Balanced artificial bait

An artificial bait is provided for use with a typical fishing hook or jig in which the hook or jig has an average density greater than the average density of water while the artificial bait has an average density less than the average density of water so that the hook tends to sink and the bait tends to float. The volume of the bait is proportioned to the volume of the hook so that their average density taken together slightly exceeds the average density of the water so that the hook and the bait together sink relatively slowly in the water. The bait is shaped to simulate a natural bait and is slidably engaged on the hook in a fashion similar to that in which a natural bait would be secured to the hook. As the hook and bait slowly sink, free portions of the bait extend upwardly toward the water surface and continue to respond to water currents and motion to maintain the tantalizing quality of the bait. The result is a rig of weight suitable for accuracy and distance in casting and yet so counterbalanced for buoyancy as to provide a minimal rate of descent in the water. By selection of a suitable absorbent material for the bait body, a selected bait and hook may be dipped in the water before casting so as to increase its casting weight without changing its descent rate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to artificial bait used in fishing and 
more particularly concerns baits intended to be fished by casting. 
Two key parameters of effective bait casting are distance and accuracy and, 
consequently, ultimate casting performance is limited by the weight and 
surface area of the bait to be cast. That is, the lighter the weight and 
the greater the surface area of the bait cast, the greater impact air 
resistance will have upon the distance and accuracy of the cast. This 
problem is, of course, further compounded by meteorological conditions 
such as wind velocity and moisture content in the air. 
While increased weight and reduced surface area enhance the casting 
characteristics of a bait, such features also have a negative effect on 
the operation of the bait on the surface of or in the water. Lacking a 
countervailing force, a heavier bait of lesser surface area tends to sink 
more rapidly and is more likely to sink to bottom, thus diminishing the 
tantalizing quality of the bait. 
In compromising these considerations to achieve acceptable results, 
fishermen generally use weights to increase casting distance and accuracy 
as well as to cause the bait to sink and use floats to counter the weight 
so as to restrict the level to which or speed at which the bait will sink. 
This counterbalancing of weights and floats results in a relatively complex 
array of tackle combinations which take time to rig and produce less than 
desired results in terms of bait simulation in the water. Most 
significantly, in situations where the angler desires for the bait to fall 
from the surface to the bottom at a very slow rate of descent so as to 
tantalize a fish at any depth therebetween into striking the bait, the 
counterbalanced relationship is so sensitive that minimal variations in 
any component prevent achievement of the desired effect. That is, should 
the average density of the entire rig be less than the average density of 
water, the rig as a whole must float, though the bait can reach a depth 
limited by its mechanical connection within the rig. On the other hand, if 
the average density of the rig significantly exceeds the density of water, 
the rig as a whole is going to sink at a more than desirable rate of 
descent. Thus, in compensating or modifying the rig to achieve desirable 
casting distance and accuracy in given individual situations, it is 
virtually impossible for the angler to maintain the appropriate 
counterbalanced relationship to achieve very low rates of descent. 
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an artificial bait 
which, in combination with a hook, sinks at relatively low rates of 
descent. It is also an object of this invention to provide an artificial 
bait which, in combination with a hook, sinks at relatively low rates of 
descent without use of a separate flotation device. Another object of the 
present invention is to provide an artificial bait of absorbent material 
which substantially homogeneously exhibits an average density at least 
slightly less than that of water. A further object of this invention is to 
provide an artificial bait exhibiting slow descent characteristics while 
facilitating accuracy and distance in casting. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the invention an artificial bait is provided for use 
with a typical fishing hook or jig. The hook or jig has an average density 
greater than the average density of water while the artificial bait has an 
average density less than the average density of water. Thus, the hook 
tends to sink and the bait tends to float. However, the volume of the bait 
is proportioned to the volume of the hook so that their average density 
taken together slightly exceeds the average density of the water so that 
the hook and the body together sink relatively slowly in the water. The 
bait is shaped to simulate a natural bait and is slidably engaged on the 
hook in a fashion similar to that in which a natural bait would be secured 
to the hook. As the hook and bait slowly sink, free portions of the bait 
extended upwardly as the bait body seeks the water surface. Thus, as the 
entire rig descents, the extended portions of the bait continue to respond 
to water currents and motion to maintain the tantalizing quality of the 
bait. This action continues even as the denser-than-water hook reaches 
bottom since the less-dense-than-water bait continues to extend toward the 
water surface. 
Appropriate coordinated choices of bait and hook will result in rigs of 
weight suitable for accuracy in distance and casting and yet so 
counterbalanced for buoyancy as to provide a minimal rate of descent in 
the water. 
Furthermore, by selection of a suitably absorbent material for the bait 
body, a selected bait and hook may be dipped in the water before casting 
so as to increase the casting weight of the rig by the weight of the water 
absorbed by the bait. Since the desired increase in weight for casting is 
the result of absorption of water, entry of the bait into water will still 
produce the anticipated slow rate of descent. That is, since it is water 
that is used as the added weight to improve casting characteristics, the 
addition of the weight has no impact whatsoever on the buoyancy of the rig 
when it is immersed in water. 
This bait may also be soaked with a quantity of fish attracting scent 
which, since it is absorbed into the bait, lasts considerably longer than 
scents applied to surface of substantially nonabsorbent baits.

