WO2011083328A1

WO2011083328A1 - Fish hook

Info

Publication number: WO2011083328A1
Application number: PCT/GB2011/050010
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Anthony Jones; Carl Anthony Jones
Original assignee: Peter Anthony Jones; Carl Anthony Jones
Priority date: 2010-01-08
Filing date: 2011-01-06
Publication date: 2011-07-14
Also published as: GB201009209D0; GB2478615A; GB2478615A8; GB2476845A8; GB201015686D0; GB2476845A; GB201000261D0; GB2476813A

Abstract

A fish hook is disclosed. The hook is formed from a wire (preferably a single wire). The hook comprises a shank portion (10) that has an attachment formation (20) to which a line can be connected. First and second hook portions (12,12'), are each formed as a respective end portion of the wire formed into a bend having an approximately U-shape and having a sharpened, and optionally barbed point (14,14';16,16'). The attachment formation (20) includes a helix formed in the wire by one or more turns formed in the wire. Embodiments may be rotationally symmetrical or mirror symmetrical and the axis of the helix may be varied to accommodate variations in the manner in which the hook is intended to be attached to a line. Barbs may be provided on the shank portion (10) to hold bait and/or on the hook portions (12, 12').

Description

Fish hook

This invention relates to a fish hook.

The basic arrangement of a fish hook has remained unchanged for many centuries. While it is a very successful design, it is not without its limitations and problems. The upward-directed point of the hook can be difficult for a bottom-feeding fish, such as cod or bass, to take, since its point will be above the sea or river bottom from which the fish will normally take its food. Once bait has been taken by a fish, it is not uncommon for the fish to partially or entirely swallow the hook. The straight shaft of a conventional fish hook makes its recovery in such circumstances difficult.

An aim of this invention is to provide a fish hook that overcomes or ameliorates the disadvantages of conventional fish hooks. US-A-i 911 778 discloses a double-ended fish hook for which its inventor claims many advantages. However, he makes clear that his invention requires a "slip connection" between the hook and the line. This can result in the hook being displaced to one side of a connecting line, which can cause undesirable forces to be applied to a line when a fish is caught. It will also be seen that the hooks disclosed in US-A-i 911 778 are considerably more complex to manufacture than a conventional fish hook, since they cannot be formed from a single wire, and would therefore be comparatively costly.

This invention provides a fish hook as set forth in claim 1. This invention may additionally or alternatively provide a fish hook formed from a single wire comprising a shank portion that has an attachment formation to which a line can be connected and first and second hook portions, each hook portion being formed as a respective end portion of the wire formed into a bend having an approximately U-shape and having a sharpened, optionally barbed point; in which the attachment formation includes a helix formed in the wire by one or more turns formed in the wire.

This invention may further additionally or alternatively provide a fish hook formed from a wire comprising a shank portion that has an attachment formation to which a line can be connected and first and second hook portions, each hook portion being formed as a respective end portion of the wire formed into a bend having an approximately U-shape and having a sharpened point; in which the attachment formation includes a helix formed in the wire by one or more turns formed in the wire, and respective portions of the shank portion extend in from the attachment formation in opposite directions generally parallel to one another.

A line can be passed through the loop or each loop and optionally tied to secure the hook to the line. In this way, the disposition of the hook with respect to the line can be maintained as required by an angler.

In typical fish hooks embodying the invention, the or each bend includes a barb to resist removal of the fish from the hook. However, embodiments may also be provided without barbs.

A fish hook embodying the invention may be symmetrical about the attachment formation. It may be mirror symmetrical, such that the points of the hook portions point generally towards one another. Alternatively, it may be rotationally symmetrical, such that the hook portions are displaced from the shank portion in opposite directions.

The helix of the attachment formation will typically have an axis that is normal to or approximately normal to the shank portion. For example, the axis of the helix may be offset by 30⁰ or less (for example, in the range of 5⁰ to io°) from normal to the shank portion.

