GB2295074A - Fishing marker - Google Patents

Abstract

A fishing marker intended for use with ledger-fishing has a hollow body 10 with a weight 17 disposed at one end. A tube 13 extends through the body and projects beyond the other end of the body. Holes 16 are formed through said other end and a fishing line 22 passes through the tube. In use, the marker initially floats with the weight lowermost and when the marker has drifted to the required position, tension is applied to the fishing line so tipping the marker which then floods and sinks. Any loose-feed or ground bait contained within the marker will then be released. <IMAGE>

Description

FISHING MARKER This invention relates to a fishing marker, particularly - but not exclusively - for use in conjunction with ledger-fishing techniques, when angling for bottom-feeding fish.

Ledger weight fishing is commonly used when angling for bottom-feeding fish, such as carp and tench. Usually, end tackle is connected to the free end of a fishing line by means of a swivel, the end tackle comprising a length of hook line together with a baited hook at its free end. A ledger weight is carried either on the end of the fishing line or on the end tackle, to ensure the baited hook lies on the bottom. On casting the assembly with a conventional rod and reel, the end tackle immediately sinks to the bottom and leaves almost no indication to the angler of the precise location of the hook.

With ledger weight fishing, it is a common practice to introduce loose-feed or ground bait to the site of the end tackle, in an attempt to encourage bottom-feeding fish to swim to the region of the baited hook, and then to take the bait. However, as the end tackle sinks and gives little indication of its location, the loose-feed has to be directed generally to the area of where the angler believes the end tackle to be - but as the end tackle may be relatively distant from the angler, equally the loose-feed may be distributed some distance from the true location of the end tackle. Consequently, much of the loose-feed may be wasted.

The present invention aims at overcoming to a large extent the above disadvantage of conventional ledger weight fishing techniques and provides a marker whereby an angler may be made aware of the precise position of the cast end tackle.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fishing marker comprising a hollow body closed at one end and having an opening at or adjacent its other end, means to connect at least the other end of the body to a fishing line, and the body being weighted so that the marker, when dropped into water, will float with the closed end thereof lowermost and with the opening above the water surface.

When performing a ledger weight fishing technique with the fishing marker of the present invention, the marker serves the dual purpose of initially marking the site to which the end tackle has been cast, and then acting as the ledger weight itself, once the body has been flooded with water and the marker has sunk to the bottom. On initial casting, the marker will float with said other end of the body (having the opening) uppermost, above the water surface. Thus, the angler may see the precise location of the end tackle and may distribute his loose-feed in the vicinity of the floating marker. Then, the angler may sink the marker, by pulling on the line so as to draw said other end of the body down to the water surface; water will then flow into the body through the opening at the other end of the body and the body will then sink to the bottom, to serve as a ledger weight.

Preferably, the hollow body comprises a generally tubular shell of circular cross-section, though the body may be externally profiled both to enhance the aesthetic appeal and also to assist with the aerodynamic shape of the body so as to enhance the ease with which the marker may be cast to a desired site.

There may be provided a tube extending more or less centrally through the body from its said one end to its said other end, which tube is arranged to receive the fishing line so as to extend therethrough, thereby to connect said other end of the body to the fishing line.

Preferably, the tube extends along the axis of the body and extends beyond at least one of said ends, but advantageously beyond both of said ends of the body.

With the preferred arrangement of marker of this invention, the part of the tube extending beyond the other end of the body serves to assist the sinking of the marker after the loose-feed has been distributed, by increasing the leverage of the fishing line on the body when tension is applied to the line. Once the marker has been flooded and has therefore sunk to the bottom, the part of the tube extending beyond the one (closed) end of the body serves to hold the swivel of the end tackle clear of the bottom, thus assisting an angler in detecting a bite.

In a preferred embodiment, the other end of the body is closed by a cap, said opening being formed in the cap. Conveniently, there may be several such openings in the cap, to assist the flooding of the body and to allow air to leave the body, when the body is tipped by tension exerted on a fishing line.

The body may be weighted by means of a separate weight assembly, disposed within the body and held at the one, closed, end thereof. This arrangement has the advantage that the weight may be removed and replaced by another of a different mass, to allow an adjustment of the position at which the marker floats, and so of the height of the or each opening above the water surface. In a case where a tube extends through the body, the weight preferably includes an axial bore and is located on the tube. Such a weight may be held at the closed end of the body by means of a friction sleeve fitted on to the external surface of the tube, and pressed down on to the weight. Such a sleeve may be of silicon rubber tubing.

