Abstract:
A flexible life-like fishing lure having an opening in its main body member and/or appendages to impart movement to the lure. The openings deflect water as the lure is moved generating hydrodynamic pressure waves that help attract the fish.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     This invention relates to lures that are used to attract fish employed in fishing. Fishing lures of this type typically attempt to mimic live bait actions by having realistic movements, color and shapes. Many live action lures depend solely on the movement rather than the visual realisms to attract fish. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Prior art devices of this type are directed to lures having water engagement surfaces that will cause the lure to move erratically as it is pulled through the water, see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,523,536, 3,162,971 and 5,167,088. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 2,523,536 a fishing lure is disclosed having a main body member with multiple heads extending therefrom. A large “head” portion is defined by a disk that is pivoted to the main body member. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,162,971 shows a sinking artificial lure having a body member with a large front plate portion and wing-like member extending from the rear thereof. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,088 is directed to an adjustable fishing lure activator which has a disk shaped activator of sheet plastic installed on the leader just in front of the lure&#39;s main body. The activator has a crease extending from a central opening defining an angled area. 
     Other prior art lures have a more naturalistic bait-like shape with water reacting structures; see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,775,839, 3,585,749 and 5,276,992. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 2,775,839 a fishing lure with an up/down motion is disclosed having a fish-like body with the deflector plates pivotally mounted on its front. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,585,749 is directed to a flexible fishing lure having a multi-chambered hollow body through which water passes as it is pulled through the water. The water volume is varied by a deflector valve opening so that water passes alternately from one chamber to the other imparting a realistic action to the lure. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,992 shows a lure having a hollow head portion through which water passes exiting through the gills thereby imparting motion to the lure by the effective water flow. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A fishing lure having a life-like shape with an opening transversely through its central body area and/or one or more of its appendages that will impart realistic movement to the lure as the water passes therethrough. A portion of the opening has a water deflecting concave shape to impart resistant energy to the lure body that is preferably of a flexible yielding synthetic resin material. As the water enters the opening it is displaced back against the inflow through the same opening, creating hydrodynamic pressure waves that radiate outwardly from the lure into the surrounding water. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a lure of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the lure as seen in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional on lines  3 — 3  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view on lines  4 — 4  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the lure with a hook embedded within; 
     FIG. 6 is a top plan view of an alternate form of the invention illustrating an amphibious configuration; 
     FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a second alternate form of the invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the lure illustrated in FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a third alternate form of the invention; and 
     FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the lure set forth in FIG.  9 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings, a fishing lure  10  of the invention can be seen having a main body  11  configured to resemble a bait fish. The main body  11  has a head portion  12 , a tail portion  13  and in this example chosen for illustration an upper dorsal fin  14  and oppositely disposed fin representation  15 . The head portion  12  has a pair of eye representations  17  with gill ridges  18  in spaced relation to the respective eye representation  17 . The main body  11  has a centrally located opening at  19  that extends longitudinally from the gill ridges  18  to a point midway of the overall length of the main body member  11 . The opening at  19  extends transversely through the main body member  11  and is of a height equal to that of approximately one-half the total vertical section of the main body member  11  as best seen in FIG. 3 of the drawings. The opening  19  has a contoured end wall  20  that defines a concave engagement surface as is best illustrated and seen in FIG. 4 of the drawings. 
     In use, as the lure  10  of the invention is pulled through the water in a forward direction as indicated by broken directional arrows  22 , the flow dynamics of the water are illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings by flow arrows  23 A and  23 B. The initial flow characteristics of the water into the opening at  19  are illustrated by the flow arrows  23 A in which equal flow direction pass around the head portion  12  and into the opening at  19 . The flow direction is disrupted and divided by impingement with the contoured end wall  20  indicated by the flow arrows  23 B. The disruption of the flow direction by the contoured surface of the end wall  20  sets up a counter-flow that forms pressure ridges extending from the concaved end wall surface  20  forward within and extending from the opening at  19  as illustrated by the pressure wave indication lines  23 C. Since the main body member  11  of the lure  10  is preferably molded of resilient flexible synthetic resin material, the lure  10  will be randomly displaced in both the horizontal and vertical axis as it is pulled through the water imparting a life-like motion to the lure  10  as shown in broken lines at  16 . The hook placement for the lure  10  is shown in FIG. 2 with dotted lines at  21 . 
