Fishing lure

The fishing lure is formed in a variety of configurations mimicking various prey animals to which game fish might be attracted. Each lure is formed of relatively soft plastic or rubber for flexibility, although the head or forward end of the lure may optionally be formed of harder material. The lure includes a pair of laterally opposed notches or grooves between the head and body, and a series of longitudinally staggered notches or grooves across the upper and lower body or tail portion. These notches or grooves provide even greater flexibility for the lure, allowing the lure to undulate due to hydrodynamic force when drawn through the water. The hook is installed in the forwardmost portion of the lure with the tip oriented above and/or forwardly of the remainder of the lure, to avoid reduction of body flexibility due to being penetrated by the relatively stiff shank of the hook.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to fishing tackle, and articularly to a fishing lure formed of a soft and flexible plastic material having a series of laterally narrowed portions, notches, or grooves along its length for added flexibility and movement.

2. Description of the Related Art

Bait and lures have been used for centuries to attract game animals and fish. As the sport of fishing has become more sophisticated, an ever-increasing variety of lures has been developed for use in the sport and for commercial use as well.

The development of relatively new materials has also been of benefit in the manufacture of lures, particularly fishing lures. It is well known that fish are generally attracted to a number of smaller animals, e.g., worms and insects, and frogs, lizards, eels and small snakes, etc. for somewhat larger game fish. Many of these animal varieties exhibit great flexibility, e.g., worms, eels, and snakes, and predator fish are thought to be instinctively predisposed to be attracted to objects exhibiting such movement.

Accordingly, many lure manufacturers have attempted to roduce lures mimicking such bodily movements. These efforts have generally met with limited success, primarily due to the relatively hard materials available in the past. More recently, softer plastic materials (e.g., lastisol, a soft silicone rubber resin material) have been developed for various purposes, and some of these have been adapted for use in the manufacture of fishing lures. Such softer materials provide the greater flexibility desired to mimic the movements of live prey animals, but efforts in this direction have not been entirely successful.

Another problem with fishing lures developed in the past has been the placement and/or orientation of the hook. Generally, the hook(s) is/are placed somewhat rearwardly on the body of the lure, with it being assumed that the fish will strike the lure from behind. As the leader must extend from the forward end of the lure, this either leaves a relatively weakened area between the end of the leader and the hook in lures formed of softer materials, or requires the leader or a separate wire or the like to be run through the body of the lure, which changes the flexibility of the lure.

An example of a lure from the related art is found in French Patent No. 2,672,773, published on Aug. 21, 1992. According to the drawings and English abstract, this reference describes a fishing lure with an elongated and angled shank. The hook extends from its eye at the nose of the lure, passing through the body to exit near the tail of the lure. The abstract indicates that only the tail of the lure, i.e., that portion of the lure rearward of the hook, is free to move due to hydrodynamic force as the lure is pulled through the water.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The fishing lure may be formed in a number of different embodiments, each at least generally mimicking the shape or configuration of a prey animal to which a game fish might be attracted. The various lure embodiments are each formed with a pair of laterally opposed notches or grooves between the forward end or head of the lure and the lure body, and a series of longitudinally staggered upper and lower notches or grooves disposed along the body, tail, or portions thereof. The laterally opposed notches behind the head result in a thinner cross section of material connecting the head to the body, and this, along with the flexibility of the material from which the lure is formed, allows the head and body of the lure to move or flex relative to one another to provide realistic movement. The laterally oriented notches or grooves on the upper and lower sides of the body and/or tail also increase the flexibility of the lure, allowing the body and/or tail to undulate through the water in the vertical plane as the lure is trolled or reeled in.