While the invention will be described in connection with a preferred 
embodiment, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the 
invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all 
alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the 
spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Turning to the drawings, two embodiments of the artificial bait used in 
conjunction with a typical hook or jig are illustrated. As used herein, 
the terms hook and jig are intended to embrace and include modification or 
additions such as weights, sinkers, worm weight or other devices added to 
the hook or jig to increase its average density. 
The hook or jig 10 consists generally of a shank 11 at one end and a bend 
13 at the other end which extends to a point 15 and a barb 17 defining a 
gap across the hook or jig 10. The shank end, in the case of the jig 10, 
is provided with a head 19, the weight of which is selected by the angler 
for a given set of fishing conditions. 
As shown, the bait to be used in association with the hook or jig may take 
the form of a crawdad 30 or a worm 50 or a, minnow, frog, or any other 
natural bait desired by the angler. Of key significance to the present 
invention, the bait is formed of a substantially homogeneous 
less-dense-than-water material. The hook or jig 10, of course, is 
generally formed from steel or steel and lead or other suitable 
more-dense-than-water material. The volume of material used in the bait is 
coordinated with or proportioned to the volume of material in the hook or 
jig such that the average density of the hook or jig 10 together with the 
bait 30 or 50 is slightly greater than the average density of water. 
Therefore, in a coordinated arrangement of bait 30 or 50 and hook or jig 
10, the bait 30 or 50 tends to float or rise to the surface while the hook 
or jig 10 tends to sink or descend to the bottom, but the combination is 
so arranged so that the hook or jig 10 and bait 30 or 50 taken together in 
a single rig slowly descend from the surface to the bottom. 
As shown, the bait 30 or 50 is slidably engaged by the angler on the hook 
10 in a fashion similar to that by which a natural bait would be engaged 
on the hook 10. Preferably, the material is flexible enough that, as the 
bait 30 or 50 slowly sinks with the hook or jig 10, the free portions of 
the bait 31 or 51 extend toward the surface of the water while the 
combination descends toward the bottom. In this condition, the free 
portions 31 or 51 tend to move and fluctuate with the water movement and 
currents, providing an enticing bait not only during descent, but also 
when the rig has reached the bottom. As the hook or jig 10 tends to ride 
on the bottom, the free portions 31 or 51 of the bait 30 or 50 remain in 
their upwardly extended condition, causing the bait 30 or 50 to walk or 
move along the bottom surface. 
Preferably the material is also absorbent, so that once the rig is 
connected to the line, it may be dipped in water to add weight sufficient 
to accomplish the desired degree of distance and accuracy in casting. 
Since the weight that is added to the bait consists of the medium into 
which the bait is to be cast, that is, water, the weight is effective to 
produce distance and accuracy casting and yet has no impact whatsoever on 
the operation of the bait within its medium. 
The absorbent material also permits the fisherman to soak the bait in a 
liquid scented substance intended to attract fish. Since the bait soaks up 
the substance, the scenting quality lasts considerably longer in the water 
than is the case with nonabsorbent baits which have the scenting substance 
merely applied to their surface. 
The following is a schedule of tested materials, including the approximate 
proportionate relationship between the material and the hook, which have 
been found effective to produce the approximate desirable rates of descent 
as indicated. It will be noted that these rates of descent are 
significantly less than the rates of descent of baits presently available 
on the market, the slowest presently available but exhibiting a rate of 
descent in the range of two feet per second compared to a rate of descent 
in the order of 0.25 feet per second and significantly far for the bait 
herein disclosed. 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
BAIT HOOK DRY BAIT DESCENT FLOTATION 
MATERIAL 
WEIGHT (OZ) 
WEIGHT (GMS) 
RATE FT/SEC 
TIME (SEC) 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
UNIROYAL 
1 1.0 0.25 NEGLIGIBLE 
ENSOLITE 
3/4 0.67 0.33 
MFC-2 
VINYL 1/2 0.6 0.25 
NITRATE 
1/4 0.25 0.33 
UNIROYAL 
1 1.2 0.21 NEGLIGIBLE 
ENSOLITE 
3/4 0.75 0.28 
MFC-G 
VINYL 1/2 0.67 0.27 
NITRITE 
1/4 0.3 0.33 
UNIROYAL 
1 1.12 0.26 NEGLIGIBLE 
ENSOLITE 
3/4 0.75 0.22 
LPC 
VINYL 1/2 0.65 0.29 
NITRATE 
1/4 0.3 0.29 
GRAY 1 3.0 0.37 2.2 
#90 3/4 2.5 0.36 4.2 
1.8 1/2 2.5 0.21 18.0 
DENSITY 
1/4 1.8 0.29 40.0 
POLY- 
URETHANE 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
It should be noted that, for example, an increase in dry bait weight of 
only 0.025 gm to 0.775 gm of MFC-G with a 3/4 oz hook produced a descent 
rate of 0.10 feet per second and an increase of 0.7 grams to 2.5 grams of 
Gray #90 with 1/4 oz hook produced a descent rate of 0.02 feet per second. 
Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the 
invention, an artificial bait that fully satisfies the objects, aims and 
advantages set forth above. While the invention has been described in 
conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many 
alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those 
skilled in the art and in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, 
it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and 
variations as fall within the spirit of the appended claims.