SUBSTITUTE BAIT FISH COMPONENT FOR FISHING LURES

COMPOSANT DE SUBSTITUT DE POISSON-APPAT POUR LEURRES

English Abstract

The substitute component is made of two mating layers of VELCRO (TM) material shaped in planform to resemble the body of a bait fish. The component can be manipulated during or after assembly to curve it to cause it to simulate the motions of an injured fish as it moves through water. The layers can be impregnated with material which provides fish attracting odors.

French Abstract

Le composant de substitut est constitué de deux couches appareillées de matériau de VELCRO (TM) mises en forme pour ressembler au corps d'un poisson-appât. Le composant peut être manipulé pendant ou après l'assemblage pour être courbé afin de lui permettre de simuler les mouvements d'un poisson blessé lorsqu'il se déplace dans l'eau. Les couches peuvent être imprégnées de matériau émettant des odeurs pour attirer le poisson.

Claims

What is claimed is:
1. A substitute bait fish component for use as a component
of a fishing lure, said lure comprising a head element shaped to
resemble the head of a fish and being hollow and having an open
head end,
said substitute bait fish component being made to resemble the
body of a fish and having a component end which is sized and
shaped to be inserted into said open head end, said lure further
comprising means to retain said component end in said head
element,
said substitute bait fish component comprising first and second
layers of VELCRO (TM) material, said first layer having hooks,
said second layer having loops, said first and second layers
being joined by said hooks and loops such that said substitute
bait fish component can be flexed from a first shape to a second
shape and said hooks and loops tend to inhibit the flexing and
to retain said component in said second shape.
2. The substitute bait fish component of claim 1
comprising:
soft absorbent material in the shape of the body of a fish and
a soft metal element,
said metal element being integrated with said soft material such
that said component can be flexed from a first shape to a second
shape and retains said second shape.
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Description

CA 02260335 1999-O1-25
SUBSTITUTE BAIT FISH COMPONENT FOR FISHING LURES
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The subject invention is in the field of fish lures,
particularly those comprising a head assembly to which a bait
fish component is attached.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There is much prior art, patented and not, in the
general field of the subject invention and considerable prior art
in the particular field of lures which comprise a head assembly
to which a bait fish component is attached. However, in recent
years, for a variety of reasons, the cost of bait fish has
increased considerably. Also, at times in various locations the
availability of suitable bait fish is noticeably limited.
Accordingly, a prime objective of the subject invention is to
provide a substitute for the bait fish component used in lures
as described. Corollary objectives are that the substitute
component be durable, economical, easy to use, adjustable to
user's requirements and at least as effective as actual bait fish
components.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The subject invention is a substitute bait fish
component for use in fishing lures. A typical lure using such
a component comprises a head assembly and the component attached
to it. The head assembly comprises a shell, a headed pin, at
least one hook and links and lines as needed to integrate the
assembly. The shell resembles the hollow head of a small fish
such as a herring and is open at the back. There is a hole in
each side near the back edge. The shank of the headed pin fits
through the holes and a hole in the bait component to attach the
component to the head.
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CA 02260335 1999-O1-25
The component is flat and shaped in planform like the
body of a,small fish and sized to match the head-like shell. The
component is flexible under gentle finger pressure and retains
the shape it is flexed into and can be formed so that its action
as it is moved through water resembles the action of an injured
fish. The component is at least partly absorbent so that it can
be saturated with oils or pastes which give off fish attracting
odors.
The component can be made in a variety of ways.
Examples are: (1) felt-like material laminated to a soft metal
layer which enables the component to retain shapes or (2)
open-cell foam plastic formed over a soft wire grid. However,
in a preferred embodiment the component is made of two layers of
VELCRO (TM) material, one loop layer and one hook layer, fully
engaged with each other. The loop layer is saturated with the
fish attracting material. The component assembly is shaped
either as the two layers are attached to each other or by
manipulation after the layers are engaged. The hooks and loops
inhibit change of the flexed shape of the component.
The invention is described in more detail below with
reference to the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a general view of a lure incorporating a
preferred embodiment of the subject invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the substitute bait
component in the FIG. 1 embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The subject invention is a substitute bait fish
component for fishing lures. FIG. 1 illustrates lure 10
incorporating a preferred embodiment of the subject component 11.
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CA 02260335 1999-O1-25
Component 11 is an assembly of two layers 12 and 13 of VELCRO
(TM) material shaped in planform to resemble the body of a small
fish. Layer 12 is a hook layer and layer 13 is a loop layer.
End 14 of the component is inserted into open end 15 of head
element 16 and is and retained in the head element by pin 17.
The pin is inserted through holes 18 and 19 (hole 19 not visible
in this view) in sides 20 and 21 respectively of the head
element. Fishing line or leader 22 is threaded into the head
element through hole 23 in bottom 24 of the head element and out
of the head element through hole 25 in side 20 which is located
a short distance forward of hole 18. The line is threaded
through hole 26 in head 27 of pin 17 and attached to hooks 28 and
29. Hook 28 has three prongs and prong 30 is fitted through slot
31 which extends through both layers of component 11. A
toothpick or the equivalent is forced into hole 26 alongside the
line to restrict lengthwise movement of the line through the hole
and set distance D such that prong 30 is retained in slot 31.
Tension in the line keeps the pin inserted.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of layers 12 and 13 of the
substitute bait component showing the hooks, hook 32 being
typical, of layer 12 and the loops, loop 33 being typical, of
layer 13. Pin 17 fits through hole 34 in layer 12 and hole 35
in layer 13 to attach the bait component to the head element .
Slots 31~ in layer 12 and 31~~ in layer 13 make up slot 31 in the
component. The hooks and loops extend over the entire areas of
the surfaces of the layers and inhibit flexing of the layers so
that the component can be flexed to a desired shape and retains
that shape.
The configuration of this lure is well known in the art
except for the substitution of the subject substitute bait
component for a similarly shaped slice of fish meat. The meat
cannot be shaped to affect the motion of the lure in the water.
The odor of the meat is simulated in the substitute component by
application of commercially available liquids and/or pastes which
produce the odors of fish meat.
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CA 02260335 1999-O1-25
It is considered to be understandable from this
description that the subject invention meets its objectives. It
provides a substitute for the bait fish component used in lures
as described and the substitute component is durable, economical,
easy to use and adjustable to user's requirements in terms of
causing the lure's movements in the water to simulate the
movements of an injured fish. Also, developmental testing using
the subject component has shown that it is at least as effective
as actual bait fish components.
It is also considered to be understood that while a
preferred embodiment of the subject invention is described
herein, other embodiments and modifications of the one described
in detail are possible within the scope of the invention which
is limited only by the attached claims.
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Representative Drawing