Fishing device

A bait harness adapted to hold a bait in the form of a fish or fillet includes a fixed jaw and a juxtaposed jaw movable into and out of engagement therewith. A lever pivotally secured to the fixed jaw acts to forcibly move the movable jaw towards the fixed and to hold the jaws in clamping engagement with a bait, and to release the jaws from such engagement. Hooks are provided on the jaws for impalement of any bait fish therebetween.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to fishing devices and more particularly to 
improvements in a bait harness adapted to hold a bait in the form of a 
whole fish or a fillet. 
Such types of harnesses have long been used in a variety of forms as 
exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,189,860, 3,293,790, 3,457,666, 2,582646 
and in my own U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,796,376, 4,910,907 and 5,027,544 and one of 
the important objects of this invention is to provide further novel 
improvements in such harnesses as compared with those presently known. 
Another object herein is to provide a bait harness as characterized which 
is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, quick and easy for 
attachment to and removal from the bait and very efficient for its 
intended purpose. 
Another object herein is to provide a bait harness of the above class that 
can be used to advantage with various forms of fishing lures such as 
plugs, spoons, lead head jigs, single and double hooks and the like 
whereby a fisherman can practice different fishing techniques as the 
situation may present. 
SUMMARY 
In accordance with the present invention, a bait harness adapted to hold a 
bait in the form of a fish or fillet, includes a fixed jaw and a 
juxtaposed movable jaw that is operably pivotally arranged at one end 
relative to the fixed jaw so that it can be moved into and out of 
engagement with the fixed jaw for clamping engagement of the bait. A lever 
pivotally secured to spaced ears on the fixed jaw acts to forcibly move 
the movable jaw towards the fixed jaw and holds the jaws in engaged 
position with a bait, and to release the jaws. The lower jaw carries an 
extended upturned fish hook for impaling the bait from one side and the 
upper jaws carries a corresponding extending downturned prong for impaling 
the bait from the opposite side. 
The foregoing objects and such further objects as may appear herein, or be 
hereinafter pointed out, together with the advantages of this invention 
will be more fully discussed and developed in the more detailed 
description of the accompanying drawings.

The broken line showing of a bait fish in FIGS. 3-8 is for illustrative 
purposes only and forms no part of the claimed invention. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to the drawings, this new fishing device, designated by the 
numeral 10, is a modification of a suspender type clip and includes in 
general, a fixed lower jaw member 12, a movable upper jaw member 14 and an 
operating lever 16, constructed and arranged as follows. 
The fixed jaw member 12 has a generally rectangular flat base 18 defining, 
for purposes of description, a leading end 20 and a trailing end 22, with 
said leading end 20 turned upwardly to provide the stub shoulder 24 and 
the transverse groove 26. Centrally of groove 26 is a hole 28 that extends 
into shoulder 24 to receive a split ring 30. On opposite sides of base 18 
adjacent groove 26 are upstanding ears 32,34, apertured near the top at 
36,38, and on the side edge of base 18 rearwardly of ears 32,34 towards 
and around the trailing end 22 there is an upstanding rib or flange 40 
provided with spaced notches 42 so that flange 40 defines a plurality of 
jaw teeth for member 12. The trailing end 22 of base 18 may be rounded or 
bevelled as at 44. A single fish hook 46 comprising an elongated shank 48 
with an integral barbed point 50 on one end is secured at the other end by 
a rivet or the like 52 to the trailing end of base 18 so that hook 46 is 
in a trailing relationship to such base and with the barbed point 50 in a 
riding up position as shown. 
The movable jaw member 14 is also generally rectangular of a flat material 
having a leading end 54 and a trailing end 56 arranged relative to the 
corresponding ends 20,22 on base 18 and, for purposes of description, 
defines a leading portion 54a and a trailing portion 56a. Portion 54a 
extends downwardly and forwardly from portion 56a in a slight curve to 
provide the concave surface 58 and at end 54 there are the respective 
bosses 60,62 that project outwardly from each side of member 14 as best 
seen in FIG. 4. The concave surface 58 is provided with spaced reinforcing 
grooves 64 and at end 54, intermediate bosses 60.62, is a notch 66. 
The trailing end 56 of jaw member 14 is similarly shaped as the trailing 
end 22 on jaw member 12 and is provided with a downwardly extending flange 
or rib 68 which is notched 70 to define jaw teeth similar to that 
described for jaw member 12. An elongated shank 72 has one end attached to 
portion 56a of jaw member 14 by a rivet or the like 74 so that it is in a 
trailing relationship to such jaw member, and has bifurcated downwardly 
oriented prongs 76 on its other end. 
