Fishing float

The float of this disclosure is used with a fishing line to support the bait at any desired depth below the surface of the water. When the fisherman swings his rod to cast the bait and float, they are close together for casting, but the float is constructed to permit the bait to move downward to a predetermined depth after the float strikes the water. When a fish is caught, the bait and fish are brought close to the float during the first part of the reeling-in of the line, so that the fish can be netted, if desired.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In many situations, when fishing from the shore with a rod and line, it is 
desirable to have the bait suspended below a float at a given distance, 
depending upon the kind of fish to be caught. It is difficult or 
impossible, with conventional fishing equipment, to cast a float, sinker 
and bait with a rod unless the sinker, bait and float are close together 
when casting. Thus the amount of line between the float and the bait is 
quite limited, and the bait will not be very far below the float when they 
are in the water. 
This invention provides a float which can have any selected amount of the 
line wrapped around surfaces of the float before casting; and the float 
structure is such that this wrapped line will remain wrapped while the 
float, sinker and bait are cast. When the float strikes the water, there 
is mechanism which causes the slack line on the float to feed out until it 
is all unwrapped. 
When a fish is caught, the fisherman reels in the line, and the invention 
is constructed so that the first part of the reeling-in draws the sinker, 
bait and fish upward to the float; and further reeling-in moves the 
assembly toward the fishing rod. This is advantageous, because it makes it 
possible to bring the fish to the surface or near the surface first and to 
net the fish, if that is desired. 
The principal advantages of the invention is that it is simple in 
construction; easy to use without prior practice; made with a minimum of 
movable parts and consistently reliable in operation. Other objects, 
features and advantages of the invention will be pointed out as the 
description proceeds.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
A fishing equipment 10 which includes a float 12 is connected with a 
fishing line 14. 
FIG. 2 shows the fishing equipment 10 in the position in which it hangs 
prior to casting. In FIG. 6, the line 14 is shown connected with a rod 15 
which is of conventional construction and which includes a conventional 
reel (not shown). There is a plunger 16 at one end of the float 12, which 
will be described in connection with the other figures. For the present it 
is sufficient to understand that the plunger 16 is movable into a position 
where it secures the float at a given location on the line 14 and into 
another position where the line 14 can pass freely through an opening in 
the plunger 16. 
Before connecting the float 12 with the line 14 in the position shown in 
FIGS. 2 and 6, the line 14 is pulled through the plunger 16 to accumulate 
a slack line equal to the depth below the surface of the water at which 
the fisherman wants to locate the bait. 
The line 14 is then secured to the float at the plunger 16 and the slack is 
moved downward past projections 18 and 20 which extend from one side of 
the float 12. The line 14 is first wrapped around the projection 20 and 
then upward and around the projection 18; then downward around the 
projection 20 and upward to the projection 18 again. In this manner, the 
slack is wound up until the line 14 with a sinker 22 and hook 24 are 
adjacent the lower end of the float, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. 
The line 14 passes through a ring 26 which may be constructed in the manner 
similar to a key ring so that the line 24 can be inserted through the ring 
without having an end of the line available. The ring 26 is secured to one 
end of an arm 28 which swings about a pivot axis 30; and the arm 28 is 
movable about the pivot axis 30 through an angle indicated by the arrow 
32. A bait 34 is shown on the hook 24 in FIG. 6. 
The projections 18 and 20 have surfaces 38 and 40 facing in opposite 
directions and diverging from one another in a direction toward the right, 
as shown in FIG. 2. The projections 18 and 20 are rigid portions of the 
float 12, and the purpose of the divergence of the surfaces 38 and 40 is 
to prevent the loops of line 14 from sliding off the surfaces 38 and 40 
when the equipment 10 is being cast. The angle of divergence of the 
surfaces from one another is preferably about 10 to 30 angular degrees. 
FIG. 7 shows the position of the float 12 during casting. The fishing rod 
is to the left of the equipment 10 in FIG. 7, and the equipment is 
travelling through the air in the direction indicated by the arrow 41. 
While the projections 18 and 20 may not always be in the lowermost 
position, as shown in FIG. 7, this is the most unfavorable position that 
they can be in with respect to the loops 42 which are wrapped around the 
projections 18 and 20. Since the line 14 is wrapped around the projections 
18 and 20 with some tension, the diverging surfaces of these projections 
prevent the loops 40 from falling off the float 12 during the cast. 
FIG. 8 shows the float 12 after it hits the water 44. The sinker 22 pulls 
the float 12 into the position shown in FIG. 8, and the line 14 pulls the 
arm 28 downward about its pivot 30. This movement of the arm 28 moves a 
plunger 16 (FIG. 2) from the solid line position shown where it secures 
the line 14 against movement relative to the float, to a dotted line 
position in which it leaves the line free to move with respect to the 
float, as will be explained in connection with FIGS. 3-5. This releases 
the tension on the loops 42 so that the line 14 pulls the first loop 42 
from the projection 18 in a downward direction, which will be evident from 
FIG. 8. The lowermost loop 42, upon release, permits the sinker 22 to move 
downward, and the line 14 straightens out so that the sinker 22 is under 
the projection 20. 
