Abstract:
An artificial fly fishing lure is provided having a hollow tube, a lip extending downward from the tube and integrally formed with the tube to impart life-like movement to the fly when pulled through the water, an anchoring point for connecting a leader line to the fly near a back end thereof, and preferably a notch for receiving and frictionally holding in place a dumbbell or hourglass weight for varying the depth and flow dynamics of the fly.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is based upon and claims benefit of copending and co-owned U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/771,149 entitled “Artificial Fly Fishing Lure”, filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Feb. 7, 2006, by the inventors herein, the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to fishing lures, and more particularly to a fly fishing “fly” body having a lip, tube, and line anchoring construction for providing life-like movement to an artificial fly. 
   2. Background 
   The sport of fishing is ancient. While used over the millennia as a form of providing sustenance, it remains such today, but also provides an intriguing sport to enthusiasts. Rewards are sought by the participants of such sport in the form of not only large catches, but likewise in enjoying the “chase” itself, i.e., the fishing experience. One particular field of sport fishing that continues to grow in popularity is fly fishing, in which a nearly weightless lure, known as a “fly,” is used to stimulate a strike and attract fish on top of or beneath the water surface, mimicking food types that attract fish. The appearance of such fly, i.e., the colors and pattern of the materials, such as feathers, hair, synthetics, etc., used to construct the fly, can be an important factor in attracting particular types of fish. However, of even greater import is the movement of the fly—generally, the more lifelike the movement, the greater the performance in attracting fish. 
   Attempts have been made to provide lures, including flies, with various constructions to aid in a lifelike presentation of the lures or flies to the targeted fish. However, given that flies used in fly fishing must have minimal weight, the options for adding structures to provide life-like movement have been limited. Thus, there remains a need in the art for a fly having a construction that provides for life-like movement of the fly through the water, but that remains simple in construction so as to not excessively weight the fly, or cause wind resistance when casting with a fly line and rod. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Disclosed is a fly fishing lure (a “fly”) having a construction adapted for life-like movement of the fly through the water. The fly is comprised of a hollow tube having a generally circular, concave lip positioned along the tube, positioned toward and facing a front end of the tube (which receives the leader from a fly fishing line). A sleeve is preferably fitted to the back end of the tube and receives the eyelet of a fishing hook, and the leader extends through the hollow tube and attaches to the fishing hook at the back end of the tube. By extending the leader through the hollow tube and anchoring it at a point at the back end of the tube, the fly pivots about such rear anchor point when the fishing line and the leader are pulled in various directions. Moreover, a clearance exists at the front of the tube between the leader and the interior walls of the tube, allowing the leader to move freely in such clearance, thus (in combination with the lip) imparting a more life-like movement to the fly. A notch is preferably provided behind the lip to receive a dumbbell or hourglass weight, the notch being sized to frictionally receive and hold such weight until it is lashed or otherwise affixed to the tube. 
   Thus, with respect to one aspect of a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the invention relates to a fly fishing lure having a hollow tube, a downwardly projecting lip on an exterior of the tube adjacent a forward end of the tube, a hook engaged with the tube adjacent a back end of the tube, and a leader line extending through the forward end of the tube and attached to an eyelet of the hook at the back end of the tube so as to allow pivoting of the leader line with respect to an interior of the tube. 
   With respect to another aspect of a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the invention relates to a method of making a fly fishing lure including the steps of providing a hollow tube having a forward end, a back end opposite the forward end, and a downwardly projecting lip adjacent the forward end, extending a leader line through the hollow tube from the forward end through the back end, tying an eyelet of a hook to the leader line adjacent the back end of the tube, and positioning the eyelet of the hook with respect to the interior of the tube so that the leader line extends from approximately the center of the tube at approximately the back end of the tube towards the forward end of the tube. 
   The various features of novelty that characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims of this application. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention are considered in more detail, in relation to the following description of embodiments thereof shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a side view of an artificial fly fishing lure construction according to one embodiment of the instant invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the artificial fly fishing lure construction of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 2   a  is a close-up sectional view of the artificial fly fishing lure construction of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the artificial fly fishing lure construction of  FIG. 1 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   The invention summarized above and defined by the enumerated claims may be better understood by referring to the following description, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numbers are used for like parts. This description of an embodiment, set out below to enable one to build and use an implementation of the invention, is not intended to limit the enumerated claims, but to serve as a particular example thereof. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they may readily use the conception and exemplary embodiments disclosed as a basis for modifying or designing other methods and systems for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent assemblies do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form. 