Jaw member 14 is arranged in juxtaposition to jaw member 12 and is movable 
towards and away from member 12 by being pivotal on end 54 which is seated 
in groove 26, with notch 66 in registration with hole 26 to accommodate 
ring 30, and with respective bosses 60,62 extending in said groove 
transversely of the forward edges of the respective ears 32,34. The 
overall width of jaw member 14 rearwardly of bosses 60,62 and the length 
of such jaw member, is such that the teeth on member 14 nest within the 
confines of the teeth on end 22 of jaw member 12 as best seen in FIG. 1. 
Lever 16 is bent downwardly at one end into an L-shape to provide a long 
lever arm or handle 78 and an angularly disposed shorter arm 80. On the 
opposite sides of arm 80 are the respective outwardly projecting bosses 
82,84 that are respectively pivotally journalled in the respective 
apertures 36,38 of ears 32,34 so that the arm 80 can be moved into and out 
of slidable engagement with surface 58 on the leading portion 54a of jaw 
member 14. 
To use device 10 as described, lever arm 78 is lifted away from jaw member 
14 and rotated on bosses 82,84 towards end 20 to the position seen in FIG. 
3 where arm 80 will have been rotated to a substantially vertical plane to 
be sufficiently spaced from surface 58 on jaw member 14 so that said jaw 
member can be elevated or opened relative to jaw member 12 to a point 
where surface 58 abuts the outer surface of arm 80 as shown. A bait fish 
86 is inserted at the head portion between jaw members 12,14, and hook 
point 50 is impaled through the tail portion of the bait as seen in FIG. 
3. Lever arm 78 is then rotated rearwardly toward jaw ends 22,56 during 
which motion edge 88 of arm 80 will slidably and forcibly bear against 
surface 58 to press jaw members 12,14 towards each other in 
clamp-engagement with bait 86 until lever arm 78 is in juxtaposition to 
such jaws and prongs 76 are imbedded in bait 86 on the opposite side of 
such bait as hook point 50. In this movement of lever arm 78, edge 88 of 
arm 80, in pressing engagement with surface 58, moves rearwardly past 
center whereby arm 78 effectively holds jaw members 12,14 in locked 
position on bait 86 (Figs. 4,5) until it is elevated so the jaws can be 
opened. A clip 90 for a fishing line 92 is attached to ring 30. 
Thus far described, device 10 provides a highly efficient and effective 
means for securely holding a bait fish 86 for casting, trolling or jigging 
and to enhance different fishing techniques, I have shown it adapted for 
use with different forms of artificial lures such as a lead head jig 94 
(FIG. 6), a spoon 96 (FIG. 7) and a buoyant plug 98 (FIG. 8). 
When device 10 is used with the lead head jig 94 (FIG. 6), the underside of 
jig 94 is placed in abutting engagement with the underside of jaw member 
12, and the free end of shank 48 of hook 46 is positioned on the outer 
side of jig 94 with both said shank and jig being secured to jaw member 12 
by rivet 52 so that hook 46 is in the same trailing riding up position as 
seen in FIG. 1. The leading end 100 of jig 94 is apertured to receive a 
clip 90 and line 92 so that ring 30 is not required in this embodiment. 
With the use of a spoon 96 (FIG. 7), the leading end portion 102 of the 
spoon is secured in abutting engagement to jaw member 12 by rivet 52 and 
the extreme leading end 104 of spoon 96 is apertured to receive a clip 90 
and line 92 so that ring 30 is also not needed with this embodiment. The 
trailing end 106 of spoon 94 is apertured so that shank 48 of hook 46 can 
pass therethrough as shown for attachment to such trailing end by a rivet 
or the like 108 whereby the barbed point 50 on hook 46 is in a trailing 
relationship to spoon 96 and in a riding up position as previously 
described. 
The buoyant plug 98 (FIG. 8) used with device 10 may be of any well known 
type and configuration and as shown, includes a body 110 having a concave 
nose portion 112 at its leading end 114. Body 110 is mounted on an 
elongated base plate 116 that, at end 114, extends downwardly and 
forwardly to form the projecting apertured lip 118 in a form and 
arrangement that is well known. A clip 90 and a line 92 is attached to lip 
118 as shown. The underside of base 18 of jaw member 12 is secured in 
abutting engagement with plate 116 below plug body 110 by rivet 52. Hook 
46 is not required in this embodiment. Device 10 here is thus inverted in 
use relative to its position in the other embodiments but operates as 
previously described relative to clamping of the head of the bait 86 and 
the impaling of the bait by prongs 76. A dangling fish hook 120, of any 
preferred number of barbed points, depends from ring 30. The trailing end 
of plate 116 projects from plug body 110 as at 122 and has a ring 124 to 
which is attached the freely movable fish hook 126 that will ride on the 
top surface of bait 86 as shown. Accordingly, in view of the foregoing, it 
is thought a full understanding of the construction and operation of this 
invention will be had and the advantages of the same will be appreciated.