FISH BAIT DEVICE AND RELATED METHODS

Abstract

The present invention provides a bait device and method for making such bait device that includes forming sea urchin meat into a pellet structure operable to release meat at a measured rate. The bait device may comprise a casing (e.g. a membrane or fine mesh), that envelopes all or some of a pellet. Further disclosed is a fishing devices that may include a body in which the bait device may be inserted. When submerged, the bait device may be operable to release small particles of the sea urchin meat into the water in a controlled manner, attracting fish without the pellet falling apart or being easily eaten off of the lure or hook without catching the fish.

Claims

1. A bait device, comprising: a. a casing operable to release said sea urchin meat in a controlled manner, said casing comprising a membrane or fabric; and b. sea urchin meat encapsulated in said casing, forming a pellet.

2. The bait device of claim 1, wherein said pellet having a pre-determined shape

3. The bait device of claim 1, further comprising a fishing device.

4. The bait device of claim 3, wherein said fishing device comprises a lure having a body.

5. The bait device of claim 4, wherein said body comprises a cavity for securing said pellet, said cavity having a shape that is complementary to a pre-determined shape of said pellet.

6. The bait device of claim 5, wherein said pellet is inserted into said cavity.

7. The bait device of claim 1, wherein said casing comprises a fiber-based fabric.

8. The bait device of claim 6, wherein said casing comprises a porosity in a range of about 0.5 mm to about 1.5 mm.

9. The bait device of claim 5, wherein said cavity comprises a plurality of cavities.

10. The bait device of claim 3, wherein said fishing device comprises a hook, said pellet being impaled on said hook.

11. A method of using sea urchin meat as fish bait, the method comprising the steps of: a. processing sea urchin meat for forming into a pellet; b. forming said sea urchin meat into a pellet; c. enveloping said sea urchin meat in a casing, said casing comprising a membrane or fabric; and d. inserting said pellet into a cavity in a fishing device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said cavity comprises a shape complementary to a shape of a pre-determined shape of said pellet.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said lure comprises a plurality of cavities therein, said plurality of cavities each having a shape complementary to said pre-determined shape of said pellet.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein forming said sea urchin meat into a pellet comprises the steps of: a. mashing said sea urchin meat into a mass having a substantially uniform consistency; and b. freezing said pellet.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein forming said sea urchin meat into a pellet further comprises the step of: a. inserting said mass having substantially uniform consistency into a molding structure having a pre-determined shape that is complementary to said cavity in said fishing device.

16. A bait and device system, comprising: a. a casing operable to release said sea urchin meat in a controlled manner, said casing comprising a membrane or fabric; and b. sea urchin meat encapsulated in said casing, forming a pellet having a pre-determined shape; c. a fishing device having a body comprising at least one cavity for securing said pellet, said cavity having a shape that is complementary to said pre-determined shape of said pellet.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said pellet is inserted into said cavity.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said casing comprises a fiber-based fabric.

19. The bait device of claim 18, wherein said casing comprises a porosity in a range of about 0.5 mm to about 1.5 mm.

20. The bait device of claim 16, wherein said cavity comprises a plurality of cavities, each having a shape that is complementary to said pre-determined shape of said pellet.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] FIG. 1A shows a flow chart for a sea urchin fish bait device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a flow chart for a sea urchin fish bait device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] FIG. 3A shows a side view of a sea urchin fish bait device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] FIG. 3B shows a rear perspective view of a sea urchin fish bait device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 3C shows a side view of a sea urchin fish bait device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 4 shows a side view of a sea urchin fish bait device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 4B shows a side view of a sea urchin fish bait device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] FIG. 5 shows a side view of a sea urchin fish bait device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] chin fish bait device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] FIG. 6A shows a side view of a sea urchin fish bait device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] FIG. 6B shows a side view of a sea urchin fish bait device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] Reference will now be made in detail to certain embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in reference to these figures and certain implementations and examples of the embodiments, it will be understood that such implementations and examples are not intended to limit the invention. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that are included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims. In the following disclosure, specific details are given to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. References to various features of the “present invention” throughout this document do not mean that all claimed embodiments or methods must include the referenced features. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details or features.

[0045] Reference will be made to the exemplary illustrations in the accompanying drawings, and like reference characters may be used to designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

[0046] The present invention may provide a bait device 100 for efficiently and effectively using sea urchin meat 101 as fish bait. The bait device 100 may comprise sea urchin meat 101 wrapped in a casing 110 and formed into a pellet 120, and a fishing device 130 for securing said pellet 120 and catching a fish.

[0047] As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 the sea urchin meat 101 may comprise at least one of a gonad and gametes of a sea urchin. The sea urchin meat 101 may comprise the tissue of any species of sea urchin, (e.g., a red sea urchin (Mesocentrotus franciscanus), a purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus), etc.). The sea urchin meat 100 may be processed into a pellet 120, wherein the sea urchin meat 101 is mashed, ground, or blended into a mass 102 with uniform consistency, wrapped in a casing 110, and formed into a pellet 120 having a substantially spherical shape 121 (see FIG. 1), a substantially cylindrical shape 122 (see FIG. 2), or other appropriate configuration.

[0048] As seen in FIG. 2, the sea urchin meat 101 may be formed into a plurality of pellets 120. The plurality of pellets 120 may be formed by processing the sea urchin meat 101 into a plurality of masses 102 having a substantially uniform consistency a size, wrapping the plurality of masses 102 in a plurality of casings 110, and pressing the masses into a plurality of substantially cylindrical-shaped cavities in a tray 115 to form a plurality of substantially cylindrically shaped pellets 122.

[0049] The casing 110 may comprise any material operable to incrementally release the sea urchin meat 101 (and any other components of the pellet 120) from the pellet 120 in a controlled manner (e.g., the pellet 120 dissolves, releasing small pieces of sea urchin meat into the water 199 slowly), such that target fish (not shown) are able to sense the pellet 120 engaged with the fishing device 130 quickly and for a substantial amount of time. The casing may comprise a material having a porosity which allows only small pieces 105 (see FIGS. 3C and 6B) of the sea urchin meat 101 (and any other components of the pellet 120) to release into the water 199, (e.g., a porosity in a range from about 0.5 mm to about 1.5 mm). The casing 110 may comprise a fiber-based mesh fabric.

[0050] As seen in FIGS. 3A through 6B, the fishing device 130 may comprise any device operable to be engaged with one or more pellets 120 and to catch a fish.

[0051] The lure 131 may comprise at least one cavity 136 in the body 132 for inserting and securing the pellet 120, the at least one cavity 136 having a shape and size complementary to the shape and size of the pellet 120 (e.g., a cylindrical shape comprising a diameter and depth). As seen in FIG. 4, the body 131 may comprise a plurality of cavities 136. The plurality of cavities may comprise at least a first cavity 137 having a first size and shape complementary to a size and shape of a first pellet 127, and a second cavity 138 having a second size and shape complementary to a size and shape of a second pellet 128. The cavity 136 or plurality of cavities 137, 138 may be located in any position(s) on the body 132 which is/are advantageous for attracting a fish. FIG. 4B shows a further embodiment in which at least one cavity 136 is located on a lateral side of the body 132.

[0052] The fishing device 130 may be tied to the line 190 of a fishing pole via a line securing loop 135, and may comprise at least one of a lure 131 (see FIG. 3A), and a simple hook 140 on a line. The lure 131 may comprise a body 132 and a hook 133, wherein the body 132 and the hook 133 may each comprise a broad range of shapes and sizes which are known in the fishing art to be effective at catching a fish. As seen in FIG. 3A-3C, the lure 131 may comprise a body 132 having a shape substantially similar to a fish head, and a single hook 133 extending from the back of the fish head shaped body 132.

[0053] As seen in FIG. 5, in another embodiment the fishing device 130 may comprise a lure 231 having a cylindrical or slug-shaped body 232 and a cavity 236 comprising a substantially cylindrical shape located at a leading end of the body 232, the hook 233 being positioned on the opposite end of the body 232 from the 233.

[0054] In yet another embodiment, as seen in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the lure 331 may comprise a tapered cylindrical shape having a line securing loop 335 located at a first tapered end 332a and multi-point hook 333 swinging freely from the hook engagement loop 334 located at a second tapered end 332b. The cavity may comprise a plurality of cavities 337, 338 having substantially the same size and shape, and complementary to the size and shape of a plurality of pellets 327, 328, each having a substantially spherical shape. Each cavity 337, 338 may be located on a lateral surface 339 (e.g., the curved outer surface of the cylinder shape) of the body 332, allowing each of the first pellet 327 and second pellet 328 to release small pieces of sea urchin meat 105 into the water in order to attract a fish.

[0055] The present invention may further provide a method for efficiently and effectively using sea urchin meat 101 as fish bait. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the method may comprise the steps of providing sea urchin meat 101, processing the sea urchin meat into a mass of substantially uniform consistency 102, forming the sea urchin meat into a pellet shape 120, wrapping the sea urchin meat in a casing 110, and engaging the sea urchin meat 101 with a fishing device 130 (see FIGS. 3C and 6B).

[0056] The step of forming the sea urchin meat 101 into a pellet shape 120 may comprise at least one of rolling the mass of sea urchin meat 102 by hand into a substantially spherical shape 121 (see FIG. 1), and forming the sea urchin meat 101 into a plurality of pellets 120 by pressing the processed mass of sea urchin meat 102 into a tray 115 having a plurality of pellet shaped cavities (e.g., a tray with a plurality of substantially cylindrical cavities, each cavity having an open upper end) to form cylindrical pellets 122 (see FIG. 2).

[0057] The step of engaging the sea urchin meat 101 with a fishing device 130 may comprise at least one of impaling a pellet 120 on a fishing hook or the hook 133 of a lure 131, and inserting a pellet 120 into a cavity 136 of a lure 131 (see FIGS. 3A-3C). The pellet 120 may be frozen or unfrozen at the time of engagement with the fishing device 130. The step of engaging the sea urchin meat 101 with a fishing device 130 may comprise inserting a plurality of pellets 127/327, 128/328 into a plurality of cavities 137/337, 138/338 of a lure 131/331 (see FIGS. 4 and 4B).

[0058] The method may further comprise the step of putting the fishing device 130 into a body of water 199, the step comprising tying a fishing line 190 to a securing member (e.g., a line securing loop 135/335) of the fishing device 130 and immersing the fishing device 130 in the body of water 199 (see FIGS. 3C and 6B). The pellet 120 may be operable to slowly dissolve, releasing small pieces of sea urchin meat 105 into the water 199, allowing a remotely located fish to sense the sea urchin meat 101, find the fishing device 130, and be caught by the fishing device 130 (e.g., be impaled by a lure's hook 133/333 or a fishing hook 140).

[0059] It is to be understood that variations, modifications, and permutations of embodiments of the present invention, and uses thereof, may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is also to be understood that the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments, descriptions, or illustrations or combinations of either components or steps disclosed herein. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Although reference has been made to the accompanying figures, it is to be appreciated that these figures are exemplary and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.