Free Floating Fishhook Setting Device

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to lure or bait supported fish bite triggered hook setting devices.

It is common practice in fishing lakes or pools to attach a selected length of fishing line to a buoyant body, such as a closed gallon size empty plastic container, the opposite end of the hook being baited with a desired bait and the unit cast adrift on a body of water.

This invention is an improvement over this type of fishing apparatus by providing the float with a reel and trip means which is actuated by a fish taking the bait to set the hook in the fish's mouth and reel the fish to the position of the float.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Prior patents of this type generally disclose automatic fishhook setting devices used principally for fishing through holes cut in the ice.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,459 is an example of such fishing devices disclosing a horizontal platform having a bracket thereon in turn supporting a spring wound spool for retracting a fishing line. The platform is positioned over a hole in ice for ice fishing and the hook end of the fishing line extended through a hole in the platform and payed out to a selected depth. A trigger mechanism, released by a fish taking the bait, lets the spring wind the line on the drum to set the hook and reel in the fish.

This invention is distinctive over this patent principally by providing a buoyant body which offers minimum resistance to air currents and includes a brake member resisting wind blown movement of the device through water.

A buoyant body, having a vertical axial aperture, supports a reel mechanism on its upper surface having a fishing line wound thereon with one end of the line extending downwardly through the aperture a selected distance and provided with a fishhook at its depending end. Winding means normally urges the reel in a fish line winding up action. Reel mounting members connect the reel to the body and to the winding means. Radially disposed vanes, depending from the body, form a brake for resisting wind blown movement of the body across the surface of a lake, or the like.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a fishing float having a buoyant body minimizing wind resistance and including brake members impeding wind driven movement of the body and to provide a reel and trigger means tripped by a fish taking the bait for winding up the line and reeling in the fish.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the device; and,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view with parts broken away for clarity.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

The reference numeral 10 indicates the device, as a whole, comprising a body 12 of general inverted truncated cone-shape but obviously can be of any configuration desired. The device 10 further includes a spool or reel means 14, a trip means 16 for locking or releasing the reel means and brake means 18 forming a drag retarding wind movement through the water. The body 12 is provided with a normally upward substantially flat surface 20 joined to an annular downwardly converging wall 22 by an arcuate or curved body surface 24. The depending end 26 of the body is substantially parallel with its top end or surface 20. The body 12 is axially bored for vertically receiving an elongated tube 28 projecting a selected distance below the body surface 26. The top surface 20 of the body is provided with a transverse indentation or recess 30 at least partially nesting an elongated hollow spool 32 having an outstanding axial flange 34 at one end. An axle 36 projects axially through the spool and is journalled at its respective ends by mounting means comprising a pair of uprights 38 secured to the body within the recess 30. A helical spring 40 surrounds the axle within the spool with the respective ends, not shown, of the spring secured to the axle and spool respectively. A fishing line 42, secured at one end to the spool, is wound thereon and extended downwardly, at its other end portion 44, through the body bore and tube 28 contained thereby. The spring 40 normally biases the spool in a wind up action of the fishing line payed out end portion 44.

The trip means 16 comprises an elongated lever 46 pivotally connected with the body, as at 48, for horizontal pivoting movement about a vertical axis. One end portion of the lever is apertured, as at 50, for slidably receiving the fishing line one end portion 44. The other end portion 52 of the lever is cooperatively nested by a radial notch 54 formed in the periphery of the spool flange 44. Obviously, the periphery of the flange may be provided with a series of ratchet teeth, not shown. The lever 46, when engaged with the flange notch, thus forms a trigger for releasing the spool by a fish bite, as presently explained.

The brake means 18 comprises a plurality, four only three being shown, of vanes 56 preferably arranged in 90.degree. spaced relationship and attached to the body surface 26 and to the sleeve 28 to extend radially outward therefrom.

The spring tension and the length of the line end portion 44 relationship is such that when the spring is in a position of repose a selected length of the line end portion 44 projects downward beyond the lower end limit of the sleeve 28 a selected distance to preclude the wind up action of the spring drawing a fish caught on the line into contact with the vane means 18 or depending end of the sleeve. Obviously, a stop, not shown, of larger diameter than the sleeve 28, may be attached to the line 44 at a selected position above the hook to prevent winding all of the line end portion 44 on the spool. The fishhook, not shown, is baited and the line end portion 44 manually pulled off the spool 40 in a paying out action to dispose the hook and bait at a selected depth in water. The lever end portion 52 is engaged with the flange notch 54 to set or lock the trip means and the device is launched into a body of water such as from a boat. When a fish takes the bait and pulls on the fishing line the line pulls the lever end portion 50 toward the axis of the spool thus releasing the lever end portion 52 from the notch and allowing the tension of the spring 40 to rotate the spool in the direction of the arrow 58 to wind up the fishing line end portion 44. Periodically the fisherman approaches the device 10 in a boat, or the like, and lifts it out of the water to retrieve the fish or replace the bait if it has been lost and a fish has not been caught.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to changes or alterations without defeating its practicability. Therefore, I do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein.