A linkable sinker which is particularly suitable for trolling can be used alone or linked end-to-end with similar sinkers. The sinker has an elongated weight with a weight passage and a wire member passing therethrough. The wire member terminates at a leading eye and a trailing eye; the eyes are spaced apart sufficiently that the wire member can be slid in the weight passage to remove a trailing eye leg from the weight passage to open the trailing eye, thereby allowing the leading eye of another sinker to be connected to form an articulated sinker. A resilient hood of compressible material is preferably provided, covering the leading eye. The resilient hood covers the space between adjacent weights when linked together. Preferably, the trailing eye is maintained in engagement with a trailing end of the weight to secure the leading eye of a subsequent sinker when connected to the trailing eye.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to sinkers employed to hold a fishing line near the bottom of a body of water, and more particularly to a sinker which greatly reduces the tendency to snag or become entangled by obstructions or weeds, and which is well suited for use in a variety of water conditions so as to be particularly well suited for use when trolling.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For many fishing situations, one or more sinkers are employed to maintain a lure or bait in close proximity to the bottom of a body of water. These sinkers are prone to snagging on weeds, rocks, submerged branches, and similar obstacles as the fishing line to which they are connected is moved through the water, especially when trolling. Such snagging may result in breakage of the fishing line and loss of the sinker(s) and possibly the lure or bait attached thereto.

To prevent snagging of the lure or bait, U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,668 of the present inventor teaches a bait locating device that employs a flotation member to float a fishing line and the lure or bait attached thereto off the bottom, allowing the lure or bait to pass over most obstructions. The bait locating device of the '668 patent also prevents loss of the lure or bait in the event that the sinker becomes snagged, since the sinker is attached via a sinker line selected to be weaker than the fishing line, so that the sinker line can be broken to allow recovery of the fishing line and any expensive lure attached thereto when the sinker becomes snagged.

Other patents which teach sinkers that can break away to allow recovery of the lure or bait are taught in U.S. Publication 2004/0134119, which teaches a weight attached to the line by a wire which bends to allow the line to break away, while U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,648,398 and 5,461,821 teach sinkers that have a weight held in a resilient tube, where the weight is intended to be squeezed out of the tube if it becomes trapped. While these patents may allow recovery of the lure or bait and ready replacement of a sinker weight which becomes snagged, they will still result in loss of the weights when used in areas with a large number of obstructions.

To avoid the problem of snagging of the sinker itself, sinkers have traditionally been formed as metal weights having streamlined shapes in an attempt to reduce sharp edges liable to catch on obstructions. However, such sinkers can still become lodged between rocks or fall into crevices and become snagged. Another sinker which has been found liable to snagging in rocks is a “snake sinker”, which is formed from a length of flexible braided fabric tube with a number of ball bearings inserted into the tube and the ends closed to form a flexible, elongated weight. In one embodiment, the tubing is closed at each end by crimping a metal cap onto the fabric tube, the cap also serving to attach a swivel eye for connecting the “snake sinker” to the line. The fabric tube of these sinkers has been found susceptible to wear when the sinkers are used in rocky areas. In addition to their tendancy to snag and suffer damage due to abrasion when used in rocky locations, the “snake sinkers” are relatively expensive, particularly in situations where a greater weight is desired and multiple “snake sinkers” must be connected together to obtain the desired weight.

