Abstract:
A flycasting rod that is convertible between a first configuration suitable for use while holding the rod in only one hand while casting flies, and a second configuration in which the rod includes two separate hand grips and an extension of the shaft of the rod, that is suitable for holding the rod with both hands and casting flies using the Spey techniques.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to fishing rods, and in particular relates to a flycasting rod convertible between two different configurations for different methods of flycasting.  
         [0002]     In fly fishing a long, flexible, yet moderately stiff, tapered rod is used, together with a line that is heavy enough so that when the line is extended from the tip of the rod its weight can be applied to bend the rod in the process of casting a fly attached to the outer end of the line. By moving the rod, the line can be placed into motion, so that when the rod is stopped the line, continuing to move, flexes the tip of the rod. Thereafter, release of the potential energy stored in the bent rod accelerates the line in a different direction, together with a leader and a fly attached to the outer end of the leader. Further movement of the rod by a skilled caster can throw the line far enough to place the fly in a desired target location as far as 30 yards away.  
         [0003]     Conventionally, a fly rod is held in one hand while casting a fly, and, where space is available for an overhead cast, a backcast is used to accelerate the line rearwardly and thereafter to apply the kinetic energy of the rearwardly moving line to the rod, so that properly timed forward movement of the rod thereafter can store the kinetic energy from the rearwardly moving line, plus additional energy applied by the angler in moving the rod forward, in the rod as potential energy, by further bending of the rod. Properly timed forward movement of the rod changes the direction of movement of the line, accelerating it forward as the rod straightens itself, throwing the line toward the place where it is desired for the fly to land. Various techniques of hauling on the line and releasing it at proper times during the casting movements can add to the distance to which a fly can be cast.  
         [0004]     Where there is a long distance between a place where an angler can stand to cast and the place where it is desired to place a fly, a conventional overhead cast requires a long open space behind the angler in which to make the backcast mentioned above. Lacking such a space, as where an angler must remain close to a steep or tree-covered bank while casting across a wide expanse of water, another type of cast, such as a roll cast, might be used, but such other casting techniques are generally less efficient than an overhead cast in reaching long distances.  
         [0005]     Referring now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  shows a prior art conventional fly rod  10  having a tip section  12 , an intermediate section  14 , and a butt section  16  that includes a hand grip  18  and a reel seat  20  on which is mounted a typical fly fishing reel  22 . The fly rod  10  may have a length in the range of six feet to nine or ten feet, and is typically about nine feet long. The grip  18  is suitable for being held by only one hand, with a length  24  of the grip  18  typically being about six or seven inches.  
         [0006]     A typical fly rod  10  may have fewer or more sections than the three sections  12 ,  14 , and  16  shown in  FIG. 1 , with each section being joined to an adjacent section by a joint  26  or  28  which may have any one of several conventional configurations generally intended to connect rod sections to one another securely yet permit them to be separated easily, so that the rod can be carried more conveniently when it is not in use. Such a fly rod  10  may be made of many different types of material such as wood, bamboo, or composite materials including fibers of glass, graphite, or other strong synthetic materials, and the rod is usually tapered from a greatest thickness in the butt section  16  to a minimal thickness in the tip section  12 , in order to bend under a desired amount of force so that the rod can be used to cast a line of a desired weight.  
         [0007]     One way that has been found effective in casting flies over long distances is the use of a longer rod. One such type of a longer rod is known as a Spey rod, named for the River Spey in Scotland where use of such a rod originates, and a particular manner of handling a long fly line using such a rod, known as Spey casting, requires no space behind the angler. A shortcoming of such a casting technique, however, is that it requires a very long fly rod, which is heavier than a conventional rod used with one hand.  
         [0008]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a typical Spey flycasting rod  30  has four separable sections, a tip section  32 , a forward intermediate section  34 , a rearward intermediate section  36 , and a butt section  38 , all interconnected separably with one another by joints  40 ,  42 , and  44  of the appropriate sizes, although a Spey rod may have more or fewer sections.  
