GB2388289A

GB2388289A - Bait stop

Info

Publication number: GB2388289A
Application number: GB0310848A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Preston
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-05-10
Filing date: 2003-05-12
Publication date: 2003-11-12
Anticipated expiration: 2023-05-12
Also published as: GB0210696D0; GB0310848D0; GB2388289B

Abstract

A bait stop arrangement comprises a pointed bait stop 20 with an internal conical recess designed to fit over the end of a pointed baiting needle. The bait stop 20 is pivotally attached to a hair 12, itself attached to a hook 14. In use the baiting needle is used to push the bait stop 20 through a bait particle 10 with the baiting needle 22 being withdrawn to leave the bait stop hinged on the hair 12 to retain the bait particle 10.

Description

PRE.12.BPA Cornplete.doc Bait Stop This invention relates to bait stops

for retaining bait in the vicinity of a fishing hook when fishing using a fishing rod or pole and line.

Referring to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, instead of attaching 5 bait directly to the fishing hook, anglers often attach their bait 10 on a length of fine line 12 extending from the hook 14. This leaves the hook bare with the bait dangling nearby and with the hook exposed for hooking into the fish more easily.

The short length of fine line from the hook to the bait is known as the "hair".

Referring to Figure 2, to mount the bait 10 onto the hair 12, a baiting 10 needle 16 is used to drag the hair through the bait by means of a loop tied in the hair. Some anglers use very hard baits such as trout pellets or baits that they have created by mixing dry ingredients with eggs, rolling the mixture into balls and boiling to harden; these baits are known as "doilies". Boilies are first drilled with a hand drill made for this purpose.

15 Referring to Figure 3, once the hair 12 has been pulled through the bait, a bait stop 18 is positioned in the protruding loop in the hair, with the hair being pulled back through the loop to trap the bait stop 18 in position. This prevents the bait coming free under the forces of casting out, or when attacked by small fish. 20 There are many designs of bait stop available as exemplified in Figure 4, all being typically about 6mm long. This small size presents the problem of positioning the bait stop correctly within the loop before tightening the hair to trap it into position. As shown in Figure 5, human fingers are essentially too large for the job and get in the way. As a result the re-baiting task is difficult and slow. In

PRE.12.BPA Complete.doc fishing contests, anglers need to catch as many fish as they can as quickly as possible and so the time consuming and fiddly task of applying the bait stop in conventional arrangements is not consistent with this aim. For leisure anglers also, the task is a fiddly, exasperating chore.

5 GB-A-2,373,700 discloses a bait stop arrangement in which a bait stop is attached to a hair which is pulled through the bait using a barbed bait needle or hook. In these arrangements the bait stop has hooked portions or apertures for being engaged by the bait hook or needle. Such devices still therefore require the bait stop to be engaged by the hooked or barbed portion of the bait 10 hook/needle in a threading operation similar to that of poking a conventional bait stop through a hair loop, and therefore suffer from similar disadvantages. Also the hooked or barbed portion of the bait hook/needle and the hooked portions on the bait stop may snag in the bait during the baiting operation.

Accordingly, in one aspect, this invention provides a bait stop comprising 15 a main body portion, a recess in the body portion for being fitted over the end of a baiting needle in use, the body portion including a pointed end region and means for permanent attachment of a fishing line in use intermediate the ends of the body portion.

In this manner, the bait stop covers the free end of the baiting needle and 20 therefore any hooked or barbed portion associated therewith, and also the bait stop is applied to a bait by pushing the pointed end of the bait stop through the bait. In use the bait stop is permanently attached to the fishing line and therefore the need to thread or poke the bait stop into a loop in the fishing line is obviated.

PRE. 12. BRA Complete.doc Preferably, the recess is an elongate internal blind recess for receiving the end of the baiting needle. The recess is preferably conical or frusto-conical in form.

The means for attachment may comprise a slot or bore extending through 5 the stop transversely to said recess. In some designs the slot or bore will communicate with said recess.

Although the bait stop may be provided separately, for the angler to attach a fishing line or hair permanently before use, in another aspect this invention provides a bait arrangement comprising a bait stop as defined above 10 with a fishing line or hair permanently attached thereto. The bait arrangement may be provided in a package or kit in combination with a baiting needle. The baiting needle preferably has a barbless, pointed end.

In another aspect, there is provided a method of applying bait adjacent a fish hook, which comprises providing a line or hair adjacent said hook with a 15 bait stop as defined above permanently secured thereto, inserting the free end of a baiting needle into the recess in said bait stop, using said baiting needle to pass said bait stop through a bait particle, removing said bait stop from the free end of said needle and withdrawing said baiting needle from said particle to leave said bait particle attached to said hair or line.