   In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, and as shown in the side view of  FIG. 1  and the side, sectional view of  FIG. 2 , a fly includes a hollow tube  10 , preferably formed of light weight plastic for ease of manufacture in a molding apparatus. The hollow tube  10  has a front end  12  and a back end  14 . A leader  20 , which extends from a fly fishing line (not shown), enters hollow tube  10  through front end  12  and extends towards back end  14  toward a hook  30 . Hook  30  is provided an eyelet  32  for receiving a free end of leader  20 . As particularly shown in  FIG. 2 , leader  20  is tied or otherwise affixed to eyelet  32  adjacent back end  14  of hollow tube  10 . Thus, when the fishing line (and thus leader  20 ) is pulled at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of hollow tube  10 , tube  10  may pivot with respect to leader  20  about the point at which it connects to eyelet  32 . By having such anchor point at the back end  14  of tube  10 , a clearance results between the leader  20  and the interior walls of tube  10  at the front end  12  thereof. Thus, when leader  20  is pulled at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of hollow tube  10 , leader  20  is able to move freely in such clearance, thus allowing angular displacement a ( FIG. 2   a ) of the line inside of hollow tube  10 . This angular displacement a of leader  20  inside of hollow tube  10  is expected to allow pulls of the fly in various directions to impart a greater degree of varied motion than if leader  20  were attached at or near front end  12  of tube  10 , thus imparting a more life-like motion to the fly. 
   Preferably, a sleeve  45  is provided surrounding the back end  14  of tube  10  and the eyelet  32  of hook  30 , thus fixing the position of eyelet  32  with respect to tube  10 . Optionally, eyelet  32  may instead be seated in and preferably frictionally held within hollow tube  10  adjacent the back end  14  thereof. 
   To add to the life-like motion of the fly, a lip  40  is provided adjacent front end  12  of tube  10 . Lip  40  is preferably in the form of a concave disc, with the open concave face of the disc facing front end  12  of tube  10  (and the convex outer face of the disc facing back end  14  of tube  10 ). The disc is situated at an angle, preferably at least 45°, to the longitudinal axis of tube  10 . Lip  40  is preferably formed as an integral unit with tube  10  in a single molding operation for ease of manufacture, and is positioned with respect to tube  10  so that an uppermost portion of the disc formed by lip  40  does not extend above the top edge of tube  10 . The concave shape and angular orientation of lip  40  are expected to create resistance against water as the fly is pulled through the water, causing the fly to exhibit more life-like movement than if no lip were provided. To add to the stability of the fly as it is pulled through the water (and subjected to the resistance provided by lip  40 ), tube  10  is configured and particularly sized with respect to leader  20  and hook  30  to allow water to flow through the hollow interior of tube  10  as it is pulled through the water. Such water flow aids the stability of the fly as it is pulled through the water, balancing the tendency of the lip and the rear anchor point of leader  20  to cause erratic movements with a stable flow through the interior, thus providing a more life-like movement of the fly through the water. 
   Preferably positioned behind lip  40  is a notch  50  ( FIG. 2 ) configured to temporarily position and optionally hold a dumbbell or hourglass weight  60  of traditional configuration. Such weight may be painted or otherwise decorated to simulate the eyes of the creature or food that the fly is intended to simulate. Such weight also traditionally serves as added mass to allow the fly (with varied movements of the fishing line and leader  20 ) to dive and climb in the water and otherwise respond to movements of the line by the angler without inadvertently jumping out of the water or turning on its side. Notch  50  is preferably defined by two ridges, blocks, detents, or similarly configured locating mechanism  52  preferably integrally formed with tube  10  on the outer surface thereof (and thus not interfering with the generally cylindrical interior of flow channel extending through tube  10 ). Notch  50  is sized to receive the arm of dumbbell weight  60  and to frictionally hold the same in position with respect to tube  10  during assembly of the fly. Moreover, as notch  50  has a lateral thickness, it preferably provides a channel for receiving the arm of weight  60 , thus aligning weight  60  with respect to the longitudinal axis of tube  10  (and particularly at preferably a right angle thereto), ensuring a proper alignment of weight  60  during assembly of the fly. Once the weight is positioned in notch  50 , it may be lashed  70  to tube  10  along with feathers and/or other decorative elements to simulate a specific food. 
   While hollow tube  10  is depicted as having a generally circular cross section, it should be noted that alternate configurations could be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For instance, tube  10  may be square, triangular, diamond, oval, or any other shape that facilitates permanent attachment of lip  40  and is hollow through its center to provide a flow channel through tube  10 . Likewise, while lip  40  is preferably circular, it may take on other shapes, such as square, rectangular, circular, oval, or any other shape, and may be situated with respect to tube  10  at various angles. Lip  40  may have different surface contours such as flat, convex, or concave, and may be provided elevations or depressions in its forward facing surface to help facilitate the determined motion of the fly desirable for the species of fish that is targeted. The tube and lip may be constructed of various materials including but not limited to plastics, resins, and metals. Use of different materials and shapes for tubes and lips as well as the other variables described above will provide for differences in floating and/or sinking capabilities and enhance the desired movement of the flies so constructed. 
   The invention has been described with references to a preferred embodiment. While specific values, relationships, materials and steps have been set forth for purposes of describing concepts of the invention, it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the basic concepts and operating principles of the invention as broadly described. It should be recognized that, in the light of the above teachings, those skilled in the art could modify those specifics without departing from the invention taught herein. Having now fully set forth the preferred embodiments and certain modifications of the concept underlying the present invention, various other embodiments as well as certain variations and modifications of the embodiments herein shown and described will obviously occur to those skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with said underlying concept. It is intended to include all such modifications, alternatives and other embodiments insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or equivalents thereof It should be understood, therefore, that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically set forth herein. Consequently, the present embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.