GB2479612A

GB2479612A - Releasable fishing float or sinker assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2479612A
Application number: GB201102157A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew James Marchant
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-04-15
Filing date: 2011-02-08
Publication date: 2011-10-19
Anticipated expiration: 2031-02-08
Also published as: GB2479612B; GB201102157D0; GB201006307D0

Abstract

A fishing float or sinker assembly for attachment to a first line20connected to an angling hook and to a second, angler's line18comprises a float or sinker body1, a first member2releasably attached to the body and configured to be attached to said first and second lines; and a second member3releasably attached to the body and defining, at least in part, a bore17for passage of the angler's line therethrough. The arrangement is such that should the sinker/float catch on an obstacle the sinker/float can be detached from the lines.

Description

I

TITLE: FISHING FLOAT OR SINKER ASSEMBLY

DESCRIPTION

TECI-ThTICAL FIEU2 The present invention relates to fishing float or sinker assemblies and their attachment to an angler's line.

BACKGROUND ART

Recreational anglers will typically attach some form of weighted float or sinker to their line, enabling them inter alia to cast a baited hook a greater distance. Some are designed to sink to the bottom of a body of water and others are designed to float on the water surface.

They are variously known as sinkers, self cocking floats, and swim feeders.

GB2354146 discloses a so-called "safety bolt bead" which is used to attach a sinker weight to a fishing line in a manner that allows the weight to come away from the line if the weight should become entangled after a fish has been hooked. The safety bolt bead comprises an elongate tubular body having a head (hook end) and a tail (rod end) and a through bore to enable a fishing line to be threaded through the body. A clip is provided for attaching the body to a weight, the weight being prevented from slipping off the clip by a "tail rubber" that fits over the tail of the body and the tail end of the clip. Should the weight catch on an obstacle, the fish will pull the body such that the weight slides down the clip and then pushes the tail rubber off the clip, allowing the weight to fall away.

GB2460754 discloses a fishing float having a bore in which is tightly fitted a swivel for connection to an angler's line.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a fishing float or sinker assembly for attachment to a first line connected to an angling hook.and to a second, angler's line, the assembly comprising: a float or sinker body; a first member releasably attached to the body and configured to be attached to said first and second lines; and 10.a second member releasably attached to the body and defining, at least in part, a bore for passage of the angler's line therethrough.

The body may be elongate, having two opposite ends defining a longitudinal axis there between, the body having an open-topped channel having a first portion with an axis extending substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis, the first member lying at least partially in said channel.

The first member and the channel may be formed with respective shoulders that abut so as to resist the force exerted by the angler's line, The channel may have a second portion on the opposite side of the shoulders to the first portion, the second portion having a greater width than that of the first portion. Two shoulders may be respectively formed on either side of the channel.

The second portion may have a channel axis that extends at a non-zero angle to the longitudinal axis of the body such that it intersects with the longitudinal axis of the body.

The first portion of the channel may extend to a first end of the body, the second member being attached to said first end.

The second member may have an aperture aligned with the open top of the channel so as to allow free movement of the angler's line in a direction radial to the axis of the channel.

The second member may close the open top of the first portion of said open-topped channel.

The second member may comprise a first protuberance and the body has a second recess, the first protuberance being configured to engage the second recess, thereby attaching the second member to the body. The second member may be made of a resilient material.

The first portion of the channel may have a shape in cross-section that is narrower at the open top than elsewhere. The first portion of the channel may be keyhole-shaped in cross-section, having a channel base that is circular in cross-section.

The first member may have a first portion at one end a portion that, in cross-section, has a width that is greater than that of the open top of the channel. The first portion of the first member may have a circular cross-section to engage with the circular cross-section base of the channel.

