Power Jigger Adaptable to Existing Rod Holder

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to a mechanical assembly which induces a back-and-forth motion to a fishing lure or bait. Where past such devices primarily accomplished this action by oscillating a fishing rod, the present invention simply oscillates the fishing line. In the few instances where prior art oscillated the fishing line, the designs required the vessel to be altered to accept the mounting of the design. The present invention demonstrates how a standard cylindrical rod holder found on most fishing vessels can be used to provide a secure mount for the invention. The present invention discloses an equipment base which supports a motor and electrical switch and which may be rotated to avoid obstructions while, along with a wand, positioned to obtain optimum performance. Lastly, the present invention presents a unique method for adjusting the output pulling force to match the requirements of the lure or bait being pulled.

Claims

1. A jigging device which will impart an oscillating motion to a fishing line. Said jigging device shah be comprised of: a. A mounting base which fits into a wide variety of commercially available fishing rod holders. Said rod holders sharing the common characteristic of being generally cylindrical in shape and having a pin installed near the cylindrical base. b. An equipment base which provides a secure platform for installing a motor and an electrical switch. Said equipment base being attached to the upper portion of the mounting base in such a manner that it can rotate around the attachment point and be clamped at the optimum rotation angle. c. An electrical motor having a gearbox. Said motor shall be designed to rotate a spindle back-and-forth through a specific sweep angle. d. A wand which has one end clamped to the motor spindle. Said wand shall be capable of being rotated around the motor drive spindle and firmly clamped in the desired location around the spindle. e. A fishing line dip which is attached to the wand. The fishing line clip clips onto a fishing line and automatically releases the line when the line aggressively pulled.

2. The jigging, device of claim 1 characterized in that the motor having a gearbox is a windshield wiper motor.

3. The jigging device of claim 1 characterized in that the mounting system is comprised of an adjustment bar threaded into a tapered plug, the adjustment bar having a groove cut to fit over the factory-installed pin at the base of said rod holder.

4. The jigging device of claim 1 characterized in that a clip mounting sleeve is installed over the wand shaft such that said clip mounting sleeve may slide freely along the length of the wand shaft. The fishing line clip is attached to the clip mounting sleeve. A thumbscrew or similar device is installed in the clip mounting sleeve and provides a means by which the clip mounting sleeve may be firmly anchored in the selected location along the wand shaft.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0017] These and other features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the following drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals are used throughout the Figures to reference like features and components. The Figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0018] FIG. 1A is a view of the entire device showing the parts required for assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG. 1B is a view of the assembled device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIG. 2 is a view showing the method for anchoring the mounting portion of the jigging device into an existing rod holder according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The present disclosure is directed to various embodiments of a powered jigging device. This narrative will begin with a description of the jigging device's elements which allow it to be securely and firmly mounted into an existing rod holder as indicated on FIG. 2. The individual parts comprising the assembled device will then be presented and indicated on FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B. Finally, the operation of the assembled device will be discussed.

[0022] FIG. 2 indicates the mounting portion of the jigging device, consisting of a tapered plug 8 an adjustment rod 6, and a set screw 7. The tapered portion of the tapered plug 8 has a small diameter which is slightly larger than the diameter of the adjustment rod 6 or approximately 3.2 cm. The tapered portion of the tapered plug is about 200 cm long and with the taper ending at a larger diameter of about 6.4 cm. These dimensions are presented as an example and may be altered should larger diameter and/or longer rod holders be made available. The upper end of the tapered plug 8 includes a hole drilled perpendicular to the long axis of the tapered plug 8. This hole is provided such that the tapered plug 8 may be bolted to the equipment base 23 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. A circular raised extrusion about 0.3 cm high is provided concentric to this bolt hole and consists of a non-skid surface 37. A matching non skid surface is included on the equipment base 23 at the point the equipment base 23 bolts to the tapered plug 8. The opposite end of the tapered plug 8 is drilled and internally threaded along its long axis. These female threads extend up to approximately 1.3 cm from the large diameter end of the taper or about 19.2 cm.

[0023] An adjustment bar 6 consists of a round bar, having a diameter less than the inside diameter of the smallest commercially available rod holder. This will require a diameter for the adjustment bar 6 of approximately 2.6 cm. The overall length of the adjustment bar 6 is determined by the maximum length of a typical commercial rod holder. One end of the adjustment bar 6 is male threaded to match the internal female threads provided in the tapered plug 8 and will at least 19 cm in length. A sloping groove 34 is provided at the opposite end of the adjustment bar 6. The sloped groove 34 begins with a width of about 1.3 cm and ends in a diameter which is slightly less than 0.65 cm. The length of the groove is approximately 2.6 cm long.