         [0009]     A Spey rod  30  typically has a length greater than nine feet and typically in the range from 12 feet to 14 feet, although Spey rods shorter than nine feet and as long as 16 feet are also known. The number of sections of such a rod is usually chosen to result in each section being of a size allowing the disassembled rod to be carried conveniently. A Spey rod  30 , 15 feet long, may thus have five or even six sections.  
         [0010]     A Spey rod is designed to be held by both hands while casting. A rear hand grip is located behind the reel seat, and a forward grip, located ahead of the reel seat, is usually at least about twice as long as a grip such as the grip  18  on a fly rod intended to be held in one hand. The Spey rod  30  thus includes a front grip  46  whose length  48  is greater than the length  24  of the grip  18  of the fly rod  10  and may be in the range of 12 inches to 18 inches, for example. Such a long front grip  46  allows the user to grasp the forward part of the grip while casting, and to hold a different part of the grip  46  while playing a fish.  
         [0011]     Located immediately rearward of the front grip  46  is a reel seat  50 , on which a fly-fishing reel  52  is mounted. Typically a reel  52  used with a Spey rod  30  is larger than the reel  22  used on a shorter fly rod  10  for one-handed use, since a greater length of line and often a heavier line is used with a Spey rod  30  than with a fly rod  10  for one-handed use.  
         [0012]     Located behind the reel seat  50  is a rear hand grip  54 , whose length  56  is typically less than the length  24  of the grip  18  of a one-handed fly rod  10 , and may be about five inches, for example.  
         [0013]     Because of their larger size, Spey fly rods are significantly more expensive than a conventional fly rod intended for use in one-handed casting techniques. A Spey rod is infrequently needed, and is often too large to be used well in small streams. A conventional one-handed rod can be used with less effort because of its lighter weight, and therefore may be preferred where it can be used.  
         [0014]     Many anglers are therefore reluctant or unable to justify the greater cost of a Spey fly rod that is useful only on relatively infrequent occasions. An angler may also be reluctant to carry a second rod, particularly when the second rod is a long and relatively heavy Spey rod, where most casting can be accomplished using a single-handed rod. However, in some circumstances it would be very desirable to be able to take advantage of the capabilities of a Spey rod easily, quickly, and at a low additional cost relative to that of a conventional rod of at least good quality, and to do so without having to carry a large second rod in addition to a conventional rod.  
         [0015]     Kiser U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,722 shows a fishing rod that is convertible, between a very short configuration intended for use in ice fishing and a longer configuration for use in more conventional fishing.  
         [0016]     Reimer U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,163 discloses a multi-section fishing rod with a replaceable handle and butt section and a replaceable tip section, so that the rod can be used in an extra long configuration, for dangling a line in “sneak fishing,” or in a shorter configuration for use in casting flies for salmon.  
         [0017]     Livingston U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,133 discloses a system of adaptors to be utilized on a front end of a rear section of a fishing rod to permit installation of tip sections of various lengths, to convert, for example, long multi-section casting rods into short rods for use in deep sea fishing. A conventional surf casting butt section with a long hand grip portion is used in each configuration of the rod shown.  
         [0018]     The prior art, however, does not adequately address the issues mentioned above. What is desired, then, is a fly rod that is easily convertible, between a configuration useful for conventional one-handed flycasting and a Spey rod configuration, in which the rod can be held by both hands for long distance casting or casting in places where there is insufficient room for a backcast.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]     The present invention answers the aforementioned needs by providing a multi-section fly rod that is convertible quickly and easily between two configurations.  
         [0020]     As a first preferred embodiment a convertible fly rod includes a forward portion mated, in a first configuration, with a short rear end portion including a conventional single-hand grip and a reel seat. A rod joint is located a short distance ahead of the reel seat, as at the front end of the conventional single-hand grip, so that the short rear end portion of the rod is securely fastened to but easily removable from the forward portion. A Spey conversion rear end portion, preferably including a long front grip, a reel seat, a rear hand grip behind the reel seat, and an extension shaft forward of the long front grip, can be mated similarly with the forward portion of the rod in place of the short rear end portion, to convert it to a configuration suitable for two-handed Spey style casting.  
         [0021]     In one embodiment of such a convertible rod a rear hand grip is fastened removably to a rear portion of a reel seat by a joint which can easily be disconnected.  
