Fish hook disgorger

A device for disgorging a fish hook attached to a line from a fish which has various adaptable knobs for various size fish hooks with the knobs being rotatable to lock the line into the knob to hold and secure the fishing line while using the device. The device may also contain a mechanism which removes the slack of the line between the device and the fish hook allowing the fishermen to use one hand to hold the fish while working or walking the device down the line with the other hand to engage the hook and then securely lock the line into the device for easy removal of the hook and line from the fish's mouth.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to means to remove a fish hook and line from the 
throat of a fish and means to remove the slack of the line between the 
hook and the device. 
BACKGROUND OF THE PRIOR ART 
A number of devices have been proposed and taught by the prior art 
involving pliers, pinchers, hook-shaped probes, clutches to tighten on the 
hook, spring-loaded line followers, etc. Although the prior art shows a 
number of devices that work, most of them are bulky, complicated and 
expensive to manufacture. 
The device of the present invention is somewhat similar to that described 
in U.S. Pat. No. 3,377,735 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,519,098 but has been 
developed as a modification of and an improvement upon these patented 
devices. 
While the devices of the patents above referred to have proved capable of 
being utilized somewhat satisfactorily in the manner described in the said 
patents, in actual use by the inventors, it has been found that they 
provide no means to lock the line into the device when sliding the device 
down the line, or means to lock the line to the device when removing the 
hook and line from the fish. Also, no means is provided to remove the 
slack in the line between the device and the hook when sliding the device 
down the line. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is a primary object of the invention to provide a fish hook disgorger 
comprising a shaft member, a fishing line engaging and disengaging member, 
means for receiving and retaining a hook and line locking means. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device for 
removing a fish hook, along with its line or leader attached, from the 
inside of a fish in such a manner as to lock the hook and line or leader 
into the device, so that full attention may be given to holding the fish 
and removing the hook. 
Another object is to provide a fish hook remover that has multiple size 
knobs available which may be removably mounted on each end to accommodate 
various size hooks and for various size fish. 
Yet another object is to provide a fish hook remover whereby the knob 
engaging the fish hook is rotatable on the shaft member so that when the 
fishing line is placed into the interior chamber of the knob, the knob can 
be rotated to disalign the slit in the knob with the guide means on the 
shaft member thus capturing the fishing line in the interior chamber of 
the knob. 
Still another object is to provide a fish hook remover that slips over the 
line, then locks into place over the line so that the line cannot come out 
of the device as the device is slipped down the line into the fish's mouth 
and engages the hook. 
Yet another object and advantage in a second embodiment is to provide a 
fish hook remover that after the device has engaged the hook, the line may 
be easily and quickly secured to the knob on the distal end of the device, 
thus making the hook, line, and device one homogeneous member. 
Still another object is to provide a knob with a slit smaller than the line 
or leader, but through which the line or leader can be forced to allow the 
line or leader to be contained in the interior chamber of the knob, with 
the knob being made of a material having a memory or other means to return 
to a closed position. 
Another object is to provide the various knobs in various colors for 
identification or aesthetic value. 
Yet another object is to provide a device that has means to remove the 
slack from the line between the device and the hook as the device moves 
down the line. 
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, 
combination of elements and arrangement of parts that will be exemplified 
in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention 
will be indicated in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
Referring now to the drawings in detail with like numerals designating like 
parts in the different views, 10 is a central shaft or stem member while 
12 are rotatable knobs, 14 being thumb-activated knobs and 16 being split 
shaft sections with 18 being tapered connections and 20 being outside 
detents with 22 being tapered grooves and 24 being inside indents while 26 
are cantilevered ratchet arms and 28 being split collars and bearings with 
30 being cantilevered arms while 32 are leader or line guides with 34 
being serrated surfaces and 36 are V-shaped grooves with 38 being rounded, 
tapered slits or gaps with 40 being interior chambers and 42 being ratchet 
wheels and 44 being shoulders with 46 being fixed knobs with 48 being 
tie-down notches for the fishing line with 50 being slits or gaps smaller 
than the fishing line and 56 are threads for the rotatable knobs 12 with 
52 being a fish hook and 54 a fishing line, while 58 is a raised boss or 
section to provide a means to hold the fishing line when wound on the 
fixed knob 46 through the slit 50 and notch 48 and 59 is a means to cause 
tension on slit 50, while 60 is an additional means to provide tension to 
close slit 50 such as a metal slip-ring. 