The axis of the helix may lie approximately in a plane that is occupied by or is parallel to a plane that is occupied by one or more of the bends of the hook portions. Such an arrangement is particularly suited for attachment at the end of a line. Alternatively, the axis of the helix may be approximately normal to a plane that is occupied by or is parallel to a plane that is occupied by one or more of the bends of the hook portions. This arrangement is particularly suited for connection to an intermediate part of a line. Preferred embodiments of the invention are formed from a single wire. However, there may be alternative embodiments that are formed from several interconnected components. For example, a hook embodying the invention could be formed from two wire hook components interconnected, such as by interconnected screw threads or by brazing, with a central attachment component, which could be formed of metal or any other suitable material. Alternatively, a hook embodying the invention could be formed from two wire hook components interconnected by being embedded into a moulded body of material.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 to 6 show, respectively, first to sixth embodiments of the invention;

Figures 7 to 10 show, respectively, the fifth, first, third and fourth embodiments of the invention carrying bait fish;

Figure 11 is a plan view corresponding to Figure 8;

Figure 12 shows a further embodiment of the invention; Figures 13 is a perspective view of a baited hook similar to the second embodiment of the invention on the sea bed about to be taken by a fish;

Figure 14 shows the hook of Figure 13 being used to draw in a caught fish;

Figure 15 shows a further alternative embodiment of the invention; Figure 16 shows a modification in a further embodiment of the invention; and

Figures 17 and 18 shows a modification in a yet further embodiment of the invention.

With reference to the drawings, each embodiment of the invention comprises a fish hook formed from a single piece of formed steel wire.

Each hook has a central shank portion 10 which, in the first to fourth embodiments, is generally straight. Opposite end portions of the wire are each formed as a respective hook portion 12, 12'. Each hook portion 12, 12' is constituted by a respective end portion of the wire that is curved upon itself into a U-shape to form a bend of the hook. A free end of each hook portion is sharpened to a point 14, 14' and a barb 16, 16' is formed next to it, whereby a gape of the hook is defined between each point 14, 14' and the shank 10. (Note that the embodiment of Figure 15 omits the barb.) Thus, it will be seen that each of the hook portions 12, 12' closely resembles corresponding components of a conventional fish hook. Therefore, the hook portions can be subject to the wide range of variations in their configuration with which those skilled in the field will be familiar in their application to conventional fish hooks.

An attachment loop 20 is formed centrally of the shank portion 10. The attachment loop 20 is formed by bending a portion of the wire into a helix. In each of the illustrated embodiments, the helix is formed so as to have approximately 1.5 turns, but one or more additional turns may be provided. It is formed as a close helix, whereby the turns of the helix are substantially in contact with one another. Lengths of the shank portion 10 extend in opposite directions, approximately parallel to one another, from the attachment loop 20. In practice, they may deviate from being parallel by a small amount, e.g., by less than 5⁰. These parallel lengths may be generally coaxial (as in the embodiments of e.g., Figures 1 to 4), or offset (as in the embodiments of e.g., Figures 5 and 6). The features described above are common to all of the embodiments of the invention that will be described here. Variations and additional features of the embodiments will now be described.

In the embodiment of Figure 1, the axis A of the helix that forms the attachment loop 20 is in a plane that is common to the shank portion 10 and the bends of the hook portions 12, 12'. It is offset by about 10-20⁰ to the normal of the shank portion 10. This arrangement can allow the hook to be secured to an intermediate part of a line 30, as shown in Figure 8, where the line 30 passes through the loop 20, and the longitudinal position of the hook on the line is fixed by trapping it between two beads 32 and crimps 34 that are secured to the line 30. This allows the hook to be connected and centred on the line 30. Therefore, the shank portion 10 extends generally normally to the line 30 with the hook portions 12, 12' generally in the plane of the line and to opposite sides of the line 30.

The second embodiment is identical to the first, save for the arrangement of the attachment loop. In the second embodiment, the axis A of the helix that forms the attachment loop 20 is offset by about 10-20⁰ to the normal of the shank portion 10 and is also similarly offset to the normal of the plane that is common to the shank portion 10 and the bends of the hook portions 12, 12'. In other words, as compared with the attachment loop 20 of the first embodiment, that of the second embodiment can be considered as being rotated by 90⁰ about the axis of the shank portion 10. This arrangement can allow the hook to be secured to an end portion of a line 30 as shown in Figure 10, where the line is knotted to the attachment loop 20. As before, the shank portion 10 extends generally normally to the line 30 with the hook portions 12, 12' generally in the plane of the line and to opposite sides of the line 30. The third embodiment, shown in Figure 3, has individual elements that are generally similar to those of Figure 1. However, this embodiment is mirror symmetric about a centre plane of the shank portion 10. This means that the points 14, 14' of the two hook portions 12, 12' point towards one another and the gapes open towards one another.