         [0022]     In one embodiment such a convertible rod includes several rod sections connected with one another by conventional rod joints which can be disconnected to permit the rod to be carried easily in a compact configuration.  
         [0023]     The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0024]      FIG. 1  is a view of a conventional multi-section fly rod intended to be held by one hand while casting a fly.  
         [0025]      FIG. 2  is a view of a multi-section Spey fly rod intended to be held by two hands while casting a fly by use of a Spey casting technique.  
         [0026]      FIG. 3  is a view of an exemplary convertible fly rod embodying the present invention, in a first configuration in which the rod can be held in one hand to cast a fly using conventional flycasting techniques.  
         [0027]      FIG. 4  is a view of the fly rod shown in  FIG. 3 , converted to a longer configuration suitable for being held by two hands for use of Spey flycasting techniques.  
         [0028]      FIG. 5  is a partly exploded view of a convertible fly rod which is an alternative embodiment of the rod shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , shown in a configuration suitable for being held by two hands while casting a fly using Spey casting techniques. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0029]     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4  of the drawings which form a part of the disclosure herein, a convertible rod  60  is shown in  FIG. 3  in a first configuration suitable for use as a conventional fly rod to be held in one hand during casting, similar to the fly rod  10  described previously. A tip section  62  and an intermediate section  64 , interconnected separably with each other by a conventional rod joint  66 , together constitute a forward rod portion  68  of the rod  60 . A rear connecting member  70 , which may be one of the mating parts of a conventional rod joint, is located at the rear end of the forward rod portion  68 . The forward rod portion  68  may instead be divided into a larger number of shorter sections, and thus may have one or two additional intermediate sections interconnected by rod joints, if it is desired for the convertible rod  60  to form a smaller package for greater convenience in carrying it disassembled.  
         [0030]     A short rear end portion  72  includes a grip  74  generally similar to the grip  18  of the rod  10  described above, and has a reel seat  76  on which a reel  78  of an appropriate size may be mounted. The short rear end portion  72  is mated removably with the forward rod portion  68  by a front connector member  80  such a rod joint part built to mate with the rear connecting member  70  located at the front of the grip  74 , so that the entire short rear end portion  72  may have an overall length, including the front connecting section  80 , of as little as about nine or ten inches. The fly rod  60  assembled as shown in  FIG. 3  has the usual balance and feel of a conventional fly rod of that length and designed for the particular line weight for which the rod  60  is intended to be used in the conventional configuration shown in  FIG. 3 , using conventional one-handed casting techniques.  
         [0031]     The intermediate section  64  includes a stripping guide  82  located at a conventional distance, such as 26 to 28 inches, from the reel seat  76  when the short rear section  72  is mated with the forward portion  68 , so that one-handed use of the rod  60  in the configuration shown in  FIG. 3  is the same as use of a conventional fly rod such as the rod  10  shown in  FIG. 1 . Conventional line guides  84  and a rod tip guide  86  are mounted on the tip section  62 .  
         [0032]     For use in situations where it is desired to make exceptionally long casts, and in situations where insufficient space is available for a backcast, as where an angler must stand in water close to a steep or heavily vegetated riverbank while attempting to cast a fly to a distant place, the rod  60  can be converted to the Spey fly rod configuration shown in  FIG. 4 . This conversion is accomplished by removing the short rear end section  72  from the forward portion  68  by separating the front connector member  80  from the rear connecting member  70  of the forward portion  68 , and mounting a Spey conversion rear end portion  90  onto the rear of the front portion  68 . The Spey conversion rear end portion  90  is at least about two feet longer and preferably at least three feet longer or as much as four feet longer than the short rear end portion  72 . The Spey conversion rear end portion  90  has a forward shaft portion  92  which may be 18 inches to 30 inches long and which includes a front connector member  94  that mates with the rear connecting member  70  of the front portion  68 . A stripping line guide  96  is mounted a short distance rearward from the front connector member  94 , at a distance of, for example, about 26-28 inches from a reel seat  102 . A long front grip  98 , whose length  100  may preferably be in the range of 12 inches to 18 inches, corresponds to the front grip  46  of the previously described Spey fly rod  30  shown in  FIG. 2 . The reel seat  102  corresponds to the reel seat  50  of the Spey fly rod  30  shown in  FIG. 2 , and a rear hand grip  104  corresponds to and may be similar to the rear hand grip  54  of the Spey fly rod shown in  FIG. 2 . A reel  106  may be similar to the reel  52  shown in the Spey rod illustrated in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0033]     Preferably, the Spey conversion rear end portion  90  may be tapered to cooperate with the taper of the front rod portion  68  to provide the desired Spey rod action, so that the entire rod  60  in the Spey configuration shown in  FIG. 4  is stiff enough to carry the loads imposed by the weight of the moving Spey line, which typically is several yards longer than a line used with a conventional fly rod held in one hand for casting, as when the rod  60  is in the configuration shown in  FIG. 3 . This additional amount of line, if used, may require that the reel  106  be larger than the reel  78  for best performance. If it is desired for the rod  60  to be able to be disassembled to a more compact form for carrying, as mentioned above with respect to the forward portion  68 , the Spey conversion section  90  may include a rod joint  108  shown in broken line permitting it to be separated into two shorter sections  90   a  and  90   b.    
