Abstract
The present invention includes a fishing rig and fish hook for live bait. The fish hook comprises a main body extending in a plane and defining a longitudinal axis, a first end, a second end, a top side and a bottom side. A plurality of hook portions extend from the body. The body further comprises an eyelet for attaching a fishing line. At least two shanks anchor the fish hook to the bait fish, one of the shanks extends from the first end at least partially along the longitudinal axis and the other shank extending from the second end at least partially along the longitudinal axis. The at least two shanks each have at least one barb extending from the shank for anchoring the fish hook to the live bait, wherein the barbs are adapted to prevent rotation of the body about the longitudinal axis relative to the live bait.
Claims
1) A fish hook for live bait, comprising: a. a body extending in a plane and defining a longitudinal axis, a first end, a second end, a top side and a bottom side; b. a plurality of hook portions extending from the body; c. wherein the body comprises an eyelet for attaching a fishing line; d. at least two shanks for anchoring the fish hook to the bait, one of the shanks extending from the first end at least partially along the longitudinal axis and the other shank extending from the second end at least partially along the longitudinal axis, and e. the at least two shanks each having at least one barb extending from the shank for anchoring the fish hook to the live bait, wherein the barbs are adapted substantially to prevent rotation of the body about the longitudinal axis relative to the live bait.
2) The fish hook of claim 1, wherein the barbs comprise a cutting edge so as to be securable to the live bait without affecting the livelihood of said live bait.
3) The fish hook of claim 1, wherein the barbs are retractable.
4) The fish hook of claim 1, wherein the shank extending from the first end is non-linear.
5) The fish hook of claim 1, wherein the shank extending from the first end is generally linear.
6) The fish hook of claim 1, wherein the shank extending from the second end is non-linear.
7) The fish hook of claim 1, wherein the shank extending from the second end is generally linear.
8) The fish hook of claim 1, wherein the at least two shanks are adapted to release from the live bait upon receiving a force without affecting the livelihood of the bait.
9) The fish hook of claim 1, wherein the plurality of hook portions hooks are spaced apart at substantially right angles from each other about 90 degrees radially from the longitudinal axis.
10) The fish hook of claim 1 wherein the eyelet is positioned generally at the first end.
11) The fish hook of claim 1 wherein the eyelet is positioned generally at the second end.
12) The fish hook of claim 1 wherein the eyelet is positioned on the body between the first end and the second end.
13) A fish hook for live bait, comprising: a. a main body extending in a plane and defining a longitudinal axis, a first end, a second end, a top side and a bottom side; b. wherein the first end of the body comprises an eyelet for attaching a fishing line; c. a plurality of hook portions extending from the body; d. at least two shanks for anchoring the fish hook to the bait, one of the shanks extending from the first end along the longitudinal axis and the other shank extending from the second end along the longitudinal axis; e. the at least two shanks each having at least one barb extending from the shank for anchoring the fish hook to the live bait, wherein the barbs are adapted substantially to prevent rotation of the body about the longitudinal axis relative to the live bait; and f. a rig comprising a weight attached to the fishing line, a mouth-hook secured to the fishing line for insertion into a mouth of the live bait, wherein the fishing line is secured to the evelet.
14) The fish hook of claim 13, wherein the barbs comprise a cutting edge so as to be releasably securable to the live bait without affecting the livelihood of said live bait.
15) The fish hook of claim 13, wherein the barbs are retractable.
16) The fish hook of claim 13, wherein the shank extending from the first end is non-linear.
17) The fish hook of claim 13, wherein the shank extending from the first end is generally linear.
18) The fish hook of claim 13, wherein the shank extending from the second end is non-linear.
19) The fish hook of claim 13, wherein the shank extending from the second end is generally linear.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the fishing hook of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a top view of one embodiment of the fishing hook.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a side view of one embodiment of the fishing hook.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a front view of one embodiment of the fishing hook.