The second member may be configured to apply a force to the first member so as to hold the first member in contact with the body The second member may have a second protuberance that extends into the open top of the channel to engage the first member. The second protuberance may extend into the open top of the channel to engage said first portion of the first member having a width that is greater than that of the open top of the channel. The second protuberance may be located on the inside of said bore The respective materials of the body first and second members may be such that the coefficient of friction between the second member and the first member is higher than the coefficient of friction between the body and the first member, The first member may have an internal bore to accommodate at least one of the first and second lines and an external surface to engage the body. Thee bore may accommodate a separate swivel that interconnects the first and second lines. The internal bore may have a first portion within the first portion of the first member and a second portion within a second portion of the first member on the opposite side of the shoulder to the first portion.

The axes of the first and second portions of the bore may be mutually inclined. The first and second portions may be separated by a cut-out.

The first member may be configured, in operation, to lie above the water level to serve as a sight bob. The second member may surround one end of the body in the manner of a cap. The cap may be tapered, and may further be made of tubular plastic or plastic or rubber cap, thereby blending the junction of an angler's line and the rear of the weight body En one embodiment, the wide end of the cap is fitted on its inside edge with a ridge which is a revolution of its longitudinal axis this fits into a corresponding groove or cut out at one end of the weight which is a revolution of the longitudinal axis of the weight. The plastic or rubber cap may be made of a brightly coloured material and be used as a sight bob in floating weights. As mentioned above, the slot may be aligned with the longitudinal axis of the weight from one end of the weight, the slot may be U-shaped but it can also be a key shaped slot with the circular section aligned with the longitudinal axis of the weight. The other end of the slot may opens out into a rectangular shaped cut-out which has an open side. The rear face of the cut out is typically but no exclusively perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the weight.

The first member may be a flexible, shaped plastic sleeve, The sleeve may have a first part that is of tubular section that is smaller in diameter than the slot in the weight and a second part that is shaped to fit into the cut out in the weight. The line may be tied to a swivel or clip accommodated in the first member, a further length of line then being attached to the swivel or clip with the other end attached to a fisherman's hook. In one embodiment, the second part of the plastic sleeve has a bore and the first part of the sleeve has a counter bore. The swivel or clip is pulled into the (larger) bore in the sleeve where it may have a tight fit within the sleeve. The first part of the sleeve has a (smaller, counter-) bore that maybe sized to allow the angler to fit rig tubing or allow the use of a leader.The first member of the assembly in this particular embodiment is then pulled into the weight body, where the first part of the sleeve would typically sit within the slot but may protrude from the weight and into the tapered cap.

The aforementioned protuberance on the plastic or rubber cap may be an extruded boss that protrudes from one edge of the cap. As discussed above, this boss fills the open slot to the back of the cut, holding the first part of the flexible sleeve in place. The junction of the first and second parts of the sleeve will form a step or shoulder that match the junction of the slot and the cut out in the weight and therefore hold the sleeve in place when the weight is cast with the angle between the slot and the cut out being typically more than 90 degrees the force of the cast will be concentrated towards the longitudinal axis of the weight.

The slot and cut out being open-topped, this allows the angler to easily change the weight to another without breaking the line. This is of course in addition to allowing the weight to be released from the anglers line if the weight becomes snagged in an under water obstacle.

The weight body may be cast or moulded from a suitable metal or plastic or be made any other suitable material like glass or clay. The plastic or rubber cap can be made from a material that suits the application in which the weight is used, in some circumstances the material could be a soft rubber of lower stifthess which would allow the weight to be easily discharged from the line if becomes snagged. In other circumstances the cap could be a stiffer plastic which only allow the weight to be discharged in extreme circumstances.

Alternatively, the tubular cap may be replaced with an 0-ring or similar flexible part that can sit in the recess, groove or slot at one end of the weight body as previously described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWThJGS

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure IA is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention; Figure lB is a side view of a variation on the first embodiment Figure 2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment with the cap detached; Figure 3A is a sectional view of the first embodiment taken along the longitudinal axis; Figure 3B is a detailed cross-sectional view of one end of the first embodiment; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the second embodiment without the cap; Figure 6A is an exploded perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention; Figure 6B is a detailed cross-sectional view of one end of the third embodiment; Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the third embodiment; Figure SA is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the invention; Figures 8B is a detail view of the first member according to a variation on the fourth embodiment; Figure SC is a partial perspective view of the variation on the fourth embodiment.

