Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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~_ FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an angler's trolling rig
and more particularly to a trolling rig adapted to troll a
pair of fishing lures in spatial relation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In an effort to increase the probability of success
when fishing, anglers frequently resort to using more than
one fishing lure at a given time. This is particularly the
case when trolling lures from a slow moving boat because of
the relative ease with which fishing tackle may be
manipulated. It is quite common to connect lures to a
fishing line either in tandem or ln parallel, the latter
being possibly favored because it is less likely that
entanglement of a lure with the fishing line may occur.
A useful and well known rig from which artificial
fishing lures and natural bait may be trailed is a
conventional spreader that comprises, in essence, a pair of
wire arms which extend laterally on opposite sides of a
central point that i8 attached to a fishing line. This is
but one type of spreader which is also known in the form of a
semicircular wire or even a triangular plate having an apex
connected to the fishing line and a bare or baited hook, or
an artificial lure, trailing behind the other two corners of
the triangle.
Irrespective of the shape of the spreader, its
function is to provide spatial separation between the lures
and/or hooks to prevent tangling of same. Eor anglers who
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are conservation conscious, such as those anglers who fish
solely for the pleasure of fishing and subsequently release
their catch, the spreader functions in some degree to prevent
secondary or foul hooklng of the fish after it is initially
hooked in a conventional manner by one of the hooks or lures.
It will be understood that the expression "conventional
hooking" conveys the notion of a fish that is hooked in its
mouth parts when it strikes a lure. "Secondary" or "foul
hooking" is intended to convey the notion of snagging some
part of the fish's body on an adjoining hook attached to the
spreader as the hooked fish struggles to break free. Quite
obviously, the fewer injuries a fish sustains in the hooking
process, the greater the probability of its survival
following release.
Whereas there is generally adequate spatial
separation between lures to prevent entanglement during
fishing, a problem is still commonly experienced wlth
spreaders. Thus, after a fish strikes and is hooked, the
vlolent movements of the fish in attempting escape may
readily carry it into the scope of the free hook or lure. As
a result, conventional spreaders are generally quite limited
in their abillty to prevent foul hooking after a fish is
initially hooked.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A principal provision of the present invention is a
trolling rig that provides spatial separation for trolled
lures and which i6 adapted to increase the distance of such
separation after a fish is initially hooked.
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Another provision of the invention is a planar
trolling rig having utility as a diving plane in order to
quickly establish a working depth for a pair of trolled
fishing lures or baited hooks as the case may be.
Yet another provision of the invention is a
trolling rig that may be embodied in the form of a
semicircular wire spreader.
Still another provision of the inven5ion is a
trolling rig that is simple and economical to manufacture.
The problems associated with the prior art may be
substantially overcome and the foregoing objectives achieved
by recourse to the present invention which relates to a rig
for trolling a pair of fishing lures in spaced relation to
prevent secondary hooking of a fish principally hooked on one
of the lures. The rig comprises, spreader means having a
pair of anchor points positioned in spaced lateral relation
for connectable trailing therefrom corresponding ones of the
fishing lures, arcuate track means disposed on the spreader
means in forwardly symmetrical relation of the anchor points,
carrier means for displaceably engaging the arcuate track
means along the periphery thereof, and eyelet means disposed
on the carrier means for connecting the rig to a fishing
line.
BRIE~ DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be more particularly
described with reference to embodiments thereof shown, by way
of example, in the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a
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rig for trolllng a pair of fishing lures in spaced relation
in accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion
of the spreader illustrated in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment
of a rig for trolling a pair of fishing lures in spaced
relation in accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 4 i8 a cross-sectional view of Fig. 3 taken
along the lines 4-4;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a carrier shown in
Fig. 3;
Fiq. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment
of a carrier in accordance with the present invention; and
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of yet another
e ~o~i ent of a rig for trolling a pair of fishing lures in
spaced relation in accordance with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A rig 10 for trolling a pair of fishing lures 11 is
illustrated in Fig. 1. It will be seen therein that each
lure 11, 11' is connected by means of corresponding leaders
12 to respective free ends 13 of a pair of opposing coaxial
side arms 14 of a wire spreader 15. The purpose of the arms
14 is to provide lateral spacing between the lures 11, 11' so
that when the rig 10 is trolled, the lures do not cross over
and become entangled by means of their hooks. In this
regard, the length of each arm 14 is arbitrary and would be
ascertained by the length of the leaders 12. Accordingly,
the length of each arm 14 should be greater than the combined
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length of the leader 12 and its lure 11 to prevent
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entanglement between lures.
The wire spreader 15 is shown to include an arcuate
track portlon in the form of a semicircular wire track 16
that is disposed centrally of the arms 14. It will be
observed that the track 16 is fabricated as a separate wire
element, the free ends of which are ~oined, as by wrapping,
to the arms 14 as lllustrated. Thls structural arrangement
provldes a relatlvely rigld wlre structure ln which the
bending moment of each arm 14 occurs mainly over the distance
from its ~unction with the track 16 to its free end 13.
A more flexible, and more simple, structure for the
spreader 15 may be achleved by forming the entire spreader
from a unitary piece of wire into the shape indicated ln Flg.
1. Of course, a brldging portion 17 between the arms 14
would not be requlred if the arms 14 and the track 16 are
fabricated as a unitary structure.