One approach to reducing snagging is to provide an elongated sinker with a buoyant portion which is intended to cause the sinker to assume an upright position in the water, such as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,670,447 and 3,672,088. These patents teach that the upright position should allow the sinker to pass over obstructions without snagging and to lift out of crevices when retrieved. The incorporation of a buoyant portion will tend to reduce the overall effectiveness of the sinker. Additionally, these elongated sinkers would not appear to have sufficient buoyancy to maintain their upright position when being retrieved through the water, which may limit their practical applications. Although the '447 patent states that the upright position allows the sinker to be pulled out of crevices, the same inventor later found it advantageous to provide the basic structure with an array of wire legs to prevent the resulting sinker from falling into crevices and becoming snagged or jammed therein, as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,030. While the wire legs of the '030 patent may provide a benefit in rocky environments, they would appear to increase the risk of snagging when employed in areas with weeds and/or branches, and may increase the risk of entanglement with the lure or bait when casting. The resulting sinker also does not appear to be capable of being stored compactly.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,145,240; 6,305,121; 6,557,294; 6,843,018; and 6,874,272, teach elongated sinkers which again have a buoyant portion, but which also have a curved body rather than the straight bodies of the partially buoyant sinkers discussed above. The combination of the buoyant portion and the curved body is intended to allow the sinker to slide over and/or maneuver its way past obstructions rather than snagging. Again, the reduction in overall effective weight due to the buoyant portion may limit the useful applications of the sinker. The limitations of these sinkers are discussed in the Background section of U.S. Publication 2003/0159332, which teaches an elongated sinker having a bent body without any buoyant portion. The bent portion of this sinker is intended to cause the sinker to provide a twisting motion upon contact with obstacles to prevent snagging. However, the weight may still be prone to snagging in situations where there is insufficient space to accommodate the twisting motion, and may be prone to entanglement in weeds. U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,689 teaches another sinker without a buoyant portion, this one having a curved body.

Another approach that has been tried is to form the sinker with at least a portion which is resiliently flexible, as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,727,332 and 4,679,349. These patents teach that having such a resilient portion allows the user to forcefully flex the sinker by jerking the sinker line when the sinker becomes snagged, this action causing the sinker to spring free of the obstacle. This flexing action requires attaching the line in such a manner as to slidably engage the leading end of the sinker and tying to the trailing end, complicating the attachment of the sinker and possibly increasing the risk of snagging or engtangling the sinker line. This action may increase the susceptibility of the line to chafing. While the flexing action of these sinkers may be beneficial in the event that the sinker becomes lodged between rocks or submerged branches, it would not appear to provide any benefit to reduce the possibility of entanglement in weeds or other obstructions which are not rigid, and which can move to accommodate the flexing action of the sinker.

Because the sinkers discussed above rely on the configuration of the sinker for reducing the tendency to snag, they may limit the ability of the user to change the weight of the sinker to suit conditions such as current, boat speed when trolling, etc. To change the sinker weight, the sinker on the line must be replaced with one of a different weight, which requires an inventory of sinkers of different weights. When sinkers having a complex configuration are employed, the high cost of each individual sinker may limit the inventory that the user can afford. The problem of limited weight selection may be a particular problem for those sinkers which employ a buoyant portion, since they are complicated in structure and the effective weight of the resulting sinker is reduced by the buoyant portion.

The '398 and '821 patents discussed above do allow the weight of the sinker to be readily changed, by pulling the weight from the tubing and substituting a different weight. However, these devices appear to be limited in the amount of weight that can be employed in the sinker, since a relatively large weight would require the weight to be excessively long, and this long, rigid weight may be more prone to snagging. Also, an excessively long weight is difficult to store conveniently. It also appears that there may be problems attaining the right degree of friction between the weight and the tubing such that the weight will not fall out of the tubing when casting, but will slip out of the tubing if it becomes jammed.

None of the above sinkers appear to provide both resistance to becoming jammed in rocks, crevices, and branches and resistance to becoming entangled in weeds. This limited utility is a particular disadvantage when trolling, since the sinker line may be moved through regions of water having different conditions, such as from a rocky area into an area with numerous weeds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a snag-resistant linkable sinker which can be used alone or linked end-to-end with similar sinkers to form an articulated sinker having the desired weight, and which resists snagging under a wide range of water conditions. The sinker is attached to a line, hereinafter referred to as a sinker line, and serves to maintain a fishing lure or bait in the vicinity of the bottom of a body of water. The sinker is well suited for use with a bait locating device such as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,668 of the present inventor, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The linkable sinker has an elongated weight and a wire member passing therethrough. The weight has a weight length LWand terminates in a weight leading end and a weight trailing end. As used herein, the terms “leading” and “trailing” are defined according to the motion of the linkable sinker when the sinker line is pulled through water, either to troll or to retrieve the linkable sinker and any lure or bait connected thereto. The weight is preferably cylindrical in cross section, and it is preferred for the weight leading end to be tapered to enhance its resistance to snagging. The weight has a longitudinal weight passage therethrough.