[0019] FIG. 5 is a back view of one embodiment of the fishing hook.
[0020] FIG. 6 is a view of an embodiment of the fishing hook with the rig attached.
[0021] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the rig attached to a bait fish.
[0022] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the fishing hook with a bent shank.
[0023] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the rig of FIG. 7.
[0024] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the radial arc extending 180 around the bottom side.
[0025] FIG. 11 is a front view showing radial arcs extending about 90 between the hooks.
[0026] FIG. 12 is another embodiment of the rig of FIG. 9 comprising two hooks for attachment to both sides of the bait fish.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
[0027] While the invention has several embodiments in different forms, the drawings and the following description describes preferred embodiments. The present disclosure provides an exemplification of the principles of the invention but does not limit the spirit or scope of the invention or claims of the embodiment illustrated. One skilled in the art will appreciate that variations in dimensions, number of hooks, size of the barbs and lengths of the shanks can exist without departing from the scope of the claimed invention.
[0028] FIGS. 1 through 6 illustrate a preferred embodiment the fish hook 10 of the present invention. Hook 10 comprises a body 20 defining a longitudinal axis A (not shown), a bottom side 20a, and a tope side 20b, an eyelet 30 at the first end 40 of the body 20, at least two hooks 50a, 50b, 50c extending from the body 20, and first and second shanks 60, 70 extending from the body 20. The shanks 60, 70 may individually or collectively extend generally along axis A. One or both shanks 60, 70 may also extend at angles from the body that differ from axis A. Barbs 80, 90 can be positioned on the shanks 60, 70 to aid in securing the hook 10 to a bait fish.
[0029] FIG. 2 is a top view of hook 10. The barbs 80, 90 may extend from the shanks 70, 60 in any desired direction, such as the bottom side 20a or the top side 20b. The hooks 50a, 50b and 50c may have barbs 100, 110,120. The barbs 80, 90 may be positioned around the shanks 60, 70 at any desired location.
[0030] FIG. 3 is a side view of hook 10 showing non-linear shanks 60, 70. One of the hooks 50c is hidden by the body 20. The eyelet 30 may be positioned at a first end 40 of the body. The eyelet 30 secures a fishing line (not shown) to the body 20. The body has a second end 45, and the eyelet 30 may alternatively be positioned at the second end 45. In other embodiments, the eyelet 30 can be positioned anywhere along the body 20 between the first end 40 and the second end 45.
[0031] FIG. 4 is a front view of hook 10 from the second end 45. In one embodiment, the are B between hooks 50a and 50b is about 90 degrees and the are C between hooks 50b and 50c is about 90 degrees. The radial arc between the hooks 50a, 50b, 50c may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention. Likewise, the number of hooks 50a, 50b, 50c may be 2 or more without departing from the scope of the invention. One skilled in the art will appreciate that as the number of hooks 50 increases, the radial arc between the hooks will decrease. The radial arcs may be substantially the same or dissimilar. In a preferred embodiment, the hooks 50a, 50b and 50c do not extend substantially below the bottom side 20a. The hooks 50a, 50b and 50c and the shanks 60, 70 meet and form the body 20.
[0032] FIG. 5 is a rear view of the hook 10 from the first end 40. The eyelet 30 extends from the body 30 to accept a fishing line (not shown) to secure the hook 20 to a fishing rod (not shown). In one embodiment, the, shank 60 may be curved to provide easier access to the eyelet 30 for the user to secure a fishing line to the eyelet 30. In other embodiments, the shanks 60, 70 are substantially linear with respect to the body 20. In other embodiments, the shanks 60, 70 are non-linear with respect to the body 20 and axis A. In another embodiment, shank 60 is non-linear and shank 70 is substantially linear with respect to the body 20 and axis A.