Figures 9,10 and 11 are side views showing the invention in operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Referring to figures I to 3, a fishing sinker assembly 100 is attachable by means of a ring swivel 4 to a first, hook line 20 connected to an angling hook 22 and to a second, angler's line 18 attached to a rod and reel (not shown). The assembly comprises a weight body I and a sleeve 2 releasably attached to the weight body and housing the swivel 4. As shown, the body is torpedo-shaped but it will be appreciated that other shapes are possible.

In the embodiment of figure lA, sleeve 2 is substantially flush fitting with the outer surface of the weight, sitting in a recess or cut out 7. In the fishing float variation of figure 18, which utilises concepts set out in GB2460754, the sleeve 2 is configured to partially lie *above the water level W to serve as a sight bob. Swivel 4 sits at an angle from the longitudinal axis of the body 1 of the weight. The weight body 1 has a semi circular cut out in its top side to allow the rotation of the ring swivel 4.

The shaped sleeve 2 and weight body 1 are surrounded at one end by a plastic or rubber cap 3 which is attached to the weight body I. Cap 3 applies a force to the sleeve so as to hold the sleeve in attachment with the weight body by friction between the sleeve and the weight body and/or between the sleeve and the cap.. When sufficient force is applied to the sleeve 2 -as in the case of a hooked fish pulling against the weight 1 snagged by an obstacle such as reeds -the frictional force is overcome and the sleeve 2, with its attached hook and angler's lines, is released from the weight, although not from the cap -as illustrated in figure 3, angler's line 18 passes through a bore 17 in the cap and through rig tubing 6+ As regards the sleeve 2, this has a first, main body 105 portion having a bore 10 in which swivel 4 is mounted in a first bore portion 21 and, at one end, a second, narrower tubular portion 16 having a second bore portion 21' sized to accommodate rig tubing 6, a leader and the angler's line 18. Section 16 engages the wall of the bore 17 in cap 3, the length L of this tubular section being be used to adjust the degree of engagement between the sleeve and the cap and thus the amount of force required to detach the sleeve insert 2 from the weight body 1. Thus a longer tubular section will result in a semifixed setup while a shorter section will result in a free running rig. For example, a length L of 20mm may result in a detachment force of iN (corresponding to the weight exerted by lOOg). This may be cut down by an angler to a length L of 15mm to achieve a detachment force of 0.5N and to a length L of I 0mm to achieve a force of 0.2 N. At L of 5mm, no significant force may be generated, i.e. the sleeve is "free running" in the body.

Cap 3 is made of a resilient material, in particular plastics or rubber material. Such a cap may be easier for an angler to handle than the "tail rubber" of GB2354146 discussed above. As shown in figure 2, cap 3 comprises a first protuberance or ridge 12 that engages with a recess or groove ii in the weight body, thereby attaching the cap to the weight body However, such an attachment is -under sufficient force -detachable from the weight body, thereby allowing the weight body I to detach completely from the line.

In the embodiment of figure 3, the weight body I is elongate, having two opposite ends 101,102 defining a longitudinal axis 103 therebetween. Recess is in the form of an open-topped channel having an axis 104 extending in the same plane as the longitudinal axis 103 of the weight body Nevertheless, the axis of the channel may, at least over a first portion, extend at a non-zero angle A to the longitudinal axis 103 of the weight. Not least, this allows the sleeve 2 to lie at a non-zero angle to the weight body and the connections to the first and second lines to be located away from the longitudinal axis of the weight body As illustrated in figure 2, channel has a first portion 7 of greater width than a second portion 14. The (frictional) engagement of the cap 3 with the sleeve 2 is effected by means of a second protuberance or extrusion 8 on the inside of the cap that extends into the open top of the second channel portion 14. Extrusion 8 has a groove 13 which acts as a line guide if a fish pulls out insert 2 and the weight slides up the angler's line.