This invention extends to a fishing marker as described above and having a tube extending through the body from its said one end to its said other end, in combination with a fishing line extending through the tube, the fishing line including a swivel assembly connecting the fishing line to a hook length terminating in a hook, the swivel limiting movement of the marker towards the hook. Conveniently, a conventional bead may be located on the fishing line immediately adjacent the swivel assembly, whereby the external end of the tube adjacent the one end of the body may bear on that bead, for example during a casting operation.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of ledgerfishing, comprising the steps of connecting to a fishing line set up for ledger-fishing a marker also of this invention as described above, casting the marker and fishing line to a desired site, projecting loosebait to the site marked by the marker, and then applying tension to the fishing line generally parallel to the water surface, to tip the marker to an extent sufficient to flood the body through its opening, thereby sinking the marker which thereafter serves as a ledger weight.

In order to ensure rapid flooding of the body without significantly moving the body from its cast site, tension may be applied to the fishing line by lowering the tip of a fishing rod with which the fishing line is used, down to the vicinity of or below the water surface and then reeling in the fishing line.

In addition to the advantage discussed above, where the marker serves to assist the angler in distributing loose-feed in the required area, use of the marker in a fishing method of this invention also has a further significant advantage. An angler usually wishes to cast as near as possible to an overhanging shrubbery or reed beds, since that is where bottomfeeding fish are likely to be. In doing so, there is not much margin for error in the accuracy of the cast, and an angler frequently will lose tackle in trees, reeds or shrubs as a consequence of over-casting. The use of the marker of the present invention allows an angler to take into account wind and water flow directions, and then to cast a safe distance from the intended fishing site. The marker may then be allowed to drift into the required position before loosefeeding is performed and the marker is flooded and sunk as described above. Expressly in the case of a river, the angler may position himself upstream of the site at which he wishes to fish. The marker may be simply placed in the water, the angler then letting out sufficient line to allow the current to take the marker to the site where the fishing is to be performed.

By way of example only, two specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a general perspective view of the first embodiment of marker, set up ready for performing ledger-fishing; Figure 1A is a detail view on the cap of the marker, shown in Figure 1; Figures 2A, 2B and 2C show the three stages in the use of the marker of this invention, to perform ledgerfishing; Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of marker; and Figure 4 is a partly exploded view of a third embodiment of marker.

Referring initially to Figure 1, it can be seen that the embodiment of marker of this invention comprises a main body 10 of generally cylindrical form, but having a rounded profile at one end 11 and tapering gradually towards the other end 12. The main body 10 conveniently is moulded from a clear plastics material.

A plastic tube 13 extends axially through the main body 10, the tube 13 projecting from both ends 11 and 12 of the body. The tube 13 is sealed to the main body 10, where the tube 13 extends through the body wall at the one end 11 thereof. A cap 14 is a light press-fit on to the external surface of the other end 12 of the main body, the cap having a central bore 15 to receive the tube 13, and also four spaced apertures 16, as shown in Figure 1A. The cap may be of a similar plastics material to the main body 10, or may be moulded from coloured plastics, as required.

A weight assembly 17 is carried on the tube 13 and is held within and adjacent the one end 11 of the main body, by means of a short sleeve 18 of silicon rubber tubing. The weight assembly 17 comprises typically similar upper and lower weights 19, together with one or more central weights 20. By adjusting the mass of the weights carried in the weight assembly, the vertical position at which the main body will float may be adjusted, to have the apertures 16 disposed a required distance above the water surface.

In use, a fishing line 22 is threaded through the tube 13 and through a drilled plastic bead 23 and is then attached by tying to one part of a link swivel 24.

A so-called hook length 25 is then attached to the other part of the link swivel 24 and a hook 26 at the other end of the hook length is baited as required.

After casting, the marker will float with the hook length 25 and baited hook 26 suspended below the marker, as shown in Figure 2A. The marker may be allowed to drift to a required position, whereafter loose-feeding may be performed. The weight of the line to the rod will lie on the surface tension of the water and will prevent the line sliding through the tube 13; this allows the marker to drift into shallow water near reed beds or under over-hanging shrubs, should this be required.

Once the marker is in position, the rod tip should be positioned just below the surface of the water. A couple of turns on the reel will tighten the fishing line and so cause the device to lean over until water floods through the aperture 16 in the cap as shown in Figure 2B. The marker will then sink to the bottom, as shown in Figure 2C, leaving the end tackle perfectly set for fishing. Also as shown in Figure 2C, the end of the tube 13, projecting beyond the one end 11 of the main body, serves to hold the swivel 24 clear of the bottom and in turn, this improves bite detection for the angler.

