Jig Lure

1. Field of the Invention

This invention is in the field of artificial bait. More specifically, it is in the fields of fishing jig lure construction methods and fishing jigs constructed on or about the hook shank.

2. Prior Art

The prior art discloses many methods of glueing or tieing fishing yarn to a hook. The present invention differentiates by presenting a unique article of manufacture and method of securing the yarn or maribou to the hook so that it is simpler to attach and more reliant in use. Exotic glues or complex tieing or wrapping schemes are not used. Instead, the yarn or some other material which is pliable and attractive (in combination with other elements) to fish is forced into or against the body of the jig lure and held in place by a doubly bent wire. The wire secures the pliable material to the body of the jig lure and the wire is in turn secured by fixing it to a metal bead. The method of securing with wire insures that the manufacture is relatively simple and the structure is resilent enough to undergo hardy use. The method and means of securing the wire to the bead insures that the manufacture is simple and sturdy.

A bent shank hook has fixed thereto at least one solid element, a pliable element and a metal bead. By means of an aperture therethrough, the solid element or elements are slipped onto the hook shank midsection over the barbed end of the hook. The solid element(s) must be pliable enough to bend over the curved portion of the hook or be short enough in length to do so. The pliable element is folded into the bent end of a doubly bent wire and the free ends of the doubly bent wire are in turn threaded through the solid element aperture so that the pliable element is pulled against or slightly within the solid element, and the solid element is pulled against the inside of the right angle bend in the hook shank. The free ends of the wire are then threaded through the aperture in a metal bead and fixed to the bead so that the bead is pulled against one side of the hook shank bend and the solid element is pulled against the other. In this manner, the pliable and solid elements and metal bead form a structure which is easily manufactured, resilent under the tension of the wire and is very hardy in use.

FIG. 1 shows a bent shank hook.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the preferred embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the preferred embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 4 shows the pliable element as it is threaded through the doubly bent wire.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment with only one solid element.

Referring to FIG. 1, a bent shank hook 15 is shown having an eyelet 4 and a curved end 6. The curved end 6 has a barb 8 and the eyelet 4 is at the end of shank 10 having a generally right angle bend 10' and shank midsection 10".

As shown in FIG. 2, beads 20, 22, 24 and 26 have been slipped over the curved end 6 of hook 15 through respective apertures 21, 23, 25 and 27 in each bead, and arranged along the hook midsection 10" to abut the right angle bend 10' as shown in FIG. 1.

A pliable element 9 such as fishing yarn or maribou or other material used in attracting fish is threaded through the bent end 30 of a doubly bent wire 28, as shown in FIG. 4, so that the pliable element 9 is folded into dual ends 7 and 7'. The free ends 12 and 12' of the doubly bent wire 28 are threaded through the apertures 21, 23, 25, and 27 along hook midsection 10" and past hook bend 10'. A metal bead 14, preferrably of brass and having an aperture 18, is positioned against the hook bend 10' so that the wire free ends 12 and 12' may be threaded through aperture 18 and fixed to the bead 14, preferrably by means of solder 16. The solder 16 may also be applied to hook bend 10', as shown in FIG. 2, by heating bead 14 and wire ends 12 and 12' and letting the solder wick along the wire ends 12 and 12' and through aperture 18 to bend 10'. The pliable element 9 thereby abuts bead 26 or preferrably is pulled to a slight depth within the aperture 27 of bead 26 by the tensioning of wire 28 between the element 9 and the attachment of wire 28 to bead 14. To this end, the folded pliable element 9 should be of sufficient diameter, even when compressed, to prevent it from being drawn entirely into the aperture 27 alongside the shank midsection 10", as shown in FIG. 2. Obviously, the size of pliable element 9 can be adjusted for different material types. The wire ends 12 and 12' may also be affixed by glue or the like to metal bead 14 and hook bend 10'.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 5, solid element 32 may substitute for the beads 20, 22, 24 and 26 to provide a means for mounting the element 9, wire 28 and bead 14 upon a bent shank hook 15. The pliable element 9 is in this embodiment abutted against aperture 34 of element 34 as the wire 28 is tensioned between the pliable element 9 and bead 14. In the previous embodiment, the pliable element 9 was drawn partly into the aperture 27 of bead 26. The requirement of element 32 is that it be either be small enough in length to slip over the curve 6 of hook 15 or pliable enough to do the same. Also, the element 32 and the elements 20, 22, 24 and 26 are preferrably of a flourescent or phosphorescent type of plastic.

Given the fact that a lure must have form to have function, the device of the present invention achieves it's form with a minimum of elements which are both easily secured and sturdy in use. The doubly bent wire 28 brings a resilent tension to the attachment of the pliable element 9. The metal bead 14 provides an easily applied means for attachment of the free ends 12 and 12' of the wire 28. The invention therefore derives function from both it's form and the unique methods and means to obtain the form.

It is anticipated that modifications and variations of the presently disclosed invention could be judged as equivalent and therefore covered by the nature and scope of the claims.