The wire member has a shank portion that passes through the weight passage of the weight, and terminates at a leading eye and a trailing eye. The leading eye and the trailing eye are sized so as to be blocked from passing into the weight passage. The leading eye is preferably a closed eye, to which the sinker line can be tied or attached via a snap or similar connector.

The trailing eye is formed by an open-ended loop and is spaced apart from the leading eye by an eye separation S. The trailing eye has a trailing eye leg that can be positioned to extend alongside the shank portion of the wire member. When the trailing eye leg is so positioned, it can be inserted into the weight passage to close the trailing eye. The trailing eye leg has a trailing eye leg length LL. To allow the trailing eye leg to be removed from the weight passage to open the trailing eye, the eye separation S is selected such that S>LW+LL. Thus, when the wire member is slidably moved in the weight passage to bring the leading eye against the weight leading end, the trailing eye leg is removed from the weight passage to allow access to the trailing eye.

The ability to access the trailing eye allows the leading eye of another, similar, linkable sinker to be connected to the trailing eye so as to form an articulated sinker of greater weight. Additional linkable sinkers can be chained together end-to-end in this manner to obtain a desired total weight, and the resulting articulated sinker will present a small cross section to obstructions to reduce snagging, but will still be able to flex to work its way around obstructions. Furthermore, the elongated nature of the linkable sinkers will allow the resulting articulated sinker to pass over small crevices and obstructions. These latter problems have not been fully addressed by earlier sinkers.

The snag-resistant qualities of the linkable sinker can be greatly enhanced when the sinker includes a resilient hood which attaches with respect to the weight leading end of the elongated weight and extends over the exposed portion of the shank portion of the wire member and covers the leading eye. The resilient hood has a hood passage extending therethrough, the hood passage being configured such that the leading eye of the wire can member movably reside therein. When the weight leading end is tapered, the resilient hood can be attached thereto by forcibly inserting the tapered weight leading end into the hood passage so as to become frictionally engaged therein.

The resilient hood is formed of a resilient, compressible material, and has a hood leading end and a hood trailing end separated by an uncompressed hood length LHselected such that LH+LW>S, to assure that the resilient hood can cover the leading eye when the hood trailing end engages the weight leading end of the weight. When the sinker line is tied to the leading eye, the resilient hood protects the line from chafing where it ties onto the leading eye. Additionally, the resilient hood provides a resilient leading surface for engaging hard objects such as rocks, and will tend to bounce the resulting sinker off of such objects to prevent the sinker from becoming jammed. When multiple linkable sinkers are chained together, the resilient hoods of the additional sinkers act to cover the space between adjacent weights. Preferably, the resilient hood has a hood leading end which is tapered to further reduce the likelihood of snagging.

Preferably, the trailing eye of the wire member is formed so as to have an access gap G when the trailing eye leg is removed from the weight passage, this access gap G being sized less than a wire diameter D of the wire from which the wire member is formed such that the leading eye of a subsequent linkable sinker will snap into the trailing eye and will be retained therein in the event that the trailing eye leg becomes withdrawn from the weight passage. It is further preferred that the trailing eye leg cross the shank portion of the wire member so as to form a spiral loop. When so formed, the trailing eye can have a smaller gap G and is provided with a coil spring-like action that will tend to retain the trailing eye leg in the weight passage.

Means for maintaining the trailing eye of the wire member engaged with the trailing end of the elongated weight are preferably provided, to further secure the leading eye of a subsequent sinker when connected to the trailing eye. These means can be provided by configuring the trailing eye such that it is elastically deformed when the trailing eye leg is positioned to reside alongside the shank portion of the wire member; this elastic deformation causes the trailing eye leg to forcibly engage the weight passage when inserted therein. If the weight is formed of a soft alloy such as a lead alloy, it is preferred that a sleeve of an abrasion resistant material such as steel be provided in the region of the weight passage where contact with the trailing eye leg will occur. The incorporation of a coil spring into the weight adjacent to the weight trailing end has been found effective in providing such a sleeve.