20 In a further aspect, this invention provides a baiting system comprising a captive bait stop and a barbless baiting needle, wherein in use said baiting needle is used to push the bait stop through a bait particle.

Whilst the invention has been described above, it extends to any inventive combination of the features set out above or in the following

PRE.12.BPA CornPlete.doc description.

The invention may be performed in various ways, and, by way of example only, an embodiment thereof will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: 5 Figure 1 is a view of a bait particle attached to a hair by a conventional bait stop; Figure 2 shows a conventional bait needle being passed through a bait particle to hook a loop in a hair; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the hair pulled through 10 the bait and a bait stop applied; Figure 4 is an illustration of various forms of conventional bait stop; Figure 5 is a schematic view illustrating the difficulty of applying a conventional bait stop given the dimension of the bait stop relative to a user's fingers; 15 Figure 6 is a view of a pointed, barbless baiting needle for use in the invention; Figures 7a and 7b are side and rear end views respectively on a first embodiment of bait stop in accordance with the invention; Figures 8a and 8b are side and rear end views respectively on a second 20 embodiment of bait stop in accordance with this invention; Figure 9 shows the first embodiment of bait stop permanently attached to a fishing line and with a baiting needle engaged in the recess, and Figure 10 shows the arrangement of Figure 9 with the bait stop having been passed through a bait particle and the baiting needle removed.

PRE.12.BPA Complete.doc Referring to Figures 6 to 10, in the described embodiments, a captive bait stop 20 is provided which is permanently attached to a hair 12 such that the bait stop 20 may pivot relative to the hair. The bait stops 20 are designed for use with a pointed, barbless baiting needle 22 which is designed to push the bait 5 stop 20 through the bait 10 instead of pulling it. The conical bait stops 20 shown in Figures 7 and 8 are each of pointed form having an internal tapered or conical recess 24 designed to fit snugly over the pointed end 26 of the baiting needle 22. The first embodiment of bait stop has a transverse bore 28 through which a hair may be passed and tied during manufacture or preparation by the angler, 10 such that the bait stop pivots about the hair. The second embodiment has a transverse slot 30 through which a hair may be passed such that the bait stop is pivotally and slideably attached to the hair 12.

As seen in Figure 9, the bait stop 20 is pushed onto the end of the baiting needle 22 to be pushed through the bait 10. Once through, the baiting needle 15 22 is pulled back to leave the stop 20 free to hinge so that it resists pulling back through the bait upon casting out.

In this way, re-baiting is greatly speeded up to the advantage both of competition anglers and leisure anglers.

Claims

PRE.12.BPA Conplete.doc ( Claims

1. A bait stop comprising a main body portion, a recess in the body portion for being fitted over the end of a baiting needle in use, the body portion including a pointed end region and means for permanent attachment of a fishing line or 5 hair in use intermediate the ends of the body portion.

2. A bait stop according to Claim 1, wherein said recess is an elongate internal blind recess.

3. A bait stop according to Claim 2, wherein said internal blind recess is generally conical or frusto-conical in form.

10 4. A bait stop according to any of the preceding Claims, wherein said means for attachment comprises a slot or bore extending through the stop transversely to said recess.

5. A bait arrangement comprising a bait stop according to any of the preceding Claims with a fishing line or hair permanently attached thereto.

15 6. A bait arrangement according to Claim 5, in a package in combination with a baiting needle.

7. A method of applying bait adjacent a fish hook, which comprises providing a hair adjacent said hook with a bait stop according to any of Claims 1 to 4 permanently secured thereto, inserting the free end of a baiting needle into 20 the recess in said bait stop, using said baiting needle to pass said bait stop through a bait particle, removing said bait stop from the end of the baiting needle, and withdrawing said baiting needle from said bait particle to leave said bait particle attached to said hair.

8. A baiting system comprising a captive bait stop and a barbless baiting

PRE.12.BPA Complete.doc needle, wherein in use said baiting needle is used to push the bait stop through a bait particle.

9. A bait stop substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, any of Figures 6 to to of the accompanying drawings.

5 10. A bait arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, any of Figures 6 to 10 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A baiting system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, any of Figures 6 to 10 of the accompanying drawings.

12. A method of applying bait substantially as hereinbefore described with 10 reference to any of Figures 6 to 10 of the accompanying drawings.