[0033] FIG. 6 shows the hook 10 with a rig 120 attached. The rig 120 comprises a fishing line 130 secured to eyelet 30. A mouth-hook 140 is movably secured to the line 130 to allow the mouth-hook 140 to be inserted into the mouth of the bait fish regardless of the size of the bait fish. A weight 150 is secured to the line 130 so that the mouth-hook 140 can slide between the eyelet 30 and the weight 150. The shanks 60, 70 are inserted into the bait fish so that the bottom side 20a is adjacent the bait fish and the hooks 50a, 50b and 50c extend away from the bait fish. The barbs 80, 90 secure the shanks 60, 70 to the bait fish to prevent rotation of the body 20 relative to the bait fish. The barbs 60, 70 may be retractable to ease removal of the shanks 60, 70 from the bait fish. The barbs 60, 70 may have sharp leading edge to pierce the skin of the bait fish. The barbs 60, 70 may have converse portions to secure the shanks 60,70 in the skin of the bait fish.
[0034] FIG. 7 illustrates hook 10 and rig 120 secured to a bait fish 160. The line 130 extends from the weight 10 to the eyelet 30. The mouth-hook 140 is secured in the bait fish 160 mouth. The shanks 60, 70 are inserted into the skin of the bait fish so that the hooks 50, 50b, 50c extend away from the bait fish. The use of two shanks 60, 70 secures the hook 10 to the bait fish and prevents rotation or release of the body 20 from the bait fish 160. The use of two shanks 60, 70 reduces potential damage or injury to the bait fish 160 and permits reuse of the bait fish 160. The use of two shanks 60, 10 better secures the hook 10 to the bait fish 160 to reduce the likelihood of losing the game fish.
[0035] FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the hook 10. Shank 60 extends longitudinally from the body 20 along axis A for a desired distance and then shank 60 is curved up to about 90 degrees relative to axis A. One skilled in the art will appreciate that in this embodiment the curve of the shank 60 can be at any angle from the axis A ranging from 0 degrees to almost 180 degrees without departing from the scope of the invention. None, one or both shanks 60, 70 can be straight or non-linear.
[0036] FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the hook 10 with a rig 120 attached. The rig 120 comprises a fishing line 130 secured to eyelet 30. A mouth-hook 140 is movably secured to the line 130 to allow the mouth-hook 140 to be inserted into the mouth of the bait fish 160 regardless of the size of the bait fish 160. A weight 150 is secured to the line 130 so that the mouth-hook 140 can slide between the eyelet 30 and the weight 150. The shanks 60, 70 are inserted into the bait fish 160 so that the bottom side 20a is adjacent the bait fish and the hooks 50a, 50b and 50c extend away from the bait fish 160. The barbs 80, 90 secure the shanks 60, 70 to the halt fish to prevent rotation of the body 20 relative to the bait fish 160. The barbs 60, 70 may be retractable to ease ret oval of the shanks 60, 70 from the bait fish 160. The barbs 60, 70 may have sharp leading edges to pierce the skin of the bait fish 160. The barbs 60, 70 may have converse portions to secure the shanks 60,70 in the skin of the bait fish 160.
[0037] FIG. 10 shows the hook 10 with the hooks 50a, 50b, 50c extending from the body 20 so that an arc of about 180 degrees exists around the bottom side 21a with hook 50b extending from the top side 20b creating angles of about 90 degrees with hooks 50a and 50c. FIG. 11 shows the hook 10 from an end view with the hooks 50a, 50b, 50c positioned in a preferred position around the body 20.
[0038] FIG. 12 shows another embodiment comprising two hooks 10, 10. The hooks 10, 10 can have substantially the same components or can vary as described above. In this embodiment, hooks 10 and 10 are affixed to either side of the bait fish 160 as described above,
[0039] Other variations, whether in the number, angle, size or position of the hooks 50 and shanks 60, 70 fall within the scope of the invention. The hook 10 can be made of any material known in the art of fishing hooks.
[0040] The embodiments herein described are illustrative of the principles the present invention. Various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope from the claims which follow.
