Barbless weighted releasable fish descending hook

An elongated barbless upside down hook, physically returns a fish back to the bottom, naturally recompressing the trapped air, oxygenating the fish on the way down and releasing it unharmed. The hook uses a weight attached at the end of the shank to descend the device and a retrieval line attached at the bend (bight) to withdraw the hook from the fish and bring the hook back to the surface. This device avoids any moving parts or triggers and is capable of returning any size fish or multiple fish at the same time.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to fish descending, and, more particularly, to a barbless weighted releasable hook for returning deep water fish.

BACKGROUND

Fishermen often catch fish that are too small, out of season, not editable or they just do not want to keep. When these fish are reeled up from depth, the changes in pressure cause the internal organs and swim bladder to expand and the fish can not return back to its habitat if released. It will become a “floater” and die. This bloating condition is referred to as barotrauma.

There are currently several methods of treating barotrauma and returning fish to their habitat. One device is a venting tool that requires inserting a hollow needle into the fish's side, hitting the swim bladder to release the trapped air. The fish is then thrown back into the water to swim back to the bottom on its own. Venting is not always successful and incorrect venting can injure the fish causing it to die. There are several other devices that clamp on to the fish's mouth. These devices require a jerk on the line or the device has to hit the bottom to activate a release mechanism and free the fish. These devices can only return a single fish at a time. They depend upon a relatively complex clamping and release mechanism, which is not only costly to manufacture, but cumbersome to operate and somewhat unreliable, especially after repeated use.

The invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems and solving one or more of the needs as set forth above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To solve one or more of the problems set forth above, in an exemplary implementation of the invention, an upside down weighted barbless hook takes fish back to the bottom where it is released unharmed. A hook according to principles of the invention does not require venting of the fish nor any triggering of a mechanism by jerking or hitting on the hard bottom to release the fish. Problems associated with use and manufacture of complex moving parts are avoided. A hook according to principles of the invention can release the fish at any desired depth by simply stopping the retrieval line that is attached to the device, and the fish will slide off the device. Such a hook is capable of returning any size fish and/or multiple fish at the same time.

An upside down weighted barbless hook according to principles of the invention returns fish to their natural habitat and releasing them unharmed. An exemplary upside down barbless hook is comprised of a “U” shaped piece of metal round stock with one end of the “U” sharpened to a point. Rings are either welded on or bent into the device during manufacturing. The rings are for attaching a retrieval line to bring the device back and for attaching various sizes of weights to carry the fish to the bottom.

More specifically, an upside down descending hook according to principles of the invention includes a tip (e.g., a barbless tip which may be sharpened and/or pointed), an elongated neck extending from the tip to a bend, an elongated shank having a first end and an opposite second end, the first end of the shank leading from either the bend or from a line retrieval ring integrally formed at the bend, a weight attaching ring attached to the second end of the shank, and a line retrieval ring attached to the bend. The weight attaching ring and the line retrieval ring may each be welded onto the hook or integrally formed by bending stock. The shank is preferably longer than the neck. The neck and shank are preferably substantially parallel, though divergent and convergent arrangements are possible and within the scope of the invention. The hook is preferably made of metal, and more preferably a corrosion resistant metal. In the case of rings formed by bending, the rings may be welded (e.g., tack welded) closed to prevent a weight or line from slipping off.

After a retrival line has been attached to the appropriate ring, the sharpened end of the device is inserted up through the thin skin under the fish's mouth, and out its mouth, being careful to avoid the stomach if it is protruding. An appropriate sized weight (sinker) is attached to the ring for the weight. The weight should have sufficient mass to carry the fish to the bottom. Holding the device by the weight with the fish in the bottom of the “U”, the device and fish are tossed into the water. In the water, the device will turn upside down under the influence of the wieght, head for the bottom, causing the fish's mouth to open and forcing water through the gills which oxygenates the fish. When the device is stopped, the fish will slide off and swim away. In this manner, an upside down weighted barbless hook according to principles of the invention substantially increases a returned fish's chance of survival.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference toFIGS. 1 and 2, two embodiments of an exemplary weighted barbless hook according to principles of the invention are shown. In one embodiment the rings (i.e., eyelets) are welded to the hook body, while in the other embodiment the rings are integrally formed by bending the stock.

InFIG. 1an embodiment of the upside down barbless hook100that uses welded on metal prefabricated rings120,130. Any kind of metal round stock and rings can be used, but since the invention is used in salt water, it is preferable to use corrosion resistant metal, although it is not necessary. The metal round stock is cut to length. One end is sharpened to a pointed tip105. After the end is sharpened, the metal round stock is placed in a bender and bent to produce a “U” shape with a bend (i.e., bight)115. Although the sides of the “U” can be any length, it facilitates the use of the invention if the side are not the same length. In particular, the shank125is preferably longer than the neck110. While the neck110and shank125are shown to be substantially parallel, they may be slightly divergent or convergent without departing from the scope of the invention. A prefabricated metal ring120is welded on the outside of the “U” (convex side of the bend115) to be used as an eyelet for attaching a retrieval line. While a retrevial line could be attached directly to the bend115, eliminating the ring, the ring120prevents the retrieval line from slipping off. Another prefabricated ring130is welded to the remaining unsharpened end (i.e., to the free end of the shank125) for attaching a weight. The use of the ring130for the weight allows for interchangable weights to be used.

In the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 2, the rings215,225of the exemplary upside down barbless hook200are integrally formed during the bending process. The metal round stock is cut to length and one end is sharpened to a tip205. The sharpened round stock is placed in a bender. A neck210extends from the tip205to a retrieval line ring215. The stock is bent until the ring215is formed. A shank220extends from the retrieval line ring215. The neck210and shank220form a “U” shape. This ring215is for attaching the retrieval line. The unsharpened free end of the round stock adjacent to the shank is placed in a bender and bent until a ring225is formed for attaching a weight. A tack weld may close the ring225preventing a weight from coming off. The tip205being located between the centers of the retrieval line ring215and weight attaching ring225along a longitudinal axis of the shank. The neck210and shank220extend tangentially from an outer periphery of the retrieval line ring215.

FIG. 3illustrates a fish300suffering from barotrauma. The sharpened end205has been inserted through the thin skin305that is under the fish's chin/mouth, exiting out the fish's mouth being careful not to damage any protruding portion of the fish's stomach. A weight325has been attached to the ring225on the open end of the hook. The weight may be attached with a spring clip320or other suitable attachment. A retrieval line310is attached to the retrieval line ring215. The line310may be attached directly to the ring with an appropriate knot315. Alternatively, the line310may be coupled via a leader or spring clip. When the fish300reaches a desired depth, the line310is stopped and the fish will slide off, released to return to its habitat unharmed. The hook200is then pulled back to the surface to be used again when needed.

While an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been described, it should be apparent that modifications and variations thereto are possible, all of which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum relationships for the components and steps of the invention, including variations in order, form, content, function and manner of operation, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. The above description and drawings are illustrative of modifications that can be made without departing from the present invention, the scope of which is to be limited only by the following claims. Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents are intended to fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.