Abstract:
An apparatus for retrieving snagged fishing lures ( 9 ) includes an elongated body ( 10 ) for sliding down a line ( 30 ) to a snagged lure ( 31 ). The apparats further includes a latching bow ( 17 ) with an intermediate portion ( 19 ) that operatively locates over the rear of the lure ( 31 ) in order to allow application of retrieval tension by means of cord ( 22 ).

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to an apparatus for retrieving snagged fishing lures. 
     BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 
     In recreational fishing, lures with multiple hooks are often used as a substitute for live bait or as the preferred form of fish attractant. 
     Lures may be simple spoon type lures which are relatively inexpensive or baits fish profile lures which can be very expensive. Such lures often include arrays of multiple hooks and thus they are prone to snagging. This is especially so when fishing over coral or rocks or adjacent submerged tree branches. 
     As a result, lure retrievers have been developed with the aim of retrieving snagged lures. Mostly, such lures are specifically developed for a particular purpose and often a fisherman will change lures during a fishing session with a view to optimising their catch. Accordingly fishermen may include several types of lure retrievers in their fishing kits for use depending upon the lure being used and the anticipated snag. 
     Unfortunately snagged lures are not generally visible to the angler and thus anglers may try different types of retrievers with a view to releasing or freeing the lure from the snag. Typically freeing is achieved by hammering the lure in the reverse direction to the direction of pull from the line with a view to freeing the hooks from the snag, or by engaging the lure with a strong catch which will permit the lure to be forcibly pulled free from the snag. Different types of lure retrievers have been proposed for these different operations. 
     Accordingly it will be appreciated that anglers may require many types of lure retrievers in their kit in order to cope with the variety of snag situations which could occur in a fishing session. Mostly this is not practical and anglers often accept the loss of expensive lures as a necessary cost. 
     The present invention aims to alleviate at least one of the above described disadvantages and to provide an improved lure. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     With the foregoing in view, this invention in one aspect resides broadly in a lure retriever including: 
     an elongate impact body for impacting upon a snagged lure; 
     opposed pivot mountings on the elongate impact body for releasably attaching free end portions of a latching bow to the impact body, and 
     bow restrainers spaced from the pivot mountings for restraining the latching bow for limited pivotal movement in a forward projecting attitude, the limited pivotal movement of the bow sufficient to enable the bow to pivot away from the line to pass over a portion of the lure, then return to engage behind a portion of the lure for retrieval. 
     Preferably the lure retriever further includes a rearwardly located tether member or tether loop for attachment of a retrieval cord 
     Suitably the pivot mounting and bow restrainer permit ready coupling and uncoupling of respective bows to and from the elongate body whereby bows adapted for specific lures or types of lures or sizes may be utilised to suit the lure type or size which is snagged. 
     The elongate impact body suitably includes a dense core portion such as a lead core whereby the lure retriever may slide freely down a snagged line and impact a snagged lure with sufficient force to free it from the snag. Alternatively the impact body may have only sufficient weight to cause the latching bow to deflect away from the lure upon impact therewith. 
     The latching bow may have opposed intermediate portions which are maintained inclined to the fore and aft axis of the elongate impact body. Suitably the intermediate portions lead to a narrow throat U-shaped central portion which will engage slidably about a line but be readily obstructed by line attachments. 
     The fore and aft supporting guides may be hooks from which the elongate impact body may be suspended from a line. Alternatively the fore and aft supporting guides may be spiral wound loops or coils which may be looped about a standing line for captive engagement therewith. 
     The opposed pivot mountings may be arranged at any position on the elongate impact body and the bow restrainers may be an abutment for a portion of the bow which extends forwardly, laterally or rearwardly from the bow connection with the pivot mountings. Suitably the bow restrainers are in the form of opposed spring latches with which the bow may be engaged for loose retention therein to provide the required pivotal movement. 
     The pivot mountings may be pins which releasably engage in the elongate impact body such as by screwing therein. Alternatively the pivot mountings may be integral apertured mountings with which hooks or the like on the bow may engage. Suitably the ends of the bows are hook shaped for retention in the apertured mountings and the bow restrainers capture opposed portions of the bows intermediate the hooks and the central or ramped portions of the bow. The pivot mountings and the bow restrainers may be formed from bent spring steel wire as separate forms or as an integral form and secured to the impact body either internally or externally as required. 
     In another aspect this invention resides broadly in a lure retriever including: 
     an elongate impact body; 
     fore and aft supporting guides which may be engaged about a snagged line for guiding the lure retriever for travel therealong to the snagged lure; 
     opposed bow mountings on the elongate impact body for releasably supporting a latching bow, and 
     a latching bow releasably connected to the opposed bow mountings, the latching bow having a central latching part adapted for latching onto the snagged lure. 
