WO1997004648A1

WO1997004648A1 - Fishing hooks

Info

Publication number: WO1997004648A1
Application number: PCT/GB1996/001801
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Preston
Original assignee: David Preston
Priority date: 1995-07-29
Filing date: 1996-07-26
Publication date: 1997-02-13
Also published as: GB9515614D0; GB9705630D0; GB2307387A; GB2307387B

Abstract

A fishing hook is formed with a barb-less protrusion (20) below its point (16) which resists withdrawal from tissue into which it is hooked, but which is unlikely to snag or tear the tissue on withdrawal. The protrusion (20) may be formed by crimping or other mechanical permanent plastic deformation of the hook material.

Description

Fishing Hooks

This invention relates to fishing hooks and methods of production thereof.

Coarse anglers are encouraged to use barb-less hooks which minimise damage to returned fish. However there is a reluctance to use barb-less hooks because it is generally thought that, with conventional barbed hooks, fewer fish come off the hooks before landing. Also bait can slip or wriggle off barb-less hooks and so the angler is uncertain whether he is fishing with an empty hook. I have found that it is possible to provide a hook which emulates the secure catching properties of the barbed hook, but which is less likely to cause so much damage to the fish.

Accordingly, in one aspect, this invention provides a fishing hook including a barb-less protrusion for resisting in use dislodging of the hook from fish tissue through which it has been hooked.

The barb-less protrusion may be formed in various ways, but permanent plastic deformation of the metal is preferred. As compared to a barbed hook, in which a barb is formed by slashing or stamping the metal to form a re-entrant jagged portion facing the direction of withdrawal, the barb-less protrusion of the hook of the present invention merely presents a local protrusion over which tissue may pass with slight resistance and some strain, but is far less likely to rip or tear fish tissue on removal. Furthermore, compared to the conventional barb-less hook, which may slide out of hooked tissue relatively easily, the hook of this invention provides a protrusion which actively resists removal.

Naturally, the protrusion should not leave any jagged edges which face in a direction such that they will snag hooked fish tissue on unhooking therefrom, but I do not exclude possible roughness imparted as a natural consequence during manufacture, or indeed possible jagged edges which face transversely, e.g. radially or tangentially, and which are unlikely to snag on withdrawal. For example, the hook may comprise a number of protrusions extending generally radially and formed by crimping the metal between several V- shaped tools. The depressions made by the hooks may be sharp in transverse section, but they would face transversely and so be unlikely to snag, and thus would not be barbed in the withdrawal direction.

The protrusion may be disposed at any suitable location where it will tend to resist withdrawal in use, and this typically will be intermediate the tip of the point and the base of the bend, and more preferably adjacent or just below the lower part of the point. These references to upper, lower, base etc, refer to the hook when located with the base on a horizontal surface and the shank of the hook facing generally vertically.

There are very many protrusions that can be used to form the hook of the invention. In one arrangement, the hook may, at one or more locations, be crimped between two jaws of a tool, to provide one or more sets of diametrically opposed protrusions. Alternatively more than two jaws could be used, to provide three or more fin-like protrusions around the hook. In a further alternative, a punch tool may be driven into one surface of the tool causing a recess in that side of the hook and a pip or protrusion at the other side.

In another aspect, this invention provides a method of producing a fishing hook, which comprises the step of forming therein a barb-less protrusion for resisting in use dislodging of the hook from fish tissue through which it has hooked.

In yet another aspect there is provided a fishing hook including a protrusion for resisting in use dislodging of the hook from fish tissue through which it has been hooked, said protrusion being formed by pinching or crimping the hook to effect plastic deformation thereof.

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

The invention may be performed in various ways and various embodiments thereof will now be described by way of example only, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a conventional barbed fish hook; Figure 2 is a side view of a conventional barb-less fish hook;

Figures 3(a) and (b) are side and front views respectively of a first embodiment fish hook of this invention;

Figures 4(a) and (b) are views from the side and on the point of a second embodiment of a hook of this invention;

Figures 5(a) and (b) are views from the side and on the point of a third embodiment of a hook of the invention;

Figures 6(a) and (b) are views from the side and on the point of a fourth embodiment of a hook of this invention.

Figures 7(a), (b) and (c) are views from the side, the front, and on the point of a fifth embodiment of this invention, and

Figures 8(a), (b) and (c) are views from the side, the front, and on the point of a sixth embodiment of this invention.

Figures 1 and 2 show conventional forms of barbed and barb-less hooks respectively. These comprise a shank 10, the free end 12 of which may be formed as an eye or flattened into a spade end, the other end turning into a bend 14, and then curving upwardly to terminate in a point

16, formed for example by conical grinding. The barbed hook has a barb 18 formed by slashing the metal just below the base of the point to provide a jagged protrusion which, once the point has pierced and passed through fish tissue, catches the tissue and does not allow removal without tearing the tissue. Referring now to Figures 3 to 8, these embodiments provide one or more non-barbed protrusions 20 roughly where a conventional barb would be, outside the line of the hook.

The protrusion(s) tend to resist withdrawal, but without the same high risk of damage. In general one or more bumps or lumps are produced by squashing the wire of the hook.

In Figures 3(a) and (b) , the hook is crimped once below the base of the point to provide two opposed protrusions 20 extending in the plane of the hook. Close variations of this are shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, where four, three and one protrusions 20 are formed, respectively.

Figure 7 shows an embodiment in which a punch tool or the like is used to punch a recess 22 in the hook and to displace a lump or pip 24 on the other side.

Figure 8 shows an embodiment similar to Figure 1 except that two crimps are formed one above the other to provide two sets of opposed protrusions 20, and also a rippled section which provides increased resistance to withdrawal.

Claims

1. A fishing hook including a barb-less protrusion for resisting in use dislodging of the hook from tissue through which it has hooked.

2. A fishing hook according to Claim 1, wherein said protrusion is disposed intermediate the point and the base of the bend of the hook.

3. A fishing hook according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein said protrusion comprises a plastic deformation of said hook material.

4. A fishing hook according to Claim 3, wherein said protrusion comprises a crimped portion in the hook material.

5. A fishing hook according to any preceding Claim, comprising a single protrusion.

6. A fishing hook according to any preceding Claim, comprising two or more protrusions disposed generally equiangularly about the local longitudinal axis of the hook.

7. A fishing hook according to any preceding Claim, wherein said protrusion comprises two or more crimped portions spaced along the axis of the hook to provide a zig¬ zag crimp.

8. A fishing hook according to Claim 3, wherein said plastic deformation comprises a recess in one side of said hook and a corresponding excrescence on the other side of said hook.

9. A method of producing a fishing hook which comprises the step of forming therein a barb-less protrusion for resisting in use dislodging of the hook from fish tissue through which it has hooked.

10. A method according to Claim 9, wherein said forming step comprises plastically deforming said hook material to form a region of locally enlarged or extended maximum dimension.

11. A fishing hook including a protrusion for resisting in use dislodging of the hook from fish tissue through which it has been hooked, said protrusion being formed by pinching or crimping the hook to effect plastic deformation thereof.