An alternative and frequently preferred means for maintaining the trailing eye engaged with the weight trailing end can be provided by interaction of the resilient hood with the leading eye. In one preferred scheme, the leading eye is fastened to the sinker line by a snap that is sized too large to enter the hood passage, thereby compressing the resilient hood against the weight leading end. In this case, the compression of the resilient hood causes the resilient hood to act as a compression spring that forces the snap and the leading eye attached thereto forward, away from the weight leading end; this, in turn, forces the trailing eye into engagement with the weight trailing end. In another scheme, the hood passage is configured with a forward-facing ledge that forcibly engages the leading eye such that the leading eye compresses a trailing portion of the resilient hood.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1-5illustrate a linkable sinker10that forms one embodiment of the present invention, which allows a user to link together a desired number of linkable sinkers end-to-end to obtain a desired weight without increasing the cross-section of the resulting combination. The linkable sinker10has an elongated weight12, typically formed as a cylinder, and a wire member14. The elongated weight12has a weight length LW(shown inFIG. 2) and terminates in a weight leading end16and a weight trailing end18. The weight leading end16is preferably tapered. The weight12has a weight passage20extending longitudinally therethrough.

The wire member14has a shank portion22that passes through the weight passage20and terminates at a leading eye24and a trailing eye26. The weight passage20and the leading and trailing eyes (24,26) are sized such that the eyes (24,26) are too large to pass into the weight passage20. The leading eye24is typically formed as a closed loop, to which a sinker line28(shown inFIG. 3) can be tied or attached via a snap30, as shown inFIG. 3. Preferably, the wire member14is formed from a single length of wire stock.

The trailing eye26is formed by an open-ended loop, which has a trailing eye leg32that can be positioned to extend alongside the shank portion22. When so positioned, the trailing eye leg32can be inserted into the weight passage20as shown inFIG. 1to close the trailing eye26. The trailing eye26can be used to attach the leading eye24of a similar linkable sinker10, which allows a user to link together a number of sinkers end-to-end as shown inFIG. 3to obtain a desired weight without increasing the cross-section of the resulting combination.

To attach another linkable sinker10to the trailing eye26, the wire member14is slidably moved in the weight passage20to move the leading eye24towards the weight leading end16, which in turn moves the trailing eye26away from the weight trailing end18such that the trailing eye leg32is removed from the weight passage20, as shown inFIG. 2, thereby allowing access to the open loop of the trailing eye26. The trailing eye leg32can be passed through the leading eye24of a similar linkable sinker10to connect the second linkable sinker10to the trailing eye26, at which time the trailing eye26can be closed by sliding the trailing eye leg32into the weight passage20, to the position shown inFIG. 1.

The trailing eye leg32extends a trailing eye leg length LL, and the leading eye24and the trailing eye26are spaced apart by an eye separation S which is greater than the combined length of the weight length LWand the trailing eye leg length LL(S>LW+LL); this spacing assures that the trailing eye leg32can be removed from the weight passage20to allow access to the trailing eye26.

Preferably, the trailing eye26is formed such that, when the loop is open, there is an access gap G that is smaller than a diameter D of the wire member14, and hence smaller than the diameter of the wire forming the leading eye24of another linkable sinker10. When the gap G is so sized, the leading eye24of the second linkable sinker10will snap into the loop of the trailing eye26so as to remain secured therein, even in the event that the trailing eye leg32is removed from the weight passage20. The snapping retention of the leading eye can be enhanced by employing the trailing eye configuration shown inFIGS. 6 and 7and discussed below.

The weight12is preferably formed of a relatively dense metal, two preferred examples being lead-based and tin-based alloys. The wire member14is preferably formed from stainless steel wire, and it has been found practical to use wire having the diameter D about 1/32″.

