GB2394876A

GB2394876A - Fish bite indicator for slack line fishing

Info

Publication number: GB2394876A
Application number: GB0225871A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Frank Sams
Original assignee: TOP FLIGHT PRODUCTS Ltd
Current assignee: TOP FLIGHT PRODUCTS Ltd
Priority date: 2002-11-06
Filing date: 2002-11-06
Publication date: 2004-05-12
Anticipated expiration: 2022-11-06
Also published as: GB0225871D0; GB2394876B

Abstract

A fish bite indicator for slack line fishing comprising a detection system 20, a controller 30 and an alarm 40. The detection system is arranged to detect travel in a fishing line and communicate an indication of the travel to the controller. The controller is arranged to activate the alarm in dependence upon the indications of the travel communicated, wherein the controller is arranged to adapt a rate of activating the alarm in dependence on predetermined characteristics of the travel being detected from said indications. The predetermined characteristics may comprise a predetermined number of indications being communicated.

Description

Fish Bite Indicator Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to fish bite indicators for use in slack line fishing.

Background to the Invention

Fishing in lakes, reservoir, ponds, rivers, and streams is popular for catching fresh water fish such as carp, tench, barbel, chub, pike, etc. Also, fishing in the sea is popular for such species as cod, bass, rays, conger eel, plaice, whiting, truss and many 10 other types of fish. Avid fishermen even fish at night to allow them to participate in their sport outside normal working hours. A normal sequence of events for fishing may comprise the steps of: acquiring tackle, locating and moving to a shore or stream bank in close proximity to where the desired fish are thought to be, casting out the bait, setting the fishing rod or rods (as in many cases more than one fishing rod is 15 used) onto the ground or a stand with the line still cast into the water, and then waiting while closely watching for a movement in the fishing rod or line, or holding the line to feel the movement indicating a fish biting. If a bite occurring is sensed, the person fishing picks up the fishing rod, strikes and hopefully hooks the fish and reels the fish in. The period of time waiting for a fish to bite on a bait may be short or can take many hours, so holding the lines or the fishing rods can become be very tedious, and in the case of the use of multiple fishing rods, impossible. Therefore, most people that fish desire devices and methods that provide easily read bite signals.

Watching a fishing rod constantly for long periods to detect a particular movement can be very tiring and stressful on the eyes. People fishing at night often sit down, doze, or walk around, not always being close to or constantly watching their fishing rods or lines or signal devices. During these times of inattention, a fish bite can go 30 undetected, especially in the dark or other low light conditions. For these and other reasons, a simple bite indicator that records a change caused by a fish's biting, as well as showing the instance of the bite, has long been desired.

Bite indicators for use by anglers have been available for a considerable time. A float,

for instance, is a bite indicator. There also exist flexible indicators that attach to the rod tip such as a quiver tip and swing tip. Bite indicators also come in the form of bobbins for attachment to the line between the line-guides (rod rings) and bells or small lights for clipping on to the rod tip.

In the last thirty years or so electronics has played a major part in the way anglers fish in still water such as lakes, reservoirs, ponds, particularly by the specimen angler when fishing for large fish, especially carp.

10 In some rod mounted designs, if a fish moves the baited hook in toward the fishing rod, a slack line will be created. With a slack line, fish movement of the hook cannot cause the tip of the fishing rod to move and will not provide an indication of a bite or an indication that a bite ever occurred. in addition, slight vibrations of the rod tip can be felt by a light biting fish, and it may be scared from biting before the person fishing 15 can pick up the fishing rod and set the hook.

Also known from the prior art is a fishing rod holder that is tilted by the pull of the

fish. The tilt causes electrical contacts in a normally open switch to close and thus lights a signal lamp. This type of signal device does not indicate when slack line is 20 created by the fish coming toward the fishing rod so that there is no pull on the fishing rod to trigger the alarm. Also a light-biting fish can feel the unnatural tripping tension at the same time the alarm is set, thereby not giving the person fishing a chance to pick up the fishing rod and set the hook.

25 When fishing still or slow flowing water it is common to place a small weight on the line either between a pair of rod rings (line guides) or between the reel and the first rod ring (line guide) when attached only to the line, this weight is called a bobbin.

There are other devices such as a swinging arm or a spring arm which attach to a bite indicator or rod support and connect to the line.

There is another device called a monkey climber, where a metal rod is pushed into the ground and the bobbin weight slides up and down it when attached to the line.

The effect of all these devices is to create a "v" of slack line under tension so that a fish taking the bait will cause the bobbin to move.

When freeline fishing (that is when the bait is the only weight attached to the terminal 5 tackle) if a fish picks up the bait and moves away from the fishing rod,it causes the bobbin to rise by tightening the line of the "v". If, on the other hand, the fish picks up the bait and moves toward the fishing rod it creates more slack line which is taken up by the bobbin causing it to drop (this is termed a drop back bite).

