Abstract:
This invention includes infinitely adjustable methods and fishing tackle using connected first and second or connected upper and lower strips of flexible material which have a portion of the strips fashioned as a closure such as with releasable interlocking hook and loop or pad closure material or other releasable fasteners and which are provided with a means for adhering the upper and lower strips to an object convenient to an angler such as by the use of an adhesive strip so that an angler can quickly capture and quickly release a number of fishing lures having many different shapes and sizes which have been prearranged by he angler for rapid use.

Description:
This application is entitled to the date and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/389,154, which was filed on Jun. 14, 2002. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to holders for and methods of holding fishing lures. In particular, the present invention relates to a fishing lure holder and method which can be positioned at any location on a fishing boat or on a fishing tackle box or on a person&#39;s clothing and which provides quick capture and quick release of the lure for storage and for use. 
     During competitive fishing, the angler is under a time limit to catch fish of a particular type from a selected lake or area of a body of water. In responding to changing weather conditions, water temperature, water conditions, time of day, fish depth and fish feeding habits, it is necessary for the competitive angler to make rapid decisions regarding the type of lure being used. It is also necessary for the angler to rapidly switch between lures in order to minimize the time devoted to tackle preparation and changing from one lure to another. 
     Prior to the start of competition, the competitive angler will have previously identified for use lures that are particularly suited to the type of fish sought and various fishing variables such as water temperature, feeding habits, and fish depth being confronted. Further, lures which simulate bait that is popular with the particular fish species of competition interest that simulate a particular insect will be identified for use. The competitive angler will want the various lures immediately and quickly available. The object being that they may be grasped and switched for the previously used lure at a moment&#39;s notice and without the need to hunt through various tackle boxes or areas of the boat to locate them. 
     Presently the competitive angler is faced with a number of problems in rapidly switching from one lure to another. When fishing from a boat, the angler is on a pitching and rolling platform which will, to some degree, affect the angler&#39;s mobility. The option of having a series of preselected lures readily available and which are secured in a convenient location by an easily release capture device will assist the angler retrieving the lure, switching the new lure for the old lure, and securing the old lure at a location where it is available for future use. 
     Another difficulty faced by the competitive angler is the wide variety of lures which the serious competitive angler will have collected during the years. Each lure will be best suited to a particular species of fish and/or a particular type of fishing condition. The competitive angler will wish to avoid sorting through this vast array of lures during competition. Therefore, it is desirable to have identified a preselected set of lures which can be mounted at convenient locations on a boat, or on a tackle box or on the angler&#39;s clothing so that the set of lure which is most applicable to the species of fish and fishing conditions are quickly averrable for use. 
     OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention solves these problems and achieves the indicated objectives by presenting the angler with adjustable fishing lure holders and methods of holding lures in quick release and quick capture fashion of a number of fishing lures having many different shapes which have been prearranged by he angler for rapid use during competitive fishing tournaments. 
     A further object is to provide fishing lure holders that are lightweight, durable, economical, attractive, easy to use, and which do not possess defects found in similar prior art fishing tackle. 
     A further object is to provide improved methods for temporarily storing fishing lures with easy access to the lures. 
     Other objects and advantages of the fishing lure holders and methods incorporating this invention will be found in the specification and claims and the scope of the invention will be set forth in the claims. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical competitive fishing boat showing the boat in phantom lines with the present invention attached thereto; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portable tackle box with the tackle box shown on phantom lines and the present invention shown fixed to the interior lid of the tackle box. 
     FIG. 3 is a front, elevation view of the present invention showing the layers of the present invention fixed together by a center rivet. 
     FIG. 4 is a is a top and front exploded perspective view of the invention showing the layers of the invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a top and front perspective view of the invention showing a fishing lure captured in a first side and a second side open for insertion of another lure therein, and 
     FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of another embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is suited to use in several different environments as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 1, a typical competitive bass fishing boat  10  is shown, the deck of which is equipped with various storage bins  12  having bin lids  14  attached thereto. The fishing lure holder  16  can be attached to an unobstructed area on the inside of the lids  14  of storage bins  12 . Such storage on the inside of bin lids  14  would be for a longer term type of storage but available for immediate access and use. Alternately, an angler may wish to remove particular lures from their longer term location attached to storage bin  14  and place them in an alternative location for short term use, such as by positioning the lures within a holder  16  that has been attached to smooth, flat unobstructed areas on gunwale  18  of boat  10 . A plurality of holders  16  may be placed along gunwale  16  around the entirety of boat  10  or merely in several positions of highest use. One advantage of repositioning selected lures in holders  16  placed along gunwales  18  is that if the particular storage bin  12  in which lures are kept is not convenient to the area of the boat from which fishing takes place, the selected lures can be easily removed from within the holder  16  on the bin lid  14  and quickly repositioned into holders  16  which have been prepositioned along gunwale  18 . In this manner, an angler can have the option of radially moving a number of lures to a particular position on an otherwise unused surface of boat  10  from which fishing activity will occur and thereby avoid the need to stay near the particular boat storage bin  12  in which the particular lures are stored on a long term basis. 