[0024] Standard rod holders which are designed to be permanently mounted on fishing vessels vary considerably in length and diameter. However, they all normally share the common characteristics of a tube having a round bar 30 factory installed close to the lower end of the tube. The ability of the jigging device's mounting system to conform to these variations while providing a tight and secure base when inserted into the existing rod holder is a key element in this embodiment.

[0025] The adjustment rod 6 is initially threaded into the tapered plug 8 a distance of approximately 2.6 cm. This assembly of the two parts is then inserted into an existing rod holder 31 beginning with the grooved end 34 of the adjustment bar 6 until the grooved end 34 slips over and seats against the round bar 30. A slight downward pressure is then applied continually to the tapered plug 8 for the purpose of maintaining the seating of the grooved end 34 firmly over the round rod 30. The tapered plug 8 is then rotated around its long axis such that the tapered plug enters and finally seats firmly against the inner wall of the existing rod holder 31. The equipment base 23 is then loosely fastened to the tapered plug 8 and the tapered plug further rotated in the same direction until the equipment base 23 is properly oriented for the desired jigging operation. The assembly is then carefully removed from the existing rod holder 31 and the set screw 7 is installed into the set screw hole 40 and extends into the adjustment bar 6 approximately 1.3 cm. It should be noted that a threaded nut would appear to be a better choice when locking the adjustment bar 6 to the tapered plug 8. This would work and would be a more simple solution. However, It was found during the testing trials for the jigging device, that significant torque was applied to the tapered plug 8 when a large fish struck the fishing line. The set screw 7 was determined to be the better option for contending with this load. The same jigging device may be easily adapted to numerous rod holders simply by removing the set screw 7 and correctly adjusting the jigging device to another rod holder before re-installing the set screw 7.

[0026] The motor 14 is then firmly attached to the equipment base 23. The equipment base is typically about 27.5 cm long, 3.8 cm wide and 1.6 cm thick with rounded ends. A standard 12 volt direct current marine windshield wiper motor is specified as the drive motor for this device. While the present embodiment may be constructed and operated with a number of different drive motors, a marine windshield wiper motor has a number of inherent advantages when employed in this jigging device. Such a motor normally is equipped with an integral gear box which allows for the sweep angle of the wiper blade to be adjustable. The angle made by the wiper blade (sweep angle) may be as great as 110 deg. or a little as 45 deg. for a typical unit. Thus the distance of the jigging stroke is adjustable with-in the motor's gear box. Along with the standard on-off control, the wiring for such a unit may include provision for high and low speeds. High speed may be in the range of about one second for a complete backward and forward sweep with low speed dropping to about 1.5 seconds for the same movement. Such units also normally provide provision to electrically park the wiper blade in a desired position. Lastly, while most windshield wiper motors may be adapted for use with the jigging device, a unit specifically rated for marine usage is very advantageous in the potentially wet environment for which the jigging device has been designed. Examples of typical marine windshield wiper motors which would work well with the present embodiment are the Ongaro Heavy Duty marine 2-Speed Wiper Motor, the Five Oceans Heavy Duty Wiper Motor, and a Wexco Marine Wiper Motor.

[0027] The mounting of a typical windshield wiper motor is shown on FIGS. 1A and 1B. The mounting requirements for the motor 14 will vary with each different motor used in the assembly. However, most windshield wiper motors will have at least a mounting plate 36 toward the rear of the motor to allow the unit to be bolted to a base and a sleeved spindle 38 which allows the opposite end with the gear drive to be further attached to a base. The sleeved spindle 38 typically consists of the motor drive shaft which rotates within an externally threaded tube and extends about 1.3 cm beyond the end of the threaded tube. An eye bolt 24 is the preferred method attaching the mounting plate 36 to the equipment base 23 with a flat washer 12 and lock nut 13. A hole is provided on the opposing end of the equipment base 23 through which the motor's sleeved spindle 38 is inserted. The spindle nut 29 shown on FIG. 1B is threaded over the end of the sleeved spindle 38 and clamps the front end of the motor 14 to the equipment base.

[0028] The gear drive's rotating spindle extends out from this sleeve and forms the attachment point for the wand clamp 21. The wand 17 and the wand clamp 21 takes the place of the windshield wiper for which the motor 14 was originally designed. The portion of the wand clamp 21 which slips over the exposed end of the sleeved spindle 38 is designed as a clamp and tightened onto the spindle with the bracket clamp bolt/nut 22. Initially, the wand clamp 21 is loosely clamped to the end of the sleeved spindle 38 as the ability to adjust the wand bracket's position in respect to the sleeved spindle is a key advantage in properly orienting the final assembly.

[0029] The end opposite the bolt on the wand bracket is drilled and tapped to accept the male threaded end of the wand 17. The wand 17 is a round rod, approximately 50 cm in length and having a diameter of about 1.0 cm. A dip mounting sleeve 19 slips over the wand 17 and is designed to slide easily along the length of the wand 17. A sleeve thumb screw 20 is threaded into one end of the dip mounting sleeve 19 and when tightened until it's threaded end bears up against the wand, anchors the dip mounting sleeve 19 to the selected location along the length of the wand 17. A swivel joint 16 is attached to the end of the dip mounting sleeve 19 opposite the sleeve thumb screw 20. A standard commercial fishing line dip 15 (Scotty #1182 Mini Power Grip or similar) is attached to the swivel joint. A fishing line dip is roughly similar in operation to a common clothes line dip. However, its clamping ability is much greater and normally is adjustable in two stages between standard clamping force and tight clamping force. To open the clamp jaws, an operator compresses the two sides of the dip inward together. This fishing line dip 15 will be used with the jigging device to clamp onto the fishing line being jigged. Lastly, a wand end cap 18 is permanently affixed at the end of the wand shaft to prohibit the dip mounting sleeve 19 from sliding off the end of the wand 17.

[0030] The operation of the motor is controlled by a marine electrical switch 25. It is often advantageous to have the controlling switch located in close proximity to the unit being controlled and the present embodiment indicates a recessed cavity cut into the equipment base 23 for the purpose of housing the electrical switch 25. The switch is selected based on the level of control desired by the operator. A switch which provides on-off control along with high or low speeds when turned on is one example. An alternate example would be a switch which, when turned off, parked, the wand assembly in a location where the operator could readily access the fishing line clip 15. Additionally, the operator may choose to install the electrical switch in an area remote from the jigging device's location such as at the helm (steering area). An electrical switch installed in a marine environment often will be installed with a weather-proof switch cover 11 over the switch arm as indicated on FIG. 1A. Power to the device will normally be 12 volt direct current. A simple two prong electrical plug may be employed where the power from the vessel attaches to the jigging device's electrical service. This allows for the jigging device to be easily disconnected and stored in an alternate location.

[0031] Materials used in construction should be those typically employed in equipment intended to be exposed in a marine environment. Additionally, a marine grade plastic, having a high impact resistance and not being adversely affected by exposure to sunlight is the preferred construction material for the adjustment bar 6, the tapered plug 8 and the equipment base 23. These three parts constitute the majority of the expense in fabricating the jigging device and considerable cost saving may be realized should standard 3D printing be used to produce the parts. The wand 17 needs to be fairly rigid and thick-walled 300 series stainless steel tubing is an acceptable choice. Fasteners should be either 304 or 316 stainless steel and all nuts should be nylon insert type lock nuts.

Operation of the Jigging Device

[0032] One of the major advantages inherent with the present embodiment is its ability to be configured both to avoid being an interference to personnel and to achieve the optimum jigging performance. For example, should the jigging device be installed into an existing rod holder located behind the helm seating, the sweep operation of the wand 17 will be adjusted so as not to strike an occupant. Additionally, should the jigging device be installed in a location above the steering area, the jigging device must be configured such that the operator can easily access the fishing line clip 1 and/or the electrical switch 25.