The resistance of the linkable sinker10to snagging can be greatly enhanced by including a resilient hood34that attaches with respect to the weight leading end16. The resilient hood34is formed of a durable, resilient material and having a hood passage36that is positioned over the leading eye24and the part of the shank portion22that extends beyond the weight leading end16of the weight12. The hood passage36is configured such that the leading eye24can movably reside therein. Preferably, the hood passage36is configured such that it can be forced over the tapered weight leading end16so as to become frictionally attached thereto. It is also preferred for the hood passage36to frictionally engage the leading eye24when it is inserted therein; however, the leading eye24should still be readily movable so that the user can extend the leading eye24beyond the hood passage36when the resilient hood34is compressed, as discussed in greater detail below.

The resilient hood34has a hood leading end38and a hood trailing end40that are separated by an uncompressed hood length LH. To assure that the resilient hood34can extend over the leading eye24when in use, the hood length LHis selected such that LH+LW>S. The resilient hood34acts to shield the leading eye24from snagging on obstructions, and may prevent chafing of the sinker line28when it is tied to the leading eye24. It is also felt that, since the resilient hood34forms the leading portion of the linkable sinker10, it will tend to compress and then rebound upon contacting an obstruction, thereby bouncing the linkable sinker10away from the obstruction to avoid snagging. To provide further resistance to snagging, it is preferred for the hood leading end38to be tapered.

The resilient hood34can be longitudinally compressed against the leading end16of the weight12; this can be done while retaining the wire member14in position with the trailing eye26against the weight trailing end18, or while moving the wire member14so as to move the leading eye24toward the weight leading end16and moving the trailing eye26away from the weight trailing end18. In the first case, when the resilient hood34is compressed while the trailing eye26remains substantially against the weight trailing end18, the leading eye24extends from the hood passage36, to allow attaching a fastener thereto or to tie the sinker line28thereto. Examples of fasteners which might be attached to the leading eye24are snaps, such as the snap30shown inFIG. 3, or the trailing eye26of another linkable sinker10, such as best shown inFIG. 4. In the second case, when the resilient hood34is compressed while pushing the leading eye24toward the weight leading end16, the trailing eye26is moved away from the trailing end18until the trailing eye leg32is removed from the weight passage20(the position shown inFIG. 2), allowing access to the trailing eye26.

Since the trailing eye26allows another, similar linkable sinker10to be attached, a desired total sinker weight can be achieved by attaching together a desired number of linkable sinkers10in series, as shown inFIG. 3. When attached in this manner, the joint where the leading eye24of one sinker hooks over the trailing eye26of another is covered by the resilient hood34that extends over the leading eye24, as best shown inFIG. 4, and thus the joint is not exposed to obstructions. Because the linkable sinkers10are attached end-to-end, they present a reduced cross section that is less prone to snagging, providing a sinker which is particularly well suited for trolling. The resulting combination of linked, elongated weights12acts as an articulated sinker which tends to slide over or past obstructions and which is less susceptible to falling into crevices or between rocks. The resilient hoods34covering the joints fill the spaces between adjacent weights12to maintain a streamlined overall profile and to protect the joined eyes (24,26) from becoming entangled in weeds or similar obstructions. This combined articulated sinker can be readily stored by compressing the resilient hoods34to allow folding at the joints between the linkable sinkers10to place the weights12in a roughly side-by-side relationship for compact storage, as shown inFIG. 5. For freshwater applications, it has been found practical to employ elongated weights12that each have a weight of 1 ounce or 1.5 ounces, these weight amounts being suitable for combination to obtain a desired weight suitable for trolling under most conditions.