The sizes and arrangement of the apertures 16 in the cap 14 should carefully be selected so that should the marker initially be submerged briefly as the line is cast, an insignificant quantity of water will enter the marker body, but on the marker being tilted over as shown in Figure 2B, water may easily flow into the marker body whilst air is driven out, to permit sinking of the body. Empirical tests have shown that four apertures each having a diameter of about 4mm produces good results.

Following retrieval of the marker and re-baiting of the hook, the marker should be emptied of water merely by holding it upside down, before re-casting.

Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of marker of this invention which is functionally equivalent to the first embodiment but which can be moulded in two principal parts. The lower body part lOA includes an integrally moulded tube part 13A extending both within the body part and beyond the end thereof. Similarly, the upper body part lOB also includes an integrally moulded tube part 13B which interfits with tube part 13A within the body and also projects beyond the upper end thereof. The upper body part lOB provides an integral cap 14B, in which are formed apertures similar to those of cap 14 of the first embodiment. Where the two body parts fit together, at 30, a snap connection is provided, for example by an external rib around the rim of the lower body part 10A and a corresponding groove formed internally around the rim of the upper body part 10B.

Figure 4 shows a third embodiment of marker of this invention, which is generally similar to those described above, but differing in detail. The body of the marker of Figure 4 is made in three moulded plastics pieces, comprising a nose part 35, a main body part 36 and a cap part 37. The three parts are pressfitted together to form a complete body, but an adhesive may be used to make the joints between the respective parts. A tube 38 extends through the body, which tube fits closely within an upstand 39 moulded integrally within the nose part 35. Again, an adhesive may be used to secure the tube 38 within the upstand 39. A one piece weight 40 is located within the body around the tube 38, and adhesive may be employed to ensure that weight stays adjacent the upstand 39. The weight may be counterbored in order that the upstand 39 may be accommodated within the weight itself.

The cap part 37 includes at least one hole 41 through its end face, and a further hole 42 is provided through the side wall, in order to allow more efficient emptying of the body, following use of the marker.

The marker of Figure 4 is used in the same manner as the marker of Figures 1 and 2 and that of Figure 3.

In view of that, no further description of the use of this marker will be given here.

Claims (16)

1. A fishing marker comprising a hollow body closed at one end and having an opening at or adjacent its other end, means to connect at least the other end of the body to a fishing line, and the body being weighted so that the marker, when dropped into water, will float with the closed end thereof lowermost and with the opening above the water surface.

2. A fishing marker as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hollow body comprises a generally cylindrical shell.

3. A fishing marker as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein there is provided a tube extending through the body from its said one end to its said other end, the tube being arranged to permit the fishing line to extend therethrough, thereby to connect said other end of the body to the fishing line.

4. A fishing marker as claimed in claim 3, wherein the tube extends beyond said other end of the body.

5. A fishing marker as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the tube extends beyond said one end of the body.

6. A fishing marker as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the other end of the body is closed by a cap, said opening being formed in the cap.

7. A fishing marker as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a removable weight is provided within the body, at or adjacent the one end thereof, whereby the mass of the weight may be varied to have the marker float with the opening at a predetermined height above the water surface.

8. A fishing marker as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the body is formed from a hollow main body part, to one end of which is fitted a nose part and to the other end of which is fitted a cap, the opening at the other end of the body being formed in the cap.

9. A fishing marker as claimed in claim 8, wherein the parts comprising the body comprise plastics mouldings.

10. A fishing marker as claimed in claim 9 and substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

11. A fishing marker as claimed in any of claims 3 to 5 or any claim dependent thereon, in combination with a fishing line extending through the tube, the fishing line including a swivel assembly connecting the fishing line to a hook length terminating in a hook, the swivel limiting movement of the marker towards the hook.

12. A method of ledger-fishing, comprising the steps of connecting to a fishing line set up for ledgerfishing a marker according to any of claims 1 to 10, casting the fishing line and marker to a desired site, and then applying tension to the fishing line generally parallel to the water surface to tip the marker to an extent sufficient to flood the body through its opening, thereby sinking the marker which thereafter serves as a ledger weight.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein tension is applied to the fishing line by lowering the tip of a fishing rod with which the fishing line is used to the vicinity of the water surface and then reeling in fishing line.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the tip of the fishing rod is dipped below the water surface as the fishing line is reeled-in.

15. A method of ledger-fishing as claimed in any of claims 12 to 14, wherein after the marker is at a required site, loose-bait is projected to the site marked by the marker.

16. A method of ledger-fishing as claimed in any of claims 12 to 15 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.