[0033] Two pivot points with-in the jigging device provide a simple and structurally sound method for properly configuring the installation of the jigging device. The jigging device is initially adjusted and secured in an existing rod holder as described in the beginning of this section. The equipment base 23 containing the electrical switch 25 and motor 14 is then rotated around its pivot point at the end of the tapered plug 8. The final rotation point of the assembly should position the assembly out of the way of personnel while providing easy access to the electrical switch 25. The rotation bolt 26 is then tightened securely with the main rotation flat washer 9 and main rotation lock nut 10 to retain the set position. A 13 cm diameter stainless steel bolt is typical for this embodiment. A large torque may be produced at this connection point when a fish strike occurs. To fully resist this torque, the mating surfaces between the equipment base 23 and the tapered plug 8 will normally require work beyond mere flat plastic or metal surfaces. The present embodiment uses a series of triangular teeth which radiate out from the center of the bolt hole on both the equipment base 23 and the tapered plug 8. When the two parts are joined, the teeth mesh and lock the two parts together. Forty sets of teeth allow the equipment base 23 to be rotated in nine degree increments around the end of the tapered plug 8.

[0034] The jigging device is then adjusted to take full advantage of the maximum length that the lure or bait can be pulled in the jigging action. This is easily set by taking advantage of the pivot point of the wand clamp 21 around the exposed end of the sleeved spindle 38. The wand clamp 21 is initially firmly attached to this end. The motor 14 is started and the wand clamp 21 will rotate back and forth. The motor 14 is stopped when the wand clamp 21 is half-way through a sweep. The wand clamp 21 is then removed from the spindle. The wand 17 is threaded into the wand clamp 21, and the wand clamp 21 is fitted loosely over the exposed end of sleeved spindle. The wand clamp 21 is then rotated until the wand will be roughly perpendicular to the fishing line being jigged. The wand clamp 21 is then securely tightened over the exposed end of the sleeved spindle 38. This method will provide the maximum backward and forward pulling length for the jigging action and can be re-adjusted whenever the jigging device is installed in an alternate location.

[0035] A second major advantage inherent in the present embodiment is its ability to be easily adjusted to meet different pulling loads. Optimum jigging performance is obtained by setting the jigging device to match or exceed the pulling force required by the lure or bait being jigged. The dip mounting sleeve 19 is moved along the length of the wand 17 until the required puffing force is achieved. Sliding the dip mounting sleeve 19 away from the wand end cap 18 and toward the wand clamp 21 increases the pulling force of the jigging device.

[0036] The jigging device is now prepared to lend its assistance in the fishing operation. The jigging device's fishing line dip 15 is clamped over the fishing line a short length from the tip of the fishing rod. Fishing vessel manufacturers commonly install a number of rod holders adjacent to or in close proximity of another rod holder. The clamping point for the fishing line is chosen such that when the fishing rod is placed is an adjacent rod holder, the action of the jigging device pulls the lure or bait and not the fishing rod tip. If the fishing rod tip is pulled, simply lengthen the length of fishing line between the rod tip and the fishing line clip 15. Sit back and watch the jigging device pull the lure or bait back and forth. When a fish strikes, the fishing line clamp 15 will automatically release its hold on the fishing line. Really large fish when hooked create a loud and exciting Whap! from the jigging device.

DRAWINGSREFERENCED NUMERALS

[0037]

TABLE-US-00002 6 adjustment bar 21 wand damp 7 set screw 22 clamp bolt/nut 8 tapered plug 23 equipmentbase 9 main rotation flat washer 24 eye bolt 10 main rotation lock nut 25 electrical switch 11 weather-proof switch cover 26 main rotation bolt 12 flat washer 28 electrical wiring from motor 13 lock nut 29 spindle nut 14 motor 30 round bar 15 fishing line clip 31 existing rod holder 16 swivel joint 34 sloping groove 17 wand 36 motor mounting plate 18 wand end cap 37 non-skid surface 19 clip mounting sleeve 38 sleeved spindle 20 sleeve thumb screw 40 set screw hole

CONCLUSIONS, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

[0038] The present, art in powered jigging devices falls far short of realizing the full potential that jigging offers a fisherman. The present embodiment of a powered jigging device extends the jigging advantage into blue-water ocean fishing while still being fully adaptable to the less demanding loads imposed by lake fishing or in-shore fishing. Besides taking advantage of the vessel's existing rod holders to provide a strong and movement-free mounting base for the jigging device, there will be cost savings in using existing equipment to form the base for mounting the device. While the present art presents devices that cannot easily be adjusted to avoid interference with the operation of the vessel, the present embodiment of the jigging device is fully adjustable. The jigging device may be rotated away from potential obstructions and configured for optimum accessibility, control and performance. The functionality of the jigging device is further enhanced by its unique ability to be adjusted to meet the different load requirements as imposed by the lure or bait chosen to be jigged.