishing bait as claimed in any of claims 1, 3 or 4 wherein the ends of the sausage-shaped tube are sealed to create an air-tight seal and the fishing bait is sold together with a perforater such that the angler can perforate the skin or sheath as required.

7. A method of forming a fishing bait as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 wherein vermin crab are used as an essential ingredient in preparing the paste in step (i).

8. A method of forming a fishing bait substantially as herein described.

9. Fishing bait prepared by packing any suitable bait ingredients into a sheath or skin to form an elongate sausage-shaped tube, the said skin having a degree of elasticity and adhesion such that portions of bait can be formed by twisting the resulting sausage-shaped tube about its longitudinal axis, in much the same way as a cocktail sausage is formed.

10. Fishing bait as claimed in claim 9 wherein the skins contain perforations, said perforations being either present in the skins prior to packing, or being added during the packing process, or alternatively being created in a separate process after packing.

11. Fishing bait as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9 wherein vermin crab is used as part of the bait ingredients.

12. Fishing bait prepared substantially as herein described.