Moreover, at the transition between the two portions there results in the body two shoulders 9 of either side of the channel that lie substantially perpendicular to the axis 103 of the body. Sleeve 2 has corresponding shoulders 15 at the transition between its first, main body portion 105 and second, narrower tubular portion 16. These shoulders again lie substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the body and, in use, abut the shoulders 9 in the body, thereby resisting forces exerted on the assembly by the angler's line when the assembly and hook are cast. It will be appreciated that such forces act in the opposite direction to the forces on the hook that, above a certain level, cause the sleeve to detach from the body To increase the engagement between the sleeve and body when the assembly is cast, the abutment surfaces 9 may be angled away from the direction of the force exerted by the angler's line on the assembly, as indicated by arrow J in figure 3B, so that the force of the cast pushes the first member down towards the longitudinal axis 103 of the body. As indicated at theta, the angling may be slight, e.g. 4 degrees from the perpendicular to the axis of the body. Alternatively, for certain applications, the abutment surfaces may be angled the other way, towards the force exerted by the angler's line.

The embodiment of figure 3 shows a stop/stop knot 55 which is typically located on the line above any rig tubing or leader at a distance ranging from a few millimetres to two metres. A hard or soft bead 56 is also provided on the line to act against the stop knot and help the body to release if the body becomes snagged as previously described.

Alternatively, a shock bead can be used on the line as indicated at 57, either directly behind the cap or anywhere along the tubing (in which case the tubing is advantageously glued into internal bore 10). Made of soft rubber, shock bead 57 grips on to the rig tubing or leader and acts as a back stop.

Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of the invention in which cap 3 is replaced with a complete ("0") or partial-ring 24 that sits in the recess, groove or slot at one end of the body as previously described.

In the third embodiment of figure 5, the second portion 14 of the channel has a shape in cross-section that is narrower at the open top of the channel than elsewhere in the channel.

As shown, the channel is keyhole-shaped in cross-section, having a channel base 110 that is circular in cross-section. The tubular portion 16 of sleeve 2 has, in cross-section, a width that is greater than that of the open top of the channel. As shown, it has a circular cross-section that engages with the circular cross-section base of the channel. Such an arrangement ensures that, in order to disengage itself from the weight body, the sleeve must first be displaced along the channel in the weight body. This provides an additional safeguard against inadvertent release of the weight from the line.

Figures 6 and 7 relate to a fishing float of the kind known from GB2460754. Elongate body 1 has two ends 101,103 defining a longitudinal axis 103 therebetween. Body is formed from two moulded pieces 49,50 connected by a spigot joint 43 and contains a scaled air pocket 44 such that, when in the water, one end 102 of the body sits proud of the water.

As in previous embodiments, a sleeve 2 has a bore 37 a swivel 4 having a first end 4.1 for attachment to a hook line and a second end 4.2 for attachment to an angler's line. A separate resilient cap 3 is attached to the body 1 and clamps the sleeve 2 against the body Sleeve 2 is then held attached to the body by friction between the sleeve and the body and/or between the sleeve and the cap.

At one end, body 1 has an open-topped channel or groove 31 having a longitudinal axis 200 that intersects the longitudinal axis 103 of the body 1 at one end 102 thereof One end of sleeve 2 sits in the channel and is held in engagement therewith by a surrounding cap 3, which covers the ends. This represents a potentially simpler way of attaching a line to a float than that disclosed, e.g. in the aforementioned 0B2460754.

Cap 3 is made of plastics or rubber material and has a contrasting (possibly fluorescent) colour to the body and the water so as to make it easier to sight. Multiple interchangeable caps of different colours may be provided to allow the colour of the sight bob to be changed. As indicated at 28, cap has a radially-inwardly projecting lip that engages with a groove 27 on the body, thereby attaching the cap to the weight body Diametrically opposite is a second radially-inwardly projecting lip or stub 41 that extends into the open top of the channel 31 to engage and exert a force on the upper, external surface 35 of the slide 2.