Each of the embodiments of the fishing lure also has the hook installed forwardly in the lure, with the curve of the hook positioned forwardly of the eye and the tip of the hook oriented above or forwardly of the shank. The angler may install the hook through the head of the lure where the head is formed of the same soft material as the body, or the shank of the hook may be encapsulated in the head at the time of manufacture, where harder compounds are used for forming the head of the lure. The lure may be manufactured with the head generally aligned with the body, or with the head angled downwardly relative to the body. In any event, the orientation of the hook and position of the hook eye relative to the head and body of the lure results in the head being forced down at an angle to the body due to hydrodynamic drag as the lure is drawn through the water. In this manner, the tip of the hook is positioned forwardly of the remainder of the hook and lure structure, with the possible exception of the hook eye. The tip of the hook may contact or slightly penetrate the material of the head of the lure, or the hook may include a weed guard, to reduce or prevent the hook from catching on weeds or other obstructions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The fishing lure is formed of a soft, resilient plastic material (e.g., plastisol or other suitable material). The density of the plastisol or other material may be adjusted as desired during manufacture to provide greater or lesser specific gravity than water for the desired effect. A lure having a specific gravity or density greater than water will sink, while a lure with a density less than that of water will float. These different densities may be selected by the angler, as desired, depending upon his or her sense of the likelihood of the subject fish taking a lure on the surface or at some depth below the surface.

Each of the embodiments of the lure includes mutually opposed, laterally spaced vertical notches or grooves between the head portion and neck portion, and a plurality of longitudinally staggered, laterally disposed grooves or notches along the upper and lower surfaces of the body and/or tail portion(s). The hook extends forwardly from the head portion of the lure in each of the embodiments.

FIGS. 1 through 3of the drawings illustrate a first embodiment10of the fishing lure. The lure10includes a head portion12, a body ortion14, and a relatively narrow neck portion16connecting the head and body portions12and14. The relatively wider head and body portions12and14define a pair of laterally opposed, vertically oriented first and second grooves, respectively18aand18b, therebetween, with the resulting narrow neck portion16providing relatively great lateral and torsional flexibility between the head and body at this point. Preferably, another laterally disposed notch or groove20aextends across the width of the juncture of the head, body, and neck and generally coplanar with the first and second grooves18aand18b, with this lower groove20aresulting in a reduction of the depth of the neck portion16(as can be seen inFIGS. 2 and 3) for even greater flexibility at the juncture of the head and body portions12and14.

The body portion14includes a lower surface or side22and an opposite upper surface or side24. Each side includes a series of laterally oriented body flexure notches or grooves thereacross, i.e., the lower side22includes lower transverse grooves20a,20b, etc., while the opposite upper side24includes upper transverse grooves26a,26b, etc. The first or forwardmost lower transverse groove20aalso serves to reduce the vertical depth of the neck portion18, as described above.

The corresponding upper and lower lateral or transverse grooves, notches or indentations e.g., the second lower groove20band the second upper groove26b, are not directly above and below one another, but are staggered or offset longitudinally along the length of the body14. Thus, none of the upper grooves are located directly above or opposite to a lower groove. This provides some additional strength to the body14, and allows the grooves to extend somewhat more than halfway through the thickness of the body14, if so desired. The body portion14may thus flex more readily about any of the various grooves or notches, but extreme flexibility concentrated at a single point, as in the case of the vertically disposed first and second grooves18a,18b, is not required at any one point along the length of the body portion14.

The location of the upper and lower notches20a, etc. and26a,etc. across the upper and lower sides or surfaces of the body14allows the body to undulate in the vertical plane when the lure10is drawn through the water, generally as shown inFIG. 3of the drawings. This action is a result of varying hydrodynamic pressure on the very flexible and unstable body ortion14. The action of the body14through the water is somewhat analogous to the fluttering of a non-rigid flag in a breeze, but rather than being aerodynamic flutter, as in the case of a flag, the lure10is subject to hydrodynamic flutter when moved through the water, causing it to undulate in the vertical plane due to the positioning of the upper and lower grooves.