OPERATION 
When the device is fully assembled as shown in FIG. 2 with the rotatable 
knobs 12 assembled at each end of the device, and the thumb-activated 
knobs 14 inserted into the bearings 28 and held in place by cantilevered 
arms 30 while also engaging cantilevered ratchet arms 26 (this being the 
preferred embodiment), the device is ready for use. 
When a fish is caught and the hook is embedded in the fish's mouth or 
stomach, the device of the present invention is held in one hand while the 
fish may be held with the other or left lying in a net or the like, the 
line or leader protruding from the fish's mouth is engaged by slipping 
said line through the slit 38 of the rotatable knob 12, (which is in 
alignment with tapered groove 22), then through the tapered groove 22 and 
over line guide 32 and then inserted between the two thumb-activated knobs 
14 into the serrated surfaces 34 which holds the line in a secure manner 
because the thumb-activated knobs 14 cannot turn as they are locked by 
ratchet wheels 42 and cantilevered ratchet arms 26. Also, at this time 
rotatable knob 12 is rotated or turned until the tapered, rounded slit or 
gap 38 is out of alignment with V-shaped groove 22, thus securely locking 
and capturing the leader or line into the interior chamber 40 of rotatable 
knob 12. 
Now, with the thumb of the hand holding the device, the thumb-activated 
knob on the thumb side of the device is pressed toward the stem member 10, 
which disengages the bottom ratchet 42 from the cantilevered arm and 
ratchet 26. The device, being made of plastic or the like, is resilient. 
Said resiliency in said cantilevered arms 26 and 30 create pressure 
between the said thumb-activated knobs 14 and said ratchet assembly 42. 
This position of the thumb-activated knobs 14 allows the thumb to rotate 
the thumb-activated knobs 14 in a forward, rotating motion which pulls or 
walks the fishing line or leader through the thumb-activated knobs 14, 
thereby shortening the distance of the line or leader between the device 
and the hook. With repeated action of the thumb, the device travels or 
walks its way into the fish's mouth until the shank of the hook is engaged 
in the interior chamber 40 and the point of the hook rests and is 
protected in one of the tapered grooves 36. Now the hook and line or 
leader is locked securely in the device by the said pressure between the 
said thumb activated knobs and/or by wrapping the line around the 
thumb-activated knobs 14 as demonstrated by FIG. 15, and cannot come loose 
while the fisherman pushes or pulls on the device to remove the hook from 
the fish. 
To disengage the hook and line from the device, the tapered, rounded slit 
or gap 38 of rotatable knob 12 is again aligned with tapered groove 22, 
and with the line removed from in between the thumb-activated knobs 14, 
the hook and line are once again free. 
The second embodiment as shown by FIG. 7 may have the rotatable knobs 12 
releasably mounted to the central shaft or stem member 10 by means of 
threads 56 as shown in FIG. 13 and the center portion as shown by FIG. 8, 
eliminated. The rotatable knobs 12 of this embodiment lock the line into 
the interior chamber 40 as demonstrated by the preferred embodiment and 
may also be locked at the distal end between the shoulder 44 and rotatable 
knob 12 by threads 56. 
Also, a third embodiment is shown in FIGS. 9, 10, 11 and 12 which shows a 
fixed knob 46 and eliminates the center portion as shown by FIG. 8. The 
ends of this embodiment have slits or gaps 50 which are narrower than the 
diameter of the fishing line so that the line may be forced through the 
said slit 50 into the interior chamber 40 as illustrated by FIG. 12. 
Also FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 show a notch 48 which provides a means to lock the 
line by winding several loops of the line through the slit or gap 50 and 
around the notch 48. 
Also FIGS. 16, 17 and 18 show a line engaging and disengaging system which 
allows the fishing line to be inserted forcefully through slit 50 into the 
interior chamber 40 and the fixed knob 46 being made of material with 
resiliency, causes the slit 50 to again close to its closed position 
capturing the fishing line in the interior chamber 40. Also, the knob 46 
may be relieved by means 59 to cause tension on the slit 50. Also other 
tensioning means are shown by slip-ring 60. 
It will now be seen that we have provided a versatile and valuable device, 
which may be made of plastic by injection molding or the like, which is 
economical to manufacture, and which performs a valuable service to 
fisherman in a manner heretofore not provided, as said device will allow 
the fisherman to hold the fish with one hand and with the other hand work 
the device down the fishing line into the fish's mouth, to the hook, and 
disgorge the hook in a safe manner that leaves the fish, the hook, the 
line and the fisherman in a satisfactory and desirable condition. 
Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is 
conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is 
recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the 
invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but 
it is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and 
all equivalent devices and apparatus.