     The opposed bow mountings may be sockets for the ends of the bow. Alternatively the opposed bow mountings may include pivot mountings providing apertures with which hook ends of the latching bow may be engaged and bow restrainers for capturing the bow spaced from the bow mountings. 
     As in the previous aspect the pivot mounting and bow restrainer suitably permit ready coupling and uncoupling of respective bows to and from the elongate body whereby bows adapted for specific lures or types of lures or sizes may be utilised to suit the lure type or size which is, snagged. Other variations including those described with reference to the first mentioned aspect of this invention may be applied to this further aspect of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
     In order that this invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a typical embodiment of this invention, wherein: 
     FIG.  1  and FIG. 2 are opposed end views of the impact body of the lure retriever; 
     FIGS,  3 ,  4  and  5  illustrate the progression of the lure retriever along a line over the lure and engaged behind the lure; 
     FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate use of the lure; 
     FIG. 7 illustrates the impact body and typical alternate latching bows for use therewith; and 
     FIG. 8 is an end view, similar to FIG. 1, showing an alternate embodiment of for and aft supporting guides. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The lure retriever  9  illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 has an impact body  10  formed with a central cylindrical body part  11 , suitably formed from lead, and supported within an outer stainless steel casing  12 . Spiral wound support loops  13  extend upwardly from the casing  12  and enable the impact body  10  to be captively engaged for sliding movement along a standing line such as a fishing line extending from a snagged lure to a user. Alternately, hooks  40  may be provided are fore and aft supporting guides to couple the impact body  10  to a standing line, as shown, for example, in FIG. 8. A tether loop  14  is provided at the rear end of the body  10  for attachment of a retrieval cord. The impact body  10  may be slid down a snagged line and partially retrieved if necessary, by means of cord  14 , in order to repeatedly forward impact body  10  upon a lure with a view to releasing the hooks thereon from the snag. 
     It will be seen that the body  10  also supports opposed bow mountings in the form of rear pivot mountings  15  and front bow restrainers  16  for connecting thereto a suitable latching bow such as illustrated at  17  in FIG.  3 . For this purpose, as can be seen more clearly in FIG. 7, a typical latching bow includes a central narrow U-shaped portion  18 , intermediate ramped portions  19  and leg portions  20  terminated in hooks  21 . Hooks  21  are adapted to be hooked about the opposed rear pivot mountings  15  such that the latching bow can be hauled toward a user via a retrieval cord or tether  22  attached to tether loop  14 . Each bow  17  is made of a spring steel wire, which is preferably of stainless steel, so that the hooked ends  21  have to be drawn inwardly against a spring bias toward one another for engagement with the opposed pivot mountings  15 . 
     When engaged therewith the bow  17  may pivot about its connection with the mountings  15 , however the legs  20  are drawn together and passed beneath the return portions  25  of open ended catches  26  so that they enter the confined space  27  which limits the degree of pivotal movement of the latching bow about the mountings  15 . 
     The catches  26  are arranged so that, as illustrated in FIG. 3, an impact body with a latching bow  17  connected thereto may be slid down a fishing line  30  towards a snagged lure  31  with the U-shaped central throat portion  18  sliding along the line. When the U-shaped portion  18  contacts a lure, the ramped portions  19  will force the portion  18  away from the line  30  to permit the bow to pass over the body of the lure  31  as illustrated in FIG.  4  and down beyond the tail  32  of the lure  31 . 
     With reference to FIG. 5, the U-shaped portion  18  will fall back down to engage the swivel or line between the tail  32  and the ganged hooks  33 . When tension is then applied to the retrieval cord  22 , the central portion  18  will tend to move forward until obstructed by the tail  32  whereupon the tension will be transferred to the lure  31  so as to free the hooks  33  from the snag. 
     If this operation does not succeed, or if a different type of snag is to be treated then, with reference to FIG. 6, the latching bow  17  may be inverted. In the inverted orientation the ramped portions  19  extend downwardly to pass underneath the lure  31  and about the medially supported ganged hooks  35 . Once in this position, tension applied to the retrieval cord  22  will be transferred through the bow  17  to the intermediate hooks  35  with a view to freeing the lure from the snag. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates alternate size latching bows  17  and  17 A for attachment with impact body  10 . Of course, different size and configuration bows can be utilised to suit the lure to be retrieved and different configuration impact bodies can be used to suit if desired. 
     From the above it will be seen that the lure retriever of the present invention may be used in a variety of manners and with a variety of latching bows so that it will be useful for retrieving a variety of lures from a variety of snag types. 
     It will of course be realised that the above has been given only by way of illustrative example of the invention and that all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as is set forth in the following claims.