     An alternative way of using holders  16  is shown in FIG. 2 in which holders  16  have been secured to an unobstructed surface in the inside of a portable tackle box  20 . This allows the angler to retain the rapid lure change out capability of the invention while being able to switch between dock fishing or boat fishing and the use of different boats on short notice. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 3-5, the construction of the present invention will be described in detail. Holder  16  is an integral unit comprised of several layers or strips that are releasably connectable to each other by mating releasable fastener means, and which are secured together by rivet  28 . First or bottom flexible strip  26  has double sided adhesive member  30  applied to its bottom side  31 . Releasable strip  32  is on the bottom side of adhesive member  30  to protect the adhesive side of the member  30  prior to bonding of the holder  16  to a location where it is used. Rivet  28  secures a top or second strip  24  of flexible material to an opposite side  33  of first strip  26 . Second strip  24  has unattached portions  35  that are movable away from opposite side  33  of the first strip a distance sufficient to receive fishing lures therebetween. Rivet  28  may pass through the center of the layers forming holder  16 . When an angler decides to apply holder  16  to a fishing lure supporting surface at a particular location, releasable strip  32  is peeled away from double sided adhesive  30  thus exposing one of the adhesive sides of strip  30  to allow bonding of the side  31  of first strip  26  of holder  16  to the selected object at an unobstructed surface area that is larger than the area of the strip  26 . The terminal ends  37  of strip  24  may extend beyond the terminal ends  38  of strip  26 . 
     Side  33  of first strip  26  may comprise a loop or pad material that mates and interlocks with hook material on the unattached portions  35  of second strip  24  of the type sold under the brand name VELCRO®. Alternatives to the releasable hook and loop closure strips may be a reusable adhesive portion or a closure such as a snap fastener or a connector device having a ball for insertion into a detent opening. 
     In FIG. 5, quick capture and release lure holder  16  is shown with an artificial lure  22  captured on side A of the holder and with side B of the holder open and available for insertion of another lure therein. To capture a lure  22  in side B of holder  16 , an unattached portion  35  of second strip  24  has been moved away from first strip  26  a distance greater than some dimension of the lure, as generally shown in FIG.  5 . Then the lure will be put into the opening or space between strips  24  and  26 , and strip  24  moved back into contact with the lure pressing the lure into tight contact with strip  26 . Finally, the strip  24  would be tightened against the lure  22  and pressed against the strip  26  so as to engage and interlock the releasable fastener hook and loop connectors on the mating strips. 
     FIG. 5 shows the invention detached from the places of usage shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in which holder  16  is normally secured to an unobstructed surface or face of a solid or fixed structure. The ease with which holder  16  is attachable to a location convenient to an angler makes the holder amenable for attachment to the fishing vest or hat of an angler or to other clothing or portable equipment or tackle for quick capture and release of selected lures. For example, if an angler is walking down a shoreline and does not wish to carry a tackle box or other container for lures, the invention could be adhered to a fishing vest or other piece of clothing or to another piece of equipment which the angler is carrying. 
     FIG.  6 . shows another embodiment of the invention that may be used to securely hold crankbaits or other lures with irregular surfaces on a hard surface such as the gunwale  18 . The strips of flexible material  24  and  26  and the adhesive strip  30  have been bifurcated on each side of the rivet  28  by cutting them apart with a scissors or razor. This produces a relatively thinner forked pair of strips  39  separated by an acute angle  40  on each side of the rivet. The separated strips  39  can be used to contact a lure  41  at spaced locations on the lure, which will hold the lure in place when rough water is encountered. 
     The disclosed embodiment of holder  16  which employs hook and loop releasable fasteners for securing a lure  22  or  40  may be modified to provide alternative embodiments. For example, the hook and loop portions need not extend entirely across the strips  24  and  26 , but may be located only at the ends of the strips to secure only end portions  34  of strip  24  to end portions  36  of strip  26 . In the case where the hook and loop material is restricted to end portions  34  and  36 , a plain or an elastic rough material can be used to make up the rest of the area of strips  24  and  26  to provide frictional capture of lure  22  or  40  therebetween. 
     The practice of this invention also includes methods of temporarily attaching an artificial fishing lure  22  or  40  to an unobstructed surface such as  14  or  18  from which the lure can be quickly removed for use by an angler. A method may be practiced by affixing adhesive  30  to one side  31  of a first strip  26  of flexible material, and attaching a portion of a second strip  24  of flexible material to an opposite side  33  of the first strip in such a manner that an unattached portion  35  of the second strip is movable with respect to the first strip. The adhesive  30  may be used to adhere the one side  31  of the first strip to a surface like  14  or  18 . The unattached portion  35  of the second strip  24  is moved away from the opposite side  33  of the first strip to provide a space that is larger than the lure that is being attached. The lure is inserted into that space, and it is captured in the space by moving the unattached portion  35  of the second strip into contact with the lure so as to bind the lure against the opposite side  33  of the first strip. The lure can then be temporarily held on the selected surface by temporarily affixing the unattached portion  35  of the second strip to the opposite side  33 . 
     Additional advantages of the methods of this invention may be achieved by attaching the second strip  24  to the first strip  26  adjacent the center of the first strip, or by extending a terminal end  37  of the second strip beyond a terminal end of the first strip. A double sided adhesive strip  30  may be affixed to one side  31  of the first strip to facilitate bonding of the holder  16  to the selected surface. Releasable fastener means may be employed by applying mating hook and loop materials to the opposite side  33  of the first strip and to the unattached portion  35  of the second strip to enable the temporary affixing of the unattached portion of the second strip to the opposite side of the first strip. 
     While the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments and methods, it is not intended to illustrate or describe all of the equivalent forms or ramifications thereof. Also, the words used are words of description rather than limitation, and various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the appended claims cover all such changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.