10 With regard to slack line detection, most electronic bite indicators have some means of adjusting the sensitivity, on indicators that use the rotation of a wheel to detect line movement this normally means how many bleeps per revolution, the more bleeps per revolution the smaller the amount of line movement.

15 The problem with current sensitivity controls is that it does what is required at the start of a bite but when the fish has picked up the bait and moves off, the bleeps become so rapid that they virtually become a continuous sound and so lose the dynamic indication effect, that is the faster the bleeps means the faster the fish is moving. Statement of Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fish bite indicator for slack line fishing comprising a detection system, a controller and an alarm, the 25 detection system being arranged to detect travel in a fishing line and communicate an indication of the travel to the controller and the controller being arranged to activate the alarm in dependence upon the indications of the travel communicated, wherein the controller is arranged to adapt a rate of activating the alarm in dependence on predetermined characteristics of the travel being detected from said indications.

The predetermined characteristics may comprise a predetermined number of indications being communicated within a predetermined period of time or a predetermined number of indications being communicated.

The controller may be arranged to adapt the rate of activating the alarm by reducing the rate of activating the alarm. The controller may includes an initial rate of activating the alarm, wherein the controller is arranged to reset the rate to the initial rate after a predetermined period of time in which no indications are communicated.

5 The alarm may comprise at least one of a speaker or a visual indicator.

The detection system may comprise an optical measuring device and a wheel or wheel and vane arranged to be rotated by the travel of the fishing line, wherein the wheel or wheel and vane includes a number of apertures positioned to pass, and be detected by, 10 the optical measuring device during rotation of the wheel, one of said indications comprising detection of an aperture by the optical measuring device.

In one aspect of the present invention, the sensitivity of the slack-line indicator is dynamically changed in dependence on the rate line is fed out.

Preferably, the sensitivity of the slack-line bite detector can be set to produce a selectable number of indications (alarms) per revolution for a selectable number of revolutions and then automatically change to a different, selectable, number of indications (alarms) per revolution. If a pre-determined period of inactivity occurs, 20 the circuit will then reset to the original indication (alarms) setting.

Alternatively, sensitivity can be set to produce the maximum number of indications (alarms) per rev and then automatically change down to the next highest number of indications (alarms) when the number of indications (alarms) reaches a pre-set amount 25 in a pre-set period of time. Sensitivity will automatically continue to decrease in this way until the lowest number of indications (alarms) is reached or until a predetermined period of inactivity occurs.

By causing the indicator to emit a different type of signal either audible or visual or 30 both depending on the rotation of the sensing wheel the angler will know how to deal with the bite.

The present invention detects the direction of this line movement and gives a distinctive indication (alarm), preferably by the use of three opto-couples.

Brief Description of the Drawings

An example of the present invention will now be described in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 5 Figure l is a schematic diagram illustrating a slack-line bite indicator according to one aspect of the present invention; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic elevational view of a housing and yoke incorporating the slack-line bite indicator of Figure l; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 2 in the line A-A; and, 10 Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 2 in the line B-B.

Detailed Description

Figure l is a schematic diagram of a slack-line fish bite indicator according to an aspect of the present invention.

The indicator includes a detection system 20 including a pulley wheel 21, through which the fishing line (not shown) is fed and an optical measuring device 23. Part of the pulley wheel is a multi-aperture vane 22 having a plurality of blades or holes. An optical measuring device 23 is positioned in proximity to the multi-aperture vane 22.

20 The vane 22 may be attached to the wheel 2 l or it may be part of the wheel itself (ie. a wheel with apertures). As fishing line feeds through the pulley wheel, the wheel rotates, causing the blades or holes of the vane to interrupt light to the optical measuring device 23, thereby causing an optical trigger by the optical measuring device 23 registering movement.

Optical triggers from the optical measuring device 23 are indicated to a controller 30 that in turn activates an alarm 40.

The frequency (number of indications per revolution) of the alarm 40 is directly 30 related to the optical triggers. Typically, the vane 22 has many more apertures than there are optical measuring devices utilised. In this situation, the controller 30 is used as a counter and a divider to achieve a preset number of optical triggers per revolution that activate the alarm 40. Data from the controller 30 can also be sent to an LCD display 50 for visual indication.

In one mode, as the line is fed out, the number of optical triggers that must be registered by the optical measuring device 23 in order to activate the alarm 40 is changed in dependence on any speed changes to the rate the is line fed out at. This is 5 achieved by means of the counter in the controller 30. In this manner, the number of alarms 40 activated per revolution can be set by the controller 30 to indicate the amount of the line taken and therefore the speed at which the fish is moving.