The head portion12of the lure10includes a fishhook installed therein, as most clearly shown inFIG. 2of the drawings. The hook has a shank28embedded through or in the head12so as to be parallel with a longitudinal axis of the head12, with an eye30extending therefrom and the curved bight32and tip34of the hook extending opposite the eye30. The eye30and bight32are disposed externally to the head12, with the positioning of the eye30facilitated due to the preferably bent or offset shank28. The tip34of the hook may be spaced apart from the material of the head12of the lure, or may contact the soft material of the head to preclude the entrance of weeds and other foreign matter into the bight32of the hook until a fish strikes the lure and compresses the soft lure material, i.e., a “weedless” hook, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3of the drawings. Alternatively, a weed guard36may be provided, as shown inFIG. 1, to close the bight32of the hook until a fish strikes the lure.

The hook is preferably installed in the head12with the eye30ositioned slightly forward and above the vertical first and second neck grooves18aand18b. Thus, when the lure10is drawn through the water, as in trolling or reeling the lure in after a cast, the hydrodynamic drag restrains the body portion14, with the head12being drawn somewhat away from the body. As the eye30is generally opposite the forwardmost lower groove or notch20a, the pull of the fishing line or leader draws the higher mounted eye30forward, thereby causing the head12to fold downwardly, generally as shown in broken lines inFIG. 2of the drawings.

The fishing lure may be formed or manufactured to have any of a number of different embodiments that mimic the appearance and/or dynamic action of a number of different animals to which fish might be attracted. The lure10ofFIGS. 1 through 3has a relatively thin, elongate body portion14with a generally triangular head12extending forwardly therefrom, with the body portion tapering to a tail38. The triangular head12is intended to represent the general shape of the heads of certain lizards as well as members of the pit viper family of snakes, to which certain types of larger and/or more aggressive fish have been known to be attracted.

FIG. 4illustrates a top plan view of the forward portion of a lure110having a generally trapezoidal head112extending from the body114. It will be noted that the two laterally separated grooves or notches118a,118bto each side of the head-to-body joint or neck116have an inwardly tapered or triangular shape with a rounded interior apex. The hook is installed much like the hook of the lure10ofFIGS. 1 through 3, i.e., with the tip36extending over the head112and forwardly of the eye30.

FIG. 5provides a top plan view of the forward portion of another fishing lure210, in which the head212has a tapered configuration with a diameter or width about the same as that of the body portion214. Certain snakes, eels, worms, etc. may have head shapes that are essentially the same width or thickness as the body. The laterally spaced grooves or notches at the neck area216are substantially rectangular in shape, with squared bottom or inner apices.

The lure310ofFIGS. 6 and 7has a generally triangular head312shape that is essentially the same as the lure10ofFIGS. 1 through 3. The top plan view of the forward portion of the lure310inFIG. 6, however, shows a slightly different lateral notch configuration, with the two grooves318aand318bhaving rounded bottoms or apices. The use of relatively rounded inner corners or apices for the various grooves or notches, e.g.,318aand318b, as well as for the lower and upper body grooves, avoids “stress risers” that might concentrate stresses at otherwise sharp crevices and the like, thereby rolonging the life of the lure. The avoidance of stress risers is more of a concern with rigid materials, e.g., metals, but it can be a factor in softer materials as well.

FIG. 7is a forward elevation view of the lure head ofFIG. 6as it would be oriented while being drawn through the water. The head312is lowered due to the tensile pull of the leader (not shown) on the eye30of the hook, much as the head12is shown inFIG. 3of the drawings and representing the same conditions. While the pull of the leader on the eye30of the hook will tend to prevent the head312from swaying laterally, the relatively narrow thickness of the neck portion316provides excellent flexibility at that point along the lure and allows the head312to move axially through a limited arc, generally as shown by the broken line positions of the head312inFIG. 7. Some limited motion in other axes or directions may be achievable as well, but the forward pull of the fishing line or leader on the eye30of the hook will tend to limit head motion in the lateral or vertical lanes.