Shown centrally disposed on the inner periphery of
the track 16 are stop means, the purpose of which is to
releasably arrest a carrier that is adapted to displaceably
engage the track 16 along its periphery. Reference to Fig. 2
shows in greater detail that the stop means comprise a pair
of small protuberances 20, disposed in spaced relation, one
on each side of a plane of symmetry, along which lies a
fishlng line 21. The line 21 is shown connected to the
carrier which comprises, in the embodiment of Fig. 2, a clip
22 having an eyelet 23 to which the fishing line 21 is
fastened and an openably closed body portion 24.
As previously described, the arms 14 provide an
increased distance between the lures 11, 11'. If desired,
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- the arms 14 may be eliminated and the diameter of the track
16 increased correspondingly to provide the same spacing
between the lures 11.
When trolling with the rig 10, a balanced
arrangement is achieved by ensuring that the clip 22 rests
between the protuberances 20 on the track 16 as shown. In
this way, the lures 11 are equidistant behind the arms 14 and
are away from the spreader 15 to avoid possible entanglement.
An optimum spatial arrangement between the lures 11 and the
rig 10 is thus obtained.
In the event that a game fish strikes one of the
lures 11, and is hooked thereon, the force of its struggles
or merely the additional load placed on one end 13 of an arm
14 causes the spreader 15 to rotate somewhat. This movement,
in turn, causes the body portion 24 of the clip 22 to be
drawn over one protuberance 20 and to slide along the inner
periphery of the track 16 to one end thereof. Reference to
Fig. 1 shows that the clip 22 will stop at the junction of
the track 16 and one of the arms 14.
The significance of the aforedescribed displacement
is that the lure 11, to which the fish is hooked, is drawn
rearwardly whereas the free lure 11' is drawn forwardly,
thereby increasing the spatial distance between the lures and
minimizing the probability of foul hooking the fish on the
lure 11'.
Although only two protuberances 20 are illustrated
in Figs. 1 and 2, additional protuberances may be uniformly
distributed along the arcuate inner periphery of the track 16
to enhance the aforedescribed arresting effect. Under
certain circumstances the additional protuberances 20 may be
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desirable. For example, in the case of momentary contact
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with weeds or other underwater obstructions, there will be
less of a tendency for the rig 10 to lose its symmetrical
conformation as it is drawn through the water. With thls
arrangement, even though the striking of an underwater obj ect
may cause the clip 22 to j ump over one or more of the
protuberances 20, a near symmetrical conformation will be
retained until one of the lures 11 is struck by a game fish.
Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated
in Fig. 3 as a rig 30 which, although functionally the same
as the rig 10, embodies a planar body 31 in place of the wire
spreader 15. The similarity of the body 31 and the spreader
15 may be seen particularly in the arcuate track which is
basically the same. Whereas the spreader 15 employs the
semicircular wire track 16, the corresponding track in the
rig 30 comprises a semicircular slot 32 formed in the body
31. The protuberances 20, however, are the same, but in the
rig 30 are disposed on a leading edge 33 of the slot 32 as
illustrated.
A further difference in the rig 30 may be seen in
an improved carrier 29 that is shown in Fig. 5 to comprise a
roller 33' which is rotatably mounted on one side of a
rectangular wire hoop 34 having an eyelet 35 that is
attachable to the fishing line 21. With regard to Fig. 3, it
will be observed that the roller 33' is held captive within
the slot 32 and is displaceable along the outer periphery of
the slot when a game fish strikes one of the lures. The
roller 33' would be drawn over the protuberance 20 and along
the slot 32 as the body 31 rotates due to the fish's
struggles, thereby increasing the lateral distance between
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~-- the lures 11 and 11'.
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the body 31 and
shows how the body may be readlly converted into a divlng
plane in order to bring the lures 11 down to a predeteL 1 ned
5 fishing depth without the use of separate weights. It will
be ob~erved that a trailing edge 36 of the slot 32 is bent
downwardly to effectively open the slot to form a diving
plane 37. Bending the plane 37 more or less will permit
depth adjustment as desired.
A perspective view in Fig. 6 of another improved
carrier 41 shows the position of a roller 44 that is
rotatably ~ournalled in apertures 45 of a pair of end walls
41 and 42 by means of roller pins 46. Fig. 6 also shows the
location of an eyelet 47 on the end wall 41.
Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated
as a rig 50 in Fig. 7 and is similar to the rig 30 except
that a diving plane 54 in the form of an annular semicircular
leading edge of the rig 50 i9 not uniform in width. Unlike
the rig 30 where the leading edge of the body 31 and the
20 leading edge 33 of the slot 32 define a narrow semicircular
annulus of uniform width, the corresponding portion in the
rig 50 has a substantially wider leading portion 51 than a
lateral portion 52. The purpose of this arrangement provides
easier retrieval of a hooked fish from deep water. After a
25 fish strikes one of the lures 11, the aforedescribed carrier
41 will be displaced along a slot 53 to its closed end.
Since the length of the diving plane 54 is shortened from the
dimension indicated at 51 to the lesser dimenslon indicated
at 52, the plane does not 9COOp as much water, thereby making
30 retrieval of the rig 50 and the hooked fish an easier task.
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_ To those individuals skilled in the art to whom
this specification is addressed, lt will be apparent that the
embodiments heretofore described may be varied to meet
particular requirements without departing from the true
spirit and scope of the invention disclosed. The foregoing
embodiments are therefore not to be taken as indicative of
the limits of the invention but rather as exemplary
structures of the invention whlch is described by the claims
appended hereto.
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