The fourth embodiment, shown in Figures 4 and 9, is to the third embodiment as the second is to the first. That is, the attachment loop 20 is rotated about the axis of the shank portion.

The fifth and sixth embodiments can be considered to be, respectively, modifications of the first and second embodiments. The fifth embodiment is shown in Figures 5 and 7, and the sixth embodiment is shown in Figure 6. As with those earlier embodiments, these are rotationally symmetrical about the attachment loop 20. The feature that distinguishes the fifth and sixth embodiments is that the shank portion 10 has a respective cranked length 28, 28' next to each of the hook portions 12, 12'. The sixth embodiment is a modification of the fifth as the second is to the first.

Figures 7 to 9 show how various embodiments of the invention can be connected to an intermediate part of a main line 30, and Figure 10 shows how a hook can be connected to the end of a main line. Any of the odd-numbered embodiments can be connected as shown in Figures 7 to 9, and any of the even-numbered embodiments can be connected as shown in Figure 10. These two arrangements of the connecting loop ensure that a hook embodying the invention can be connected to a line 30 in a wide range of configurations, while maintaining the centre of gravity of the hook coincident with the line, which ensures that the hook is brought quickly to its correct orientation when taken by a fish. As shown in Figures 7 to 10, a hook embodying the invention can be used with a bait fish 40. The aim is to present the bait fish such that it looks to a swimming fish to be as natural as possible. In particular, the bait fish should be generally horizontal, something that is obtained neither by a conventional fish hook nor the hook of US-A-i 911 778. This also ensures that the scent trail that extends from the bait fish is advantageously broad. There are several ways to secure the bait fish 40 to the hook. One way is to start by filleting it from the tail to the gill. The hook positioned between the fillets and the bait fish is then wrapped in bait elastic to secure it on the hook. Alternatively, the bait fish 40 can be cut in half through the body. Each half is then threaded onto each hook portion so that the cut parts of the bait fish connect at the centre of the hook close to the attachment loop 20.

It will also be understood that a swimming fish may try to take the bait fish from either its tail or its head end. Embodiments of the invention place a respective hook portion 12, 12' close to each of the head and tail of the bait fish. To optimise the relative positions of the hook portions 12, 12', embodiments in which the shank portion 10 is straight, as in the first four embodiments, are particularly suited for use with a slim-bodied fish such as an eel, while embodiments with a cranked shank portion 10, such as the fifth and sixth embodiments, are more suited to a broader type of baitfish. It will also be seen that when the hook is used at the end of a line 30, the bait fish 40 can reach close to the bottom of a river or sea where is can be taken easily by a bottom-feeding fish.

Figures 7 to 10 show hooks embodying the invention attached to a single main line. However, they can also be used in many of the alternative rigs used by anglers, for example, on a side trace or in combination with a float, to position the hook on the bottom or spaced from the bottom of water that is being fished.

In the preceding embodiments, the bends of the two hook portions lie substantially in a common plane that is also occupied by the shank portion. However, the bends may be displaced from that plane by a small amount.

In order to further enhance the appearance of a bait fish, a modification, shown in Figure 12, can be applied to any embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the shank portion 110 is not straight, but instead is formed with a slight S-shaped (or reverse-S-shaped) curve when viewed in the plane of the bends of the hook portion. As can be seen in Figure 12, this imparts a curve to a bait fish secured to the hook, which is similar to the curve such a fish might adopt when swimming. In this embodiment, the bends of the two hook portions lie in planes that are parallel to, but space apart from, one another.

Figure 13 shows a hook similar to the second embodiment baited with a bait fish 40 and connected to the end of a line 30. The hook is lying on the sea bed, and appears to an approaching swimming fish 42 to resemble a small fish upon which it might prey. As can be seen, the swimming fish 42 can attack the bait fish from either end, but the hook of the present embodiment ensures that it is likely to get caught in either case.

Once a swimming fish 42 has taken the bait and become hooked as shown in Figure 14, it will be drawn in by the line 30. Tension on the line 30 causes the hook to be drawn upwards. As can be seen in Figure 14, the fish 42 will be caught on one of the hook portions 12, but the other 12' will remain free. This means that it is virtually impossible for the fish 42 to swallow the hook, which is of significant assistance to an angler who is subsequently trying to remove the hook from the caught fish. A modified hook is shown in Figure 15. This arrangement of hook is normally referred to as a "bait holder" hook. The main feature of such a hook is that there is one or more (in this case, two) barbs 50, 50' on the shank portion 10 of the hook to each side of the attachment loop 20. These barbs (so-called "bait holder barbs") 50, 50' serve to resist removal of bait from the hook, either as a result of a fish pulling it off, or it simply falling off.