FIGS. 6 and 7illustrate a linkable sinker50that again has an elongated weight52, a wire member54terminating in a leading eye56and a trailing eye58, and a resilient hood60; in this embodiment, the trailing eye58is designed to provide a more positive retention of an eye attached thereto, such as a leading eye56′ of another, similar linkable sinker50′. The trailing eye58of this embodiment is formed with a trailing eye leg62that crosses over a shank portion64of the wire member54so as to form a coil spring-like structure, as best shown inFIG. 6. This provides a gap G′ defined between the trailing eye leg62and shank portion64that may be smaller than the gap G provided by the wire member14discussed above, to more positively retain the leading eye56′ snapped onto the trailing eye58. This configuration also requires a twisting motion to thread the leading eye56′ onto the trailing eye58, which should again improve retention.

In the trailing eye58shown, the trailing eye leg62has a rest position where it is substantially inclined with respect to the shank portion64of the wire member54, as shown inFIG. 6. This inclination facilitates threading the leading eye56′ onto the trailing eye leg62, and makes it easier for a user to pry the trailing eye58open to remove the leading eye56′ therefrom. This structure also requires the trailing eye leg62to be moved against the spring force of the trailing eye58in order to be positioned parallel to the shank portion64of the wire member54for insertion into a weight passage66of the weight52.

When the weight52is formed of a relatively soft material, such as a lead-based alloy, it is preferred for the weight passage66to be reinforced in at least the region adjacent to a weight trailing end68to prevent damage from the trailing eye leg62. Such reinforcement can be readily provided by embedding a cylindrical reinforcing sleeve70, shown inFIG. 7, such as a piece of tubing or a coil spring into the weight trailing end68. A coil spring formed from stainless steel wire has been found particularly effective. When the weight52is formed from a relatively hard material, such as some tin-based alloys, such reinforcement of the weight passage66is typically not needed.

When multiple linkable sinkers (50,50′) are to be connected together in the manner of the linkable sinkers10shown inFIG. 3, means for maintaining the trailing eye58engaged with the trailing end68of the weight52are preferably provided. These means serve to maintain the trailing eye58closed to prevent the leading eye56′ of the following linkable sinker50′ from becoming detached therefrom. These means also serve to hold the adjacent weights (52,52′) in close proximity so that the resilient hood60′ residing therebetween covers the region between a weight leading end72′ of the weight52′ and the weight trailing end68of the weight50, thus reducing exposure to snagging on weeds and other obstructions. In the present embodiment, one means for maintaining the trailing eye58engaged with the weight trailing end68can be provided by the forcible engagement of the trailing eye leg62against the sleeve70, this engagement providing resistance to sliding of the wire member54in the weight passage66.

Another means for maintaining the trailing eye58engaged with the trailing end68of the weight52can be provided by interaction of the resilient hood60with the leading eye56. One approach, shown inFIG. 8, is to connect a sinker line74to the leading eye56via a snap76, where the snap76is selected to be of sufficient size that it cannot pass into a hood passage78of the resilient hood60. The snap76bears forcibly against a hood leading end80and acts to compress the resilient hood60. The compression of the resilient hood60biases the snap76, and the leading eye56which is attached thereto, forward, which also biases the trailing eye58forward against the weight trailing end68to maintain it engaged therewith (the position shown inFIG. 7). An alternative approach to providing such a bias is discussed below with regard toFIG. 10.

To provide a desired degree of durability and abrasion resistance, the resilient hood60should be formed of a material which is not too soft, and to have sufficient thickness to avoid tearing. One material for the resilient hood60that has been found effective in providing a desired degree of resiliency while remaining durable in use is natural or synthetic rubber tubing. One type of material which has been found suitable is a rubber tubing such as the tubing employed in vehicles to carry windshield washer fluid from a reservoir to a spray nozzle. When the weight52and wire member54have the dimensions set forth above for the weight12and wire member14, it has been found effective to employ rubber tubing having an inside diameter of about 3/32″ and an outside diameter of about ¼″ when in an unstretched condition. It has been found that resilient hoods with the desired degree of durability and abrasion resistance may be stiff and thus hard to compress longitudinally. To provide greater compressibility, the resilient hood60can be provided with a series of cutouts82. In the embodiment shown, the cutouts82are arranged in two opposed rows. The cutouts82reduce the amount of material that must be compressed in order to compress the resilient hood60against the weight leading end72of the weight52, either to move the leading eye56toward the weight leading end72and the trailing eye58away from the weight trailing end68, or to expose the leading eye56to allow attaching a fastener or the sinker line74thereto.