The dimensions and material properties (Young's Modulus) of the cap will determine both the resistance to movement of the slide relative to the body and the resistance to the cap detaching from the body. Significant resistance may be required when the float or sinker is used with very large baits and/or water soluble bags that are used to contain bait samples, and placed on the hook along with the hook bait. Such baits which can generate a lot of drag especially on impacting in water. It will be appreciated that the frictional force between the swivel and the slide must of course be greater than the frictional force attaching the first member to the body. Dimensioning of the lip 28 further determines the force which needs to be applied to detach cap 3 from the body. To resist the force exerted by the angler's line, e.g. when the float/sinker and hook are cast, sleeve 2 and body I are provided with respective abutting shoulders 30 and 36anglcd (as indicated at theta) substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 103 of the body as illustrated in figure 6W The embodiment of figure 8A has a body 60, a first member 62 releasably attached to the body and configured to be attached to said first and second lines by a swivel 63 and a second member 71 relcasably attached to the body by means of a ridge 72 engaging a groove 73 in the body. As in earlier embodiments, the first member 62 sits in a recess 61 in the body which forms part of a channel 65 in the body, the channel having an axis 104 extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the weight, at least at the end remote from the recess.

The second member defines at one end 70 a bore 71' for passage of the angler's line therethrough but, over the remainder R of its length, is open on one side as indicated at 71".

The bore axis 68' is substantially co-axial with the axis 104 of the channel so that, when the assembly is cast, i.e. thrown, by the angler, the force exerted through the angler's line acts to hold the shoulder 64 on the first member in abutment with the shoulder 66 on the body.

Figure 8B shows a variation to the first member 62. The respective, mutually-inclined first and second bores 21,2U of the first and second portions 16,105 of the first member either side of the shoulders 15 are separated by a cut-out 240 so as to facilitate manufacture as well as facilitating fiexure of the first member when treading the line. As shown in figure 8C, the first member 62 not only sits flush in the second, "recess" portion 7 of the channel in the body, it also closes and sits flush in the open top of the second portion 14 of the channel.

Figure 9 shows the assembly when being cast. To maintain the spacing S of the hook line 20 and hook 22 from the angler's line 18 -thereby reducing the tendency of the hook line 20 to tangle around the assembly 100 -a length of silicone tubing 200 may be placed around the hook line adjacent its connection to the first member 62.

Figure 10 shows the embodiment of figure 8 when used as a sinker in a body of water such as a river or lake. If, as shown, the body 60 becomes snagged on the bed 210 of a river or lake, the force (indicated by arrow F) of a fish on a hook attached to the hook line 20 causes the first member 62 to release from the body 60. Unlike earlier embodiments, the first member is not held in place on the body by the second member; on the contrary, the open side 71" of the second member, combined with a significant spacing R' between the bore 71' in the second member and the shoulder 66 on the body ensures reduced resistance to disengagement of the first member from the body and sliding (indicated by arrow Z) of the main, angler's line 18 through the bore 71'.

In the situation illustrated in figure 10, the force F exerted by the fish may eventually cause the body 60 to become dislodged from the river/lake bed 210. However, this may not always be possible, as illustrated in figure 11 where the body 60 is immovably trapped in rocks 220. In such a situation, the combined effect of the force F exerted by the hooked fish together with the reaction force F' on the angler's line 18 causes the second member 71 to separate from the body as indicated by arrow T. Freed from the trapped body, the first member 62 and the fish attached thereto can be reeled in by angler's line 1 8.

As previously explained above, the dimensions and material properties of the second member will determine the force at which the second member detaches from the body. To allow the angler a degree of control over this force, interchangeable second members may be provided, e.g. a second member made of a low stiffness polymer to allow detachment at *a force of SN (the approximate weight of a 500g mass) and a second member made of a higher stifihess polymer allowing detachment at a force of 20N (the approximate weight of a 2kg mass).

