Weedless hook attachment

A weedless hook attachment includes a central hub with a plurality of legs emanating radially therefrom, formed of a flexible, resilient and compressible plastic. The plurality of legs have approximately the same diameter, the diameter being approximately equal to or greater than the diameter of the eye on the fishing hook onto which the weedless hook attachment is to be engaged. In the preferred embodiment of the invention for use with a treble hook, the hook attachment includes a pair of legs having a necked-down portion between the leg and the central hub. A third starter leg includes a starter nub projecting from the free end of the starter leg that has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the eye of the fish hook. In use, the starter nub is threaded through the eye of the treble hook and is used to pull the starter leg through the eye. The starter leg is threaded through the eye until the necked-down portions of the remaining legs are situated in the eye. The starter nub is severed from the end of the starter leg, and the starter leg and the remaining legs are impaled on the barbs of the treble hook. The weedless hook attachment conceals barbs and prevents the treble hook from becoming snagged on underwater weeds and brush, without significantly affecting the action of the lure to which the treble hook is attached.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention is in the field of fishing tackle, and more particularly, 
relates to an attachment for a fishing hook. 
Of the many obstacles facing a fisherman in search of the elusive "one that 
got away", one of the more frustrating problems is presented by underwater 
brush, weeds, or other obstacles. Although underwater brush and weeds are 
attractive habitat for many varieties of fish, these same underwater flora 
all too often present an unavoidable snag or trap for the fisherman's 
favorite lure or jig. The same element of the fishing lure that is 
responsible for snagging a fish, that is the hook, is susceptible itself 
to being snagged on underwater brush or weeds. The likelihood that a lure 
or jig will become entangled in underwater weeds is increased with the 
number of hooks on the lure--that is, a treble hook provides three times 
the number of "snagging" barbs than a single barb hook. 
In search of a "weedless" hook that is less susceptible to being snagged by 
underwater brush and weeds, prior fishermen have been drawn to certain 
weedless devices of the prior art that include a thin, flexible metal 
strip attached to the jig head that extends over the barb of the fish 
hook. The thin metal strip is pushed aside from the barb when the lure and 
hook are struck by a fish. In a variation on this type of weedless jig, 
another jig head of the prior art includes a flexible member mounted to 
the jig head into which the barb of the hook is transfixed or implanted. 
In the case of both of these weedless jigs of the prior art, the weedless 
feature is adapted for use on a single hook only, being generally unusable 
with treble or twin hooks. Moreover, these weedless jigs are cumbersome 
and time-consuming to use because it is first necessary to remove the hook 
from the lure in order to attach the weedless feature. These weedless jig 
heads are particularly detrimental to the action of lures, such as lures 
with cupped bills, spinner plugs, and jointed lures. 
In view of the ever-present need for a weedless hook, and in view of the 
significant limitations of the weedless jig heads of the prior art, it is 
a primary object of the present invention to provide an attachment for a 
fishing hook to make the hook, particularly a treble hook, weedless. It is 
another object to provide a weedless hook attachment that can be used with 
a wide variety of fishing lures without significantly diminishing the 
action of the lure. It is yet another object of the present invention to 
provide a hook attachment that is disposable and that is quickly and 
easily attached to the fishing hook. Further objects and benefits of the 
present invention will be apparent from the following disclosure and 
accompanying figures. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A weedless hook attachment for use with a fishing hook having an eye and 
several barbs, includes a body having a central hub with several legs 
emanating radially therefrom. Each of the legs includes a free end adapted 
to conceal a corresponding one of the several barbs of the fishing hook. 
One of the several legs is a starter leg having a starter nub projecting 
from the free end of that leg. The starter nub has a diameter less than 
the diameter of said starter leg and is adapted to be severed from the 
starter leg after the starter leg and the starter nub have been threaded 
through the eye of the fishing hook. 
In the preferred embodiment of the weedless hook attachment, the attachment 
includes three legs and is adapted for use with a treble hook. Each of the 
legs, other than said starter leg, includes an integral necked-down 
portion between the central hub and the remaining leg. When the starter 
leg has been threaded through the eye of the hook, the necked-down 
portions are situated within the eye of the fishing hook. 
In the preferred embodiment, the weedless hook attachment is composed of a 
flexible, resilient, compressible material. Each of the legs has a 
diameter approximately equal to or greater than the effective diameter of 
the eye of the fishing hook. The starter nub has a diameter smaller than 
the diameter of the eye of the hook so that it can be used to pull the 
relatively larger starter leg through the eye. The starter leg is 
resiliently compressed when it is threaded through the eye of the fishing 
hook. Once the starter leg and necked-down portions are properly 
positioned, the starter nub can be severed and the legs impaled on the 
barbs of the treble hook.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the 
invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the 
drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will 
nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the 
invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications 
in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles 
of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would 
normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. 
The weedless hook attachment 10 of the present invention, as illustrated in 
FIG. 1, includes a central hub 11. A number of legs 12 and 15 emanate 
radially outwardly from the hub 11. Each of the legs 12 and 15 are evenly 
circumferentially spaced around the hub 11 to match the orientation of the 
individual hooks on a treble-type fishing hook. Two of the legs, such as 
legs 12 in FIG. 1, include a necked-down portion 13 between the leg and 
the central hub. Another leg 15 is generally integral with the central hub 
11, lacking the necked-down portion of the legs 12. The leg 15 can be 
referred to as a "starter" leg for reasons that will be explained herein. 
The starter leg 15 includes a starter nub 16 projecting outwardly from the 
free end or tip 17 of the starter leg. The starter nub 16 is significantly 
smaller in diameter than the starter leg 15 so that the nub can be easily 
severed from the starter leg 15 at the tip 17. 
The manner of use of the weedless hook attachment 10 is illustrated with 
reference to FIG. 2. A treble fishing hook 22 includes a split ring or an 
eye 22a that is used to connect the hook 22 to a fishing lure. The treble 
hook also includes three hook portions 22b integral with and extending 
from the eye 22a. It will be noted that for a typical treble hook, a hook 
portion 22b' will be directly aligned with the opening in the eye 22a. The 
remaining hook portions 22b are then evenly circumferentially spaced apart 
from the hook portion 22b', generally at sixty degree angles therefrom. 
In the preferred method of using the weedless hook attachment 10 of the 
present invention, the starter leg 15 is threaded through the opening in 
the eye 22a of treble hook 22. In the preferred embodiment, the diameter 
of the starter leg 15, as well as the remaining legs 12, is equal to or 
greater than the diameter of the opening in the eye 22a. However, the 
diameter of the starter nub 16 is smaller than the opening in the eye 22a. 
The starter leg 15 can be pulled through the eye 22a by first threading 
the starter nub 16 through the eye and then pulling the starter leg 
through by using the starter nub 16. Once the starter leg 15 has been 
fully threaded through the opening in the eye 22a, the starter nub 16 can 
be cut, torn, or pinched off at the tip 17 of the starter leg 15. 
In the preferred embodiment, the weedless hook attachment 10 is pulled 
through the eye 22a up to the hub 11 at a point where the necked-down 
segments 13 of the legs 12 are situated within the opening of the eye 22a. 
The weedless hook attachment 10 is then anchored on the treble hook 22 by 
the combined thickness of the legs 12 on one side of the eye 22a, and the 
starter leg 15 on the other side of the eye. 
In FIG. 3, a lure 20 includes the treble hook 22 mounted at one end of the 
lure. Lure 20 is shown as a billed lure, although virtually any type of 
lure may be substituted. Once the weedless hook attachment 10 has been 
threaded through the eye 22a of the hook 22 as described, the legs 12 and 
15 are in a position to be impaled or impaled on the barbs of the hook 
portions 22b and 22b'. As shown in FIG. 3, the barb ends B of hook 
portions 22b of hook 22 are fed into the free ends of the legs 12. When so 
attached, the legs 12 conceal the barbs B so that the barbs will not snag 
on underwater obstacles. Moreover, the legs bridge the space between the 
eye 22a and the barbs B to provide means to deflect the hook away from 
underwater obstacles that contact the legs. 
In FIG. 3, the starter leg 15 is shown with the starter nub 16 still 
attached. However, once the weedless hook attachment 10 is properly 
oriented relative to the treble hook 22, the starter nub 16 can be severed 
from the starter leg 15, and the remaining hook portion 22b' can be fed 
onto the barb of hook portion 21b'. 
The flexibility of the design of the weedless hook attachment 10 of the 
present invention is illustrated by the double hook 23 on the lure 20. In 
this instance, there are only two hook portions 23b and 23b' onto which 
the weedless hook attachment 10 can be attached. The hook attachment 10 is 
fed through the eye 23a in the normal fashion, as described above. 
However, once the hook attachment 10 is in place, only the starter leg 15 
and one of the remaining legs 12 are fed onto the barbs B of the hook 
portions 23b' and 23b, respectively. The remaining leg 12', shown in 
phantom in FIG. 3, can be left dangling from the eye 23a; however, it is 
generally preferable to sever this leg 12' from the central hub 11 of the 
hook attachment 10. The necked-down portion 13 of the leg 12' simplifies 
the removal of this leg from the weedless hook attachment 10 when it is 
being used for a double hook. Since the legs 12 and 15 have diameters 
larger than the opening in the eye 23a, the weedless hook attachment 10 
will remain properly anchored through the eye. 