The use of cast or molded soft plastics for the head and body ortions of the lure in its various embodiments permits various portions of the lure to be formed of somewhat different materials, or densities and hardnesses of materials, from one another. For example, the head portion may be formed of a harder and/or more dense plastic than the relatively flexible body portion, with the head and body being fused together at the neck portion when the plastic is still in a fluid state during the molding or casting process. The use of a relatively hard or firm plastic material for the head is not critical, as the head per se does not require flexibility, as do the neck and body portions of the lure. The use of a harder or more firm material also allows the hook to be molded or encapsulated in place within the head portion at the time of manufacture of the lure, thereby freeing the angler from the requirement to install the hook through the head portion before using the lure.

FIG. 8is a top plan view of still another embodiment of the fishing lure410, having a lizard-like configuration. The lure410includes a head portion412(hook not shown, but essentially as shown in other embodiments), body portion414, and a relatively narrow neck portion416joining the head and body portions412and414. The relatively wider body and head portions412and414and narrower neck portion416define laterally opposed first and second grooves or notches, respectively418aand418b, as in the cases of the other embodiments described herein. The body ortion414includes laterally opposed forelegs440aand440band laterally opposed hind legs442a,442bextending therefrom. In addition, the body ortion414may include rearwardly disposed laterally separated notches or grooves444a,444bin front of the rear legs442a,442b, and/or additional laterally separated notches or grooves446a,446bbehind the rear legs and in front of the tail438, if so desired, to provide greater lateral flexibility for the lure410. The body portion414and tail438preferably include a series of lateral lower grooves420a,420b, etc., and opposite upper grooves426a,426b, etc., as in the cases of other embodiments.

Thus the lure410may simulate a swimming lizard, with the flexibility provided by the soft plastic material and the various grooves serving to provide a most lifelike action for the lure when it is drawn through the water. It should be noted that the provision of additional or supplemental lateral grooves or notches, or the relocation of such a pair of notches to a different area of the body or tail, may be provided on other embodiments as well, if so desired.

The lure510ofFIG. 9demonstrates yet another embodiment, with the lure510having a somewhat sinusoidal body portion514. The head512is formed to have a somewhat lowered or downward position at the time of manufacture; this may be incorporated with any of the other lures as desired. The first or forwardmost lower body groove520adefines a relatively narrow (in the vertical plane) neck portion516, with the laterally opposed grooves (the right groove518bbeing shown inFIG. 9) being displaced somewhat behind the first lower body groove520a, rather than being coplanar with that groove520a. This longitudinal displacement of the forwardmost lower body groove and the two laterally opposed grooves may be formed with any of the other embodiments as desired. The body514and tail538include a series of longitudinally staggered or offset lower and upper body grooves, e.g.,520a,520b,520c, and526afor the upper body groove. These grooves provide greater flexibility in the vertical plane for the body514and tail538. Moreover, the sinusoidal shape of the body514as cast or molded tends to simulate a crippled or malformed prey animal, with redators generally pursuing and striking such prey due to their relatively limited ability to flee or fight. The hook may include a bent shank28with a ortion of the shank extending from the eye30through the head512, and another shank portion exposed behind or below the head, with the bight32curving around the forwardmost portion or nose of the head512. This hook configuration may be incorporated with other lure embodiments, as desired.

FIGS. 10 through 13are cross-sectional views of various body shapes or configurations that might be incorporated with the lure.FIG. 10illustrates an oval body cross section614with its major axis oriented vertically.FIG. 11shows a body cross section714having a generally triangular configuration.FIG. 12is a substantially circular cross section body configuration814, whileFIG. 13shows another oval body configuration914similar to the configuration614ofFIG. 10, but having its major axis oriented laterally to provide a thinner and more flexible body in the vertical plane. It will be seen that any of the body shapes or configurations ofFIGS. 10 through 13may be incorporated with any of the lure configurations ofFIGS. 1 through 9as desired, and that the cross sectional shapes shown inFIGS. 10 through 13are exemplary and that many other cross sectional shapes may be incorporated with the lure as desired.