     The pressure waves indicated by pressure wave lines  23 C radiate outwardly from the main body  11  can be sensed by game fish making the lure  10  both visually and sensory attractive, thus increasing the efficiency of the lure and the likelihood of a strike. 
     Referring now to FIG. 5 of the drawings, a lure  24  can be seen having a hook  25  embedded partially within the main body member  11 ′ around the opening at  19 ′. The opening at  19 ′ has the contoured curved end wall surface  20 . It will be noted that the transverse dimension of the openings at  19  and  19 ′ would vary in accordance with the dimensional characteristics of the lures  10  and  24  being in these examples narrower adjacent the head portion  12  than that of the trans-dimension of the concave surfaces  20  and  20 ′ which assist in the formation characteristics of the pressure wave indicated by the pressure wave arrows  23 C as hereinbefore described. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 6,  7  and  8  of the drawings, alternate lure configurations can be seen. In FIG. 6 of the drawings, an amphibian frog representation  29  can be seen having a body  30 , arm extensions  31  and a pair of legs  32 . The body  30  has an opening  33  with a concave surface engagement area  34  within. Each of the legs  32  have respective openings at  32 A and  32 B which have the same concave surface engagement configuration area  34  within as hereinbefore described. 
     In use, when the frog representation  29  is intermittently pulled forward through the water as indicated by directional arrow  35 , the legs  32  will be drawn back (elongated) and together as illustrated in broken lines at  36 A and  36 B. Correspondingly, once the forward motion is ceased, the legs  32  will return to their original position relative to the body member  30 . 
     In FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings, a second alternate form of the invention can be seen wherein a fish representation  36  is illustrated having enlarged oppositely disposed fin elements  37  extending from a body  38  with head and tail portions  39  and  40  respectively thereon. Contoured openings at  41  within the respective fins  37  and tail portion  40  have a modified concave surface engagement areas at  42 . 
     In use, the aquatic representation  36  will act in a life-like manner with movement of the tail  40  and fins  37  illustrated in broken lines at  43  and  44  respectively. 
     Due to the water flow through the respective contoured openings at  41  and impingement with the respective concave surface engagement areas  42 , pressure wave gradients indicated by lines  46  will be achieved. 
     Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10 of the drawings, a third alternate form of the invention can be seen wherein a crayfish  45  representation is shown having a main body member  46 A with a contoured opening at  47  of the invention therein. Claws  48  and  49  extend from the body  46 A each of which has a contoured opening at  48 A and  48 B respectively. 
     A tail portion  50  extends from the body  46 A having a contoured opening therein at  51  and a pair of tail fins  52  and  53  extend therefrom. The tail fins  52  and  53  have respective contoured openings therein at  52 A and  53 A and respective connection bands  54  that extend to the distal end of the tail portion  50 . All of the contoured openings,  47 ,  48 A,  48 B,  52 A,  53 A and  51  have respective fluid engagement surfaces  58  that are the same as the contoured surface end wall  20  as hereinbefore described that sets up a counter flow to form pressure ridges in the water and to impart resilient movement to the body during use. 
     Referring now to FIG. 10 of the drawings, the crayfish  45  representation can be seen with a hook  56  embedded partially within so that the crayfish  45  representation can be pulled through the water in a backwards direction indicated by directional arrows  57  when attached to a fishing line, not shown, as understood within the art. Given the resilient nature of the material of which the crayfish  45  representation is formed, the tail portion  50  will deflect as indicated in broken lines at  59  and position the fins  52  and  53  for flow pattern engagement imparting lifelike action to the tail. 
     The claws  48  and  49  also will respond to water flow through the contoured openings  48 A and  48 B with the fluid engagement surfaces  58  imparting movement thereto as hereinbefore described. 
     It will be evident that other lure configuration representations of bait or aquatic animals can be used in which the openings  19 ,  32 A,  41 ,  48 A and  51  as hereinbefore described will impart the same realistic movements thereto as well as setting up the unique pressure waves and its associated wave gradients emanating from the lure thus attracting the game fish by both visual and sensory perception thus enticing the game fish to be interested and attracted to such lures. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.