GB2335129A - Fishing lure - Google Patents

Abstract

A fishing lure (10) comprises at least one fabric wing portion (18, 20) of woven ribbon bearing a check pattern, such as a tartan.

Description

1 FISHING LURE io is 2335129 This invention relates to a fishing lure, and

in particular to a fishing lure in the form of a fly.

Fishing lures having the appearance of insects, particularly flies, are widely used by fishermen. The "wings" of such flies are traditionally formed from parts of particular bird's feathers. However, many people do not have ready access to the feathers of the preferred birds, and further the process of successfully selecting appropriate feathers, selecting appropriate wing slips from the 'Leathers, pairing and cutting the wing slips, folding the wing slips together and.then tying the wing slips to the shank of a hook requires considerable experience, skill and dexterity. As a result, the production of high quality flies is the preserve of skilled craftsmen, and the result-in5 flies tend to be relatively expensive. In addition, fishing flies formed using feather tend to be fragile and may suffer damage if, for example, taken by a larger fish such as a sea trout or salmon.

There have been numerous proposals for fishing lures having wing portions formed of materials other than feather, such as transparent plastics. Descriptions of such fishing lures may be found in th-- patent documents; US 4,307,531; US 4,429,482; US 5,068,997; GB 5-569,147; GB 703,459 and GB 2 268 673 2. However, these fishing lures have not become popular. One reason for this 1 1 2 may be that such f ishing lures are not as aesthetically pleasing as traditional bird feather fishing lures. Of course, it may also be that such fishing lures have proved less effective in attracting fish.

It is among the objectives of embodiments of the present invention to provide a fishing lure which is more easily produced than a conventional fishing lure incorporating portions of bird feather, and also to produce a fishing lure which is robust and is aesthetically pleasing, both to the fisherman and the fish.

According to the present invention there is provided a fishing lure comprising at least one fabric wing portion.

The invention also relates to a method of producing a fishing lure utilising fabric to form a wing portion of the lure.

Ihe use of fabric facilitates the production of the lure, and has been found to result in lures which are robust and resistant to damage.

The lure may comprise a single wing portion, or ma comprise two or more wing portions.

Preferably, the wing portion is of woven fabric. Such fabric is generally robust, but is flexible and easily handled, facilitating production of the 'Lure. without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the cross weave present in woven matprialls makes a significant contribution to these properties.

Preferably, the wing portion is of woven ribbon. Such ribbon features a fine weave, further facilitating cutting 3 and handling of the ribbon during production of the lure.

Preferably, the wing portion bears a pattern, most preferably a check pattern. Surprisingly, it has been found that wing portions bearing a tartan pattern are particularly effective at attracting fish, and also produce lures which are aesthetically pleasing.

The fabric may be selectively treated or coated with a reinforcing, bonding or waterproofing material. Conveniently, the material is a varnish, most preferably a transparent varnish such that any pattern carried by the fabric wing portion remains visible therethrough.

In one embodiment, a pair of wing portions is cut from a single piece of fabric and a connecting portion is retained between the portions, to facilitate handling. The fabric may be folded prior to cutting to facilitate the formation oil two similar wing portions. In this case, it is preferred that the connecting portion remains substantially free from reinforcing, bonding or waterproofing material to facilitate folding of the portion, and also to facilitate securing the wing portions to the shank of a hook of the lure, for example by wrapping fine thread or silk around the connecting portion.

In another embodiment, a single wing portion is cut from a piece of fabric, the single wing portion preferably including an elongate part to facilit-Ate seci-lr-i--ng the wing portion to the shank of a hook of the lure, for example by wrapping fine thread or silk around the elongate part. The s=gle wing portion -'s preferably triangular.

4 According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a f ishing lure comprising at least one woven ribbon wing portion.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a f ishing lure comprising a least one w-.ng portion bearing a tartan pattern.

These and other aspects of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a strip of woven ribbon as used in a fishing lure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a cut niece of woven bbon, ready 'or varn-ishing; Figure 3 shows the ribbon of Figure 2, f olded and showing the outline of wings to be cut from the folded ribbon; Figure 4 shows the wings as cut from the ribbon; Figure 5 shows the wings of Figure 4 being tied onto a fishing lure; Figure 6 is an enlarged view of a part of the lure of Figure 5; Figure 7 shows the finished lure including the paired woven ribbon wings; Figure 8 i.; An -,riew of a cut piece of woven ribbon, ready for varnishing, for use in making a fishing lure in accordance with a further embodiment of- the present invention; is Figure 9 shows the ribbon of Figure 8, showing the outline of a wing to be cut from the ribbon; Figure 10 shows the wing as cut from the ribbon; Figure 11 shows the wing of Figure 10 being tied onto a fishing lure; and Figure 12 shows the finished lure including the woven ribbon wing.

Figures 1 through 6 of the drawings illustrate steps in the manufacture of a fishing lure, in the form of a fly 10 as illustrated in Figure 7. The lure 10 comprises a hook 12 having a curved barbed portion 14, a shank 15, an eye 16 for attachment to a fishing line, wing portions 18, 19 attached to the hook shank 15 adjacent the eye 16, and hackles 20, 21 attached to t'he shank 15 by brightly coloured thread 22. The wing portions 18, 19 of the lure 10 are formed of tartan patterned woven ribbon material.

In this example, the ribbon material used is the 4446 polyester tartan ribbon manufactured by Selectus Ltd of Stoke-on-Trent, England. The ribbon is manufactured on multi weft selection, high speed needle looms and incorporates a knitted catchthread to prevent the woven structure from fraying during subsecn-,ent handling and usage. The ribbon is manufactured using 1C0 dtex dyed polyester yarns in the warp and 78 dtex dyed polyester yarns in the weft. The weave structil-P is: ground; 1xl plain weave (one warp thread crosses one weft thread alternatively over and under to form the structure), edge; a tubular weave to provide a neat finish hiding the colour is 6 changes from the weft. once woven, the fabric is scoured to enhance colour fastness and heat set to produce a stable, fully washable ribbon.

Reference is now made in particular to Figure 1 of the drawings which shows a strip of 16 mm wide woven ribbon 24. A short section of ribbon 26 is cut from the ribbon strip 24. The ribbon section 26 is then folded in half to identify the ribbon centre line 28 before being laid flat in preparation for varnishing, as illustrated in Figure 2. In this embodiment, clear polyurethane varnish is applied to both sides of the ribbon section 26, but the ribbon section centre line 28 is left clear of varnish. The ribbon section 26 is then left to dry. After drying, the tubular weave edges are cut from the ribbon.

The varnished ribbon section 26 is then folded in half once more along the centre line 28, as illustrated in Figure 3. Two wing portions 18, 19 (Figure 4) are then cut from the folded ribbon section 26 such that the wing portions 18, 19 are joined by an unvarnished connecting portion 30. As is evident from Figure 3, several sets of wings may be cut from the ribbon section 26, facilitating production of a number of wings in a single operation.

As illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, the wing portions 18, 19 are then applied to the hook shank 15, by tying the unvarnished connect-ina portion 30 to the shank 15 using fine thread 32. The unvarnished connecting portion 30 is flexible and may be secured to the hook shank 15 without difficulty.

7 is Following the mounting of the wing portions 18, 19 on the hook 12, the hackles 20, 21 are mounted on the hook 12 in conventional manner.

Reference is now made to Figures 8 through 11 of the drawings which illustrate steps in the manufacture of a fishing lure, in the form of a fly 110 as illustrated in Figure 12. The lure 110 comprises a double hook 112 having two curved barbed portions 114a, 114b, a shank 115, an eye 116 for attachment to a fishing line, a wing portion 118 attached to the hook shank 115 adjacent the eye 116, and hackles 120, 121 attached to the shank 115 by brightly coloured thread. The wing portion 118 of the lure 110 is formed of tartan patterned woven ribbon material.

in this exam-ole, the ribbon material used is again the 4446 polyester tartan ribbon manufactured by Selectus Ltd of Stoke-on-Trent, England, as described above.

As with the first embodiment, a short section of ribbon 126, as illustrated in Figure 8, is cut from a st-rip of 16 mm wide woven ribbon and then clear polyurethane varnish is applied to both sides of the ribbon section 126, which is then left to dry. After drying, the tubular weave edges are cut from the ribbon.

A V-shaped or triangular wing 118 (Figures 9 and 10) is then cut from the ribbon section 126. As is evident from Figure 9, several wings may be cut from the ribbon section 126, facilitating production of a number of wings in a single operation.

As illustrated in Figure 11, the wing 118 is then is R 8 applied to the hook shank 115, by tying the "point" 130 of the wing to the shank 115 using fine thread 132.

Following the mounting of the wing 118 on the hook 112, the hackles 120, 121 are mounted on the hook 112 in conventional manner.

It will be apparent to those of skill in the art that the above described fishing lures 10, 110 are relatively straightforward to produce, using materials that are readily available and requiring a degree of skill and dexterity which is substantially less than that required to form a lure using wing portions of feather. In addition, the method of producing the lures 10, 110 lends itself to producing large numbers of lures.

It will also be apparent to those of skill in the art that -the above described embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, and that various modifications and improvements may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention.

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Claims (19)

1. A fishing lure comprising at least one fabric wing portion.

2. The lure of claim 1, wherein the wing portion is of woven fabric.

3. The lure of claim 2, wherein the wing portion is of woven ribbon.

4. The lure of any of claims 1 to 4 portion bears a check pattern.

wherein the wing

5. The lure of claim 4, wherein the wing portion bears a tartan pattern.

6. The lure of any of the preceding claims, wherein the wing portion is of fabric treated or coated with one or more of reinforcing, bonding and waterproofing material.

7. The lure of claim 6, wherein the material is a varnish.

8. The lure of claim 7, wherein the material is a transparent varnish such that any pattern carried by the fabric wing portion remains visible therethrough.

9. The lure of any of the preceding claims, comprising a pair of wing portions formed of a single piece of fabric with a connecting portion between the portions.

10. The lure of any of claims 1 to 8, comprising a single wing portion cut from a piece of fabric.

11. The lure of claim 10, wherein the wing portion is triangular.

12. A method of producing a fishing lure utilising fabric to form a wing portion of the lure.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a pair of wing portions is cut from a single piece of fabric and a connecting portion is retained between the portions, to facilitate handling.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the fabric is folded prior to cutting to facilitate the formation of two similar wing portions.

14. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein the wing portions are secured to the shank of a hook of the lure by wrapping fine thread or silk around the connecting portion.

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15. The method of claim 12, wherein a single wing portion is cut from a piece of fabric, the single wing portion including an elongate part and the wing portion being secured to the shank of a hook of the lure by wrapping fine thread or silk around the elongate part.

16. A f ishing lure comprising at least one woven ribbon wing portion.

17. A fishing lure comprising a least one wing portion bearing a tartan pattern.

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18. A fishing lure substantially as described herein and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 7 or Figures 8 to 12 of the accompanying drawings.

19. A method of producing a fishing lure substantially as described herein.