The dimensions of the features of the weedless hook attachment 10 of the 
present invention are determined by the size of the hook to which the 
device is to be attached. Thus, for a #6-4 treble hook, the legs 12 should 
be about 0.60 inches long with a diameter of 0.125 inches. The necked-down 
portions 13 of these legs are 0.062 inches long and 0.093 inches in 
diameter. The starter leg 15, because it lacks the necked-down portion, is 
approximately 0.662 inches long and 0.125 inches in diameter. The starter 
nub 16 is 0.25 inches long and 0.062 inches in diameter. The diameter 
dimensions of the features of weedless hook attachment 10 are determined 
by the size of the opening in the eye of the #6-4 treble hook. The lengths 
of the legs 12 and 15 are determined by the lengths of the hook portions, 
taking into account the distance from the eye to the barbs at the end of 
the hook portions. 
In another important aspect of the present invention, the weedless hook 
attachment 10 of the preferred embodiment is composed of a flexible, 
resilient and compressible plastic, such as the plastic used for the 
traditional fishing worm. One type of plastic having the requisite 
properties is sold under the tradename "PLASTISOL" by Hilts Molds of 
Henderson, Nev. The hook attachment 10 can be made in a closed mold, 
formed in the shape of the hook attachment 10, and including a feed 
opening for pouring the liquid plastic into the mold. The plastic material 
of which the hook attachment 10 is composed may be colored as required to 
add color to or match the color of the lure 20 to which it is attached. 
Although the plastic worm material used for this hook attachment is 
sufficiently resilient and compressible to enter the opening of an eye, it 
may be desirable to coat the starter leg 15 of the attachment with a 
mineral oil based fish formula to reduce the friction between the leg 15 
and the eye opening. Using the fish formula, it is possible to thread a 
hook attachment 10 with a starter leg 15 having a diameter of 0.125 inches 
through an eye having a diameter of 0.1 inches. Thus, it is apparent that 
a single size hook attachment 10 can be used for a variety of hook sizes. 
While it is preferred that the hook have an eye that is smaller in 
diameter than the diameter of the legs 12 and 15, the hook attachment 10 
can also be used where the eye of the treble hook is larger than the 
diameter of the legs, since the legs will be attached to the barbs on the 
ends of the hook portions of the treble hook. With the hook so attached, 
the weedless hook attachment 10 will not come loose even when the lure 20 
is fly-casted into the water. 
The weedless hook attachment 10 of the present invention can be used with 
almost any lure and with almost any type of lure action. Since the hook 
attachment 10 is lightweight, small and physically restricted generally 
within the space envelope of the treble hook itself, the effect of the 
hook attachment 10 on the action of the lure is minimal. Unlike the 
weedless jig heads of the prior art, the weedless hook attachment 10 of 
the present invention offers little drag to affect the wobbling, rolling, 
or spinning action of most lures. The weedless hook attachment 10 of the 
present invention may also be used as a hook protector for storage and 
handling of fishing lures. 
Since the weedless hook attachment 10 is relatively thin and frail compared 
to the fishing lure and treble hook to which it is attached, the hook 
attachment 10 is usually destroyed when the lure is hit by a fish. When a 
fish strikes, or when the hook is set, the weedless hook attachment may be 
mutilated by the hook barbs, or a leg may be detached at the central hub 
11. Since the weedless hook attachment 10 is composed of plastic, the 
attachment is adapted to be disposable, rather than reusable. The plastic 
material is inexpensive, so a fisherman may keep several of the present 
hook attachments in his tackle box. Since threading and anchoring the 
attachment 10 on a treble hook involves simple steps, the attachment can 
be quickly attached to a hook when another hook attachment has been lost 
after a strike. 
The use of the starter nub 16 makes the weedless hook attachment 10 quick 
and easy to install on virtually any type of hook, provided that the eye 
of the hook is not exceedingly small relative to the diameter of the legs 
of the weedless hook attachment. The simplicity of this weedless hook 
attachment allows a fisherman to carry a large quantity of these hook 
attachments and install them while fishing in less than thirty seconds. 
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the 
drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as 
illustrative and not restrictive in character. For instance, the weedless 
hook attachment of the present invention may include more than three legs 
to accommodate fishing hooks having more than three hook portions. In 
addition, the hook attachment may be composed of any suitable material 
having properties similar to the soft, flexible and resilient plastic 
described. It is understood that only the preferred embodiment has been 
shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come 
within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.