For example, the number of optical triggers per alarm activation may be initially set to 10 achieve one alarm activation per revolution of the wheel 21. If, within a predetermined time period, a predetermined number of revolutions of the wheel 21 occur, the number of alarm activations may be reduced to one alarm activation for every 2 revolutions of the wheel 21. Should the predetermined number of revolutions of the wheel 21 occur again within a predetermined time period, the number of alarm 15 activations may be reduced again and so-forth. After a predetermined number of seconds of inactivity, the number of alarm activations per revolution is reset to the initial value.

Preferably the initial alarm setting will be such that more than one activation occurs 20 per revolution.

Operation of the alarm is controlled by the controller 30.

For example, the controller 30 could be programmed so that number of alarms is 25 initially set at 16 activations per revolution for 4 revolutions which then changes to, say, 2 activations per revolution from there on. The controller 30 may reset to 16 activations per revolution after 3 seconds of inactivity.

In another example, the controller 30 could be set so that the number of alarms is 30 initially set at 16 activations per revolution. If 20 activations in I second are counted by the controller 30, the controller changes the number of alarms activations to 8 per revolution until 20 pulses in I second are again counted. The number of alarm activations are then changed again to 4 activations per revolution until 20 pulses in 1 second are counted. It will be appreciated that by decreasing the number of alarm

activations per revolution, sensitivity is reduced. Sensitivity may continue to be decreased until, for example, 1 alarm activation in every 4 revolutions is reached.

Sensitivity is reset to 16 alarm activations per revolution after, for example, 3 seconds of inactivity.

Whilst the above two examples show how sensitivity of the alarm 40 can be altered depending upon the rate or number of rotations of the pulley wheel 21, it will be appreciated by the reader that many more configurations offering a dynamic change in sensitivity are self-evident.

One possible configuration is for the sensitivity of the alarm to be increased (ie. an increased number of alarm activations per revolution) if it is detected that the rate of activation has slowed over a predetermined time.

An idle mode may be provided so that the controller 30 and/or optical measuring device 23 are sent into a low current standby mode if no optical triggers are received for a predetermined period of time.

20 It is an advantage to know in which direction the line is moving when fishing as different techniques are needed to land a fish that is swimming towards the angler. If a bobbin or the like (as described above) is used on conjunction with the present invention, motion of the line towards the detector can be detected due to reverse motion of the wheel 21. The tone or signal pattern of the alarm is altered to identify 25 the reverse direction.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic elevational view of a housing and yoke incorporating the slack-line bite indicator of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 2 in the line A-A and Figure 4 is a crosssectional view of Figure 2 in the line B-B.

The housing 100 includes rod locators 110 and 120. Rod locator 130 is mounted on an antenna 140 which in turn is mounted on the housing 100. Rod locators 120 and 110 are mounted on the housing 100. The detection system 20 is mounted at the rear of the housing 100 in this embodiment, although it could be mounted anywhere on the 35 housing that allows the fishing line to feed freely through it. Equally, the controller

30 and alarm 40 may be mounted wherever is convenient on the housing. Indeed, if the controller 30, detection system 20 and alarm 40 communicated between each other using a wireless communication system, the alarm could be portable and carried by the angler.

The yoke 150 includes a first rotational pivot 160 and a second rotational pivot 170 Preferably, the axis of the first pivot 160 is perpendicular to the axis of the second pivot 170. The yoke includes a connector 180 for connection to a tripod, bankstick or the like.

Motion of the two pivots 160, 170, ensures the correct line-up of the fishing rod in relation to the antennae. Pivot 170 can be restricted after casting out the baited end terminal tackle and setting the fishing rod into the housing, to prevent the unit from rocking by the action of the rod caused by extraneous forces such as tide or current.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of bite indicators or detectors are connected to a remote base unit via a radio link or the like. The controller 30 may be within the base unit and provide different alarm tones or signals to a shared alarm depending on the detector/indicator providing the signal. The 20 functions of each bite indicator can be monitored and set from the base unit or via a remote control hand set.

A mute setting is provided to disable the alarm 40 when the angler is setting up his rods either at the start of fishing or after casting after re-baiting. One way of 25 achieving this is to switch the sensor off during setting up, the trouble in doing this is the angler could forget to switch it back on again, this could not only cause him to miss a fish but could also cause his rod to be pulled into the water and possibly lost.

To overcome this, a mute system with auto-off is provided within the controller 30.

Activating the mute system mutes the alarm 40 for a predetermined number of 30 seconds and then to reset it back to initial sensitivity setting. A switch may be provided on the housing or remote to activate the mute system. Pressing this once would mute the alarm 40 for the predetermined number of seconds, twice to double the number of seconds, and three or more times to increase the number of by the number of times the switch is pressed.

The alarm may be a speaker, visual indicator, some other indicator or a combination.

Preferably, the alarm includes a speaker. However, it is not desirable to have the speaker sounding at full blast late at night. To overcome this, a volume controller is 5 used to set the volume level to be constant or to select the level of volume for a predetermined number of seconds and then change to a lower set volume level at which it remains for as long as the bite continues, re-setting back after a predetermined number of seconds of inactivity.

10 Items of fishing tackle are often stolen whilst the angler is asleep in his angler's tent or away from his tackle. In order to mitigate this, the indicator, when connected from its output socket to the input socket of the base unit by a lead, will set an alarm that will sound if the lead is disconnected or cut. Alternatively or in addition, a wireless proximity alarm sends a signal to the base station when the unit is outside that of the 15 user defined range. The controller 30 may send out a periodic code to the base-

station, if the base station does not receive the code in the specified time an alarm siren will activate. In addition, or separately, a tilt switch can be caused to activate and send an alarm signal if the bite indicator or the base station is moved from its preset plane. The antenna 140 could be used as an anti-theft actuator by providing at 20 least one sensor on the antenna and putting it under pressure. The sensor would be actuated due to release of the pressure if the fishing rod were to be picked up.

It will be appreciated that the controller described could be implemented as a microprocessor, electronic circuit or using computer software. Whilst only an optical 25 detection system is described, it will be apparent to the reader that many other detection systems could be used in place of the optical arrangement - for example a magnet could be placed on the wheel and detected by the passing magnetic field.

Claims

1. A fish bite indicator for slack line fishing comprising a detection system, a controller and an alarm, the detection system being arranged to detect travel in a 5 fishing line and communicate an indication of the travel to the controller and the controller being arranged to activate the alarm in dependence upon the indications of the travel communicated, wherein the controller is arranged to adapt a rate of activating the alarm in dependence on predetermined characteristics of the travel being detected from said indications.

2. A fish bite indicator according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined characteristics comprise a predetermined number of indications being communicated within a predetermined period of time.

15

3. A fish bite indicator according to claim l, wherein the predetermined characteristics comprise a predetermined number of indications being communicated.

4. A fish bite indicator according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller is arranged to adapt the rate of activating the alarm by reducing the rate of activating 20 the alarm.

5. A fish bite indicator according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller is arranged to adapt the rate of activating the alarm by increasing the rate of activating the alarm.

6. A fish bite indicator according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller includes an initial rate of activating the alarm, wherein the controller is arranged to reset the rate to the initial rate after a predetermined period of time in which no indications are communicated.

7. A fish bite indicator according to any preceding claim, wherein the alarm comprises at least one of a speaker or a visual indicator.

8. A fish bite indicator according to any preceding claim, wherein the detection

system comprises an optical measuring device and a wheel or wheel and vane arranged to be rotated by the travel of the fishing line, wherein the wheel or wheel and vane includes a number of apertures positioned to pass, and be detected by, the optical measuring device during rotation of the wheel, one of said indications comprising 5 detection of an aperture by the optical measuring device.

9. A fish bite detector as herein described and with reference to the 10 accompanying drawings.

9. A fish bite detector as herein described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been tit_ # follows Claims 1. A fish bite indicator for slack line fishing comprising a detection system, a controller and an alarm, the detection system being arranged to detect travel in a 5 fishing line and communicate an indication of the travel to the controller and the controller being arranged to activate the alan in dependence upon the indications of the travel communicated, wherein the controller is arranged to adapt a rate of activating the alarm in dependence on predetermined characteristics of the travel being detected from said indications, the predetermined characteristics comprising a 10 predetermined number of indications being communicated within a predetermined period of time and/or a predetermined number of indications being communicated.

2. A fish bite indicator according to claim l, wherein the predetermined characteristics comprise a predetermined number of indications being communicated 5 within a predetermined period Of time.

20 4. A fish bite indicator according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller is arranged to adapt the rate of activating the alarm by reducing the rate of activating the alarm.

5. A fish bite indicator according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller 25 is arranged to adapt the rate of activating the alarm by increasing the rate of activating the alarm.

6. A fish bite indicator according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller includes an initial rate of activating the alarm, wherein the controller is arranged to 30 reset the rate to the initial rate after a predetermined period of time in which no indications are communicated.

8. A fish bite indicator according to any preceding claim, wherein the detection system comprises an optical measuring device and a wheel or wheel and vane arranged to be rotated by the travel of the fishing line, wherein the wheel or wheel and 5 vane includes a number of apertures positioned to pass, and be detected by, the optical measuring device during rotation of the wheel, one of said indications comprising detection of an aperture by the optical measuring device.