In the illustrated arrangement, the hook portions 12, 12' do not have barbs. However, barbs could be provided on an otherwise identical embodiment. (Likewise, the barbs could be omitted from any of the preceding embodiments described above.) This embodiment has the same general configuration of the bends of its hook portions 12, 12' and attachment loop 20 as the embodiment of Figure 2. However, a bait holder hook could be provided in any of the general configurations of the preceding embodiments described above. In the embodiment of Figure 16, the hook is formed from two hook components, each including a hook portion (not shown) and a shank 60, and a connecting body 62. An end portion of each shank 60 has an external screw thread formed on it. The connecting body 62 has two bores, which are in this case (but are not necessarily) coaxial and open in opposite directions. Each bore has an internal screw thread that is compatible with the threads on the shanks 60. A through hole 64 is formed through the connecting body 62 transverse to the bores. The connecting body can be machined from any suitable strong material, such a metal or a hard plastic.

The complete hook is formed by screwing each of the threaded portions of the shanks 60 into a respective bore in the connecting body 62. The hook is connected to a line by passing the line through the through hole 64 and securing it by knotting the line or between beads and/or crimps.

A further variation is shown in Figures 17 and 18. This embodiment is formed from two hook components, each being similar to a conventional fish hook with a hook portion (not shown), a shank 80 and a head 82 formed with an eye. The heads are placed together such that the eyes 82 are aligned with one another and a bead 84 of moulded material is formed around them and secure them together. A through bore 86 is formed through the bead 84 in alignment with the eyes such that a line can be passed through it. The bead is formed from a mouldable material such as a plastic or resin, or a cast metal.

The hook portions of the last two embodiments might be barbed or barbless, may optionally lie in the same plane, and may include any of the other variations described above with respect to the preceding embodiments.

As with conventional fish hooks, embodiments will be provided in a range of sizes such that a hook of a size suitable for a species of fish being sought can be selected by an angler.

Claims

1. A fish hook formed from two hook components and a connecting component, each hook component being formed from a wire comprising a shank portion that has an attachment formation and a hook portion, the hook portion being formed as a respective end portion of the wire formed into a bend having an approximately U-shape and having a sharpened point; in which the attachment formation of each hook component is secured within the connecting component, and respective shank portions extend in from the connecting component in opposite directions generally parallel to one another.

2. A fish hook according to claim ι in which the or each bend includes a barb.

3. A fish hook according to claim 1 or claim 2 that is mirror symmetrical about the attachment formation.

4. A fish hook according to claim 3 in which the points of the hook portions point generally towards one another.

5. A fish hook according to claim 1 or claim 2 that is rotationally symmetrical about the attachment formation.

6. A fish hook according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the hook portions are displaced from the shank portion in opposite directions.

7. A fish hook according to any preceding claim in which the helix of the attachment formation has an axis that is normal to or approximately normal to the shank portion.

8. A fish hook according to claim 7 in which the axis of the helix is offset by 30⁰ or less from normal to the shank portion.

9. A fish hook according to claim 7 in which the axis of the helix is offset by 5⁰ to io° from normal to the shank portion.

10. A fish hook according to any preceding claim in which the attachment formation of each hook component includes a screw thread that is retained by a corresponding threaded formation of the connection component.

11. A fish hook according to any one of claims 1 to 9 in which the connecting component includes a body of material, the attachment formation of each hook being encapsulated within the connecting component.

12. A fish hook according to claim 10 in which the connecting component is moulded around the attachment formations.

13. A fish hook according to claim 11 or claim 12 in which the attachment formation includes an eye.

14. A fish hook according to any preceding claim in which the shank portion carries one or more barbs.

15. A fish hook according to claim 14 in which the barbs are disposed generally symmetrically about the attachment formation.

16. A fish hook according to any preceding claim in which the two hook components are constituted by sections of a single shaped wire.

17. A fish hook according to claim 17 in which the attachment formation includes a helical formation of the shaped wire.