In some cases, particularly when using the linkable sinker50by itself, it is convenient to tie the sinker line74directly to the leading eye56, as shown inFIG. 9. When such is done, the wire member54is stabilized only by the frictional engagement of the trailing eye leg62with the weight passage66, as illustrated in7.

When the sinker line74is tied directly to the leading eye56, a line shield can be provided by employing a tube84having a tube trailing end86that is configured to be inserted into the hood passage78of the resilient hood60and to become frictionally engaged therein when so inserted. The frictional engagement of the enlarged tube trailing end86with the resilient hood60serves to secure the tube84to the linkable sinker50, allowing the tube84to act as a deflector to help guide and lift the linkable sinker50over obstructions to provide further resistance to snagging. Such line shields are discussed further in the co-pending application Ser. No. 11/828,414 of the present inventor entitled “Snag-Resistant Sinker Line Shield”.

To positively retain the tube trailing end86engaged with the resilient hood60, the series of cutouts82can include a leading pair of cutouts82′ that communicate with the hood passage78so as to provide a pair of hood rearward-facing ledges88that positively engage the tube trailing end86. The resilient hood60in turn is attached to the weight52by forcibly inserting the weight leading end72, which is tapered, into the hood passage78a sufficient distance that the weight leading end72becomes frictionally secured therein.

The combination of the linkable sinker50and the line shield having the tube84has been found particularly effective when employed with a bait locating device which raises a lure above the bottom surface of the water, such as the bait locating device taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,668. In some cases when this combination has been employed with such a bait locating device, several lures have been lost due to snagging, despite being raised above the bottom of the body of water, but no sinkers were snagged while being dragged directly over the bottom.

FIG. 10illustrates a linkable sinker100that employs an alternative approach to biasing a trailing eye102of a wire member104into engagement with a weight trailing end106of a weight108and attaching a resilient hood110with respect to the weight108. In this embodiment, the resilient hood110has a hood passage112having a hood passage leading portion114and a hood passage trailing portion116, with a forward-facing ledge118formed at the junction of the hood passage leading portion114and the hood passage trailing portion116, as better shown inFIG. 11. The hood passage trailing portion116is sized such that a leading eye120of the wire member104cannot readily pass into the hood passage trailing portion116. In contrast, the hood passage leading portion114is sized sufficiently to allow the leading eye120to pass therethrough, so as to enable the leading eye120to be extended from the resilient hood110to allow attaching a fastener or a sinker line to the leading eye120when the resilient hood110is longitudinally compressed. To provide a bias to the trailing eye102, the forward-facing ledge118is spaced apart from a hood trailing end122by an unconstrained distance d that is selected relative to a weight length LWand an eye separation S such that d>S−LW. Since the distance d is greater than the difference between the weight length LWand the eye separation S, the engagement of the leading eye120with the forward-facing ledge118acts to compress a trailing portion124of the resilient hood110against a weight leading end126of the weight108. This compression acts to bias the leading eye120forward and thus biases the trailing eye102against the weight trailing end106. The engagement of the leading eye120with the forward-facing ledge118also serves to attach the resilient hood110with respect to the weight leading end126in this embodiment.

FIG. 12is a partial section view that illustrates a linkable sinker150that forms another embodiment of the present invention, which has a resilient hood152that is formed from a length of corrugated tubing, having corrugations154that allow the resilient hood152to be readily compressed. The corrugations154also provide a series of rearward-facing ledges156, which could be employed to engage an enlarged tube trailing end of tube such as the tube84shown inFIG. 9to secure the tube with respect to a weight158of the sinker150and provide a line shield to guide and lift the sinker150over obstructions.

While the novel features of the present invention have been described in terms of particular embodiments and preferred applications, it should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that substitution of materials and modification of details obviously can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.