As the line 14 unwinds from the projection 20, the sinker 22 pulls the 
slack downward and moves under the projection 18 with resulting rocking of 
the control guide arm 28 back into the position shown in FIG. 8. This 
unwinding operation continues until all of the slack in the loops 42 is 
free of the projections 18 and 20. 
The weight of the sinker is no longer supported from the projections 18 and 
20, as it was in FIG. 8, and further downward pull on the line 18 swings 
the control guide arm 28 into the position shown in FIG. 9. This movement 
of the control guide arm 28 shifts the plunger 16 into position to grip 
the line 14 so that it can no longer move through the float 12, and the 
weight of the sinker thus turns the float 12 into an upright position, as 
shown in FIG. 9; and the float remains in this position with the sinker, 
hook and bait at the selected position below the surface until the 
fisherman reels in the line 14. 
Pull on the line 14 toward the left in FIG. 9 tips the float 12 into a 
generally horizontal position, and this moves the control guide arm 28 in 
a direction to shift the plunger 16, so that the line 14 is free to move 
with respect to the float 12. The line 14 pulls through the float 12 and 
raises the sinker and hook and any fish that may be on the hook. 
Thus the sinker, hook, bait and fish, if any, are pulled up toward the 
float 12 and to a location near the surface of the water where the fish 
can be netted, if desired. 
FIGS. 3-5 show the way in which the plunger 16 operates to clamp the line 
so that it cannot move with respect to the float during casting; but 
releases the line when the float is in the water and the equipment is 
ready for reeling in the sinker and hook from whatever depth they are 
being supported by the float. There is a plunger support 54 made in two 
parts which separate along the line 56. Where these parts are shown in 
section in FIG. 4, the upper part of the housing 54 is indicated by the 
reference character 54a, and the lower part is indicated by the reference 
character 54b. These parts are shaped internally so that they fit into a 
groove 56 in a projecting portion of the float 10, and they are preferably 
secured together by adhesive, or otherwise, so that the groove 56 holds 
the housing 54 against any movement with respect to the rest of the float 
10. 
The plunger 16 has a stem 58, which slides in a bearing 60, provided by an 
opening in the end of the housing 54. There is a slot 62 in the stem 58, 
and the line 14 extends through this slot. In the ordinary operation of 
the plunger 16, the open end of the slot 62 is opposite the surface of the 
bearing 60, so that the line 14 cannot become disengaged from the float; 
but the plunger 16 can be pulled out far enough, as shown in FIG. 3, to 
permit the line 14 to be inserted and removed from the float when desired. 
A block 64 securely fastened on the end of the stem 58 slides in a 
generally square chamber 66, and there is a slot 68 through the slot 64. 
A crank 70 extends through the slot 68 and rotates in bearings 72 opposite 
sides of the housing 54. 
The control guide arm 28 is connected with one end of the crank 70, and the 
movement of the control guide arm 28 operates the crank 70, so as to pull 
the plunger 16 into the position shown in FIG. 4 when the control guide 
arm 28 is hanging downward in the position shown in FIG. 2. This causes 
the plunger 16 to clamp the line against the end faces of the housing 54 
so that the line cannot move with respect to the float. When wrapping the 
loops 42 around the projections 18 and 20, it is not necessary to hold the 
float in any particular position, because the float can be held in one 
hand and the thumb used to press the plunger 16 into position to hold the 
line clamped against the housing 54, the crank 70 moving into whatever 
position is necessary to permit such a movement of the plunger. Thus the 
line can be wrapped around the surfaces 38 and 40 of the projections 18 
and 20 with these portions of the float in the most convenient position 
for the wrapping. Experience has shown that the most advantageous angle 
for the surfaces 38 and 40 to diverge from one another is between 10 and 
30 degrees. If the angle is less than 10.degree., there is danger of the 
loops all sliding off at once when the sinker moves from the position 
shown in FIG. 7 to that shown in FIG. 8. If the angle of divergence of the 
surfaces 38 and 40 from one another is greater than 30.degree., some of 
the loops may fail to clear the projections 18 and 20 when the sinker 
pulls the line 14 down in the way already described in connection with 
FIG. 8. If any loops remain wrapped around the projections 18 and 20, the 
bait will not descend to the intended level below the surface of the 
water. 
In order to have the float 12 occupy a position in which the projections 18 
and 20 are lowermost, a counter-weight 76 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is attached to 
an arm 78 which is rigidly secured to the end of the crank 70 (FIG. 5) at 
the end of the crank which is remote from the arm 28. Thus the 
counter-weight 76 balances the weight of the control guide arm 28 to 
maintain the trim of the float when in the water. 
The preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and 
described, but changes and modifications can be made and some features can 
be used in different combinations without departing from the invention as 
defined in the claims.