In the conventional arrangement outlined above, if the angler's main line breaks a fish can be left towing a weight around until the weight gets caught in a snag and the weight is released from the clip. If the lake doesn't contain any snags the fish is stuck with the IS weight. An additional advantage of the present invention is that, should the angler's line break, the first member can release from the body of the weight (albeit with some resistance), allowing the broken line to slide freely though the second member and the body to fall free. Without a body attached to the line, a fish is much less likely to suffer damage and will be able to get rid of the hook more easily.

It should be understood that this invention has been described by way of examples only and that a wide variety of modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, it is not restricted to the particular types of floats and sinkers described, but can also be used, for example, with swim feeders where it would intrude less into the internal space of the feeder used to carry bait samples like maggots. The body of such a feeder is typically formed with holes to allow the bait to crawl out and/or can be formed as a hollow tube with an open end that can be stuffed with various forms of ground bait and/or can be made of a cage like structure which would grip the ground bait when cast.

Claims

CLAIMSI. Fishing float or sinker assembly for attachment to a first line connected to an angling hook and to a second, angler's line, the assembly comprising: a float or sinker body; a first member releasably attached to the body and configured to be attached to said first and second lines; and a second member releasably attached to the body and defining, at least in part, a bore for passage of the angler's line therethrough.
2. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to claim I, wherein the body is elongate, having two opposite ends defining a longitudinal axis there between, the body having an open-topped channel having a first portion with an axis extending substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis, the first member lying at least partially in said channel.
3. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to claim I or claim 2, wherein the first member and the channel are formed with respective shoulders that abut so as to resist the force exerted by the angler's line.
4. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to claim 3, wherein the channel has a second portion on the opposite side of the shoulders to the first portion, the second portion having a greater width than that of the first portion.
5. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to claim 4, wherein two shoulders are respectively fonned on either side of the channel.
6. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the second portion has a channel axis that extends at a non-zero angle to the longitudinal axis of the body such that it intersects with the longitudinal axis of the body.
7. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to claim 6, wherein the first portion of the channel extends to a first end of the body, the second member being attached to said first end.
8. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to any of claims 2 to 7, wherein the second member has an aperture aligned with the open top of the channel so as to allow free movement of the angler's line in a direction radial to the axis of the channel.
9. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the second member closes the open top of the first portion of said open-topped channel.
10. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the second member comprises a first protuberance and the body has a second recess, the first protuberance being configured to engage the second recess, thereby attaching the second member to the body.
11. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the second member is made of a resilient material.
12. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 11, wherein the first portion of the channel has a shape in cross-section that is narrower at the open top than elsewhere.
13. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to claim 12, wherein the first portion of the channel is keyhole-shaped in cross-section, having a channel base that is circular in cross-section.
14. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the first member has a first portion at one end a portion thai, in cross-section, has a width that is greater than that of the open top of the channel.
15. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to claim 14, wherein said first portion of the first member has a circular cross-section to engage with the circular cross-section base of the channel.
16. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the second member is configured to apply a force to the first member so as to hold the first member in contact with the body.
17. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to claim 16, wherein the second member has a second protuberance that extends into the open top of the channel to engage the first member.
18. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to claim 17, wherein said second protuberance extends into the open top of the channel to engage said first portion of the first member having a width that is greater than that of the open top of the channel.
19. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to claim 18, wherein the second protuberance is located on the inside of said bore
20. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein the respective materials of the body, first and second members are such that the coefficient of friction between the second member and the first member is higher than the coefficient of friction between the body and the first member.
21. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the first member has an internal bore to accommodate at least one of the first and second lines and an external surface to engage the body.
22. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to claim 21, wherein the bore accommodates a separate swivel that interconnects the first and second lines.
23. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to claim 21 or claim 22, wherein the internal bore has a first portion within the first portion of the first member and a second portion within a second portion of the first member on the opposite side of the shoulder to the first portion.
24. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to claim 23, wherein the axes of the first and second portions of the bore are mutually inclined.
25. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to claim 23, wherein the first and second portions are separated by a cut-out.
26. Fishing float or sinker assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the first member is configured, in operation, to lie above the water level to serve as a sight bob.