         [0034]     As an alternative to use of the Spey conversion rear end portion  90 , a fly rod  60 ′ can also be converted to a configuration for Spey casting as shown in  FIG. 5 . The forward portion  68  of the convertible rod  60 ′ is of the same form as shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , but instead of the Spey conversion rear end portion  90 , the rod  60 ′ has a rear portion  109  including a Spey conversion extension section  110  mated with the rear connecting member  70  of the forward portion  68  and with a short rear end section  112  which may be in many respects similar to the short rear end portion  72 . The short rear end section  112 , however, includes a rear grip  114  that is removably attached to a reel seat  116 . A front connector member  118  is essentially similar to the front connector member  80  of the short rear end portion  72  shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0035]     The Spey conversion extension section  110  includes a front connector member  120  that can be mated with the rear connecting member  70  of the front rod portion  68 , and also includes a rear connecting member  122  that is similar to the rear connecting member  70  and which can be mated with the front connector member  118  of the short rear end section  112 . The front connector member  118  and the front connector member  120  of the extension section  110  are similar to each other, with equal diameters  124 ,  126 , in the case of conventional sleeve type joints. The front connector member  118  of the short rear end section  112  can be fitted directly to the rear connecting member  70  of the forward portion  68 , for use of the rod  60 ′ configured as a conventional fly rod for casting while holding the grip  128  with a single hand, and with the rear grip  114  removed from its position at the rear of the reel seat  116 . The Spey conversion extension section  110  has a length  130  of about 18 inches to 36 inches, for example, so that with the rear seat  114 , the short rear end section  112 , and the extension section  110  joined with each other and with the front end connecting section  120  mated with the rear connecting member  70  of the front portion  68 , the rod  60 ′ in its Spey configuration has an overall length similar to that of the rod  60  in its Spey rod configuration as shown in  FIG. 4 . Preferably, the Spey conversion extension section  110  is constructed in a stiff enough form to produce flexibility characteristics similar to those of the butt section of a Spey rod such as that shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0036]     The length  132  of the grip  128  may be chosen, if desired, to be longer than the grip  74  in the short rear end portion  72  shown in  FIG. 3 , in order to provide hand position options on the front hand grip  128  similar to those available on the grip  98  of the Spey conversion butt section  90  shown in  FIG. 4 , with little or no compromise of the utility of the rod  60 ′ in its shorter configuration for one hand-use, without the extension section  110  and rear grip  114 . Such additional length of the grip  128  facilitates gripping the rod  60 ′ in the longer Spey configuration with one&#39;s hands far enough apart to control the rod easily while making a Spey cast. The length  130  of the Spey conversion extension section  110  could be reduced by an amount corresponding to the additional length  132  of the grip  128  by comparison with the length of the grip  74 , if desired.  
         [0037]     As mentioned with respect to the rod  60 , the forward rod portion  68  as used with the rod  60 ′ may be constructed as a single section or several sections connected with each other by conventional rod joints allowing the rod  60 ′ to be broken down to a short package to be carried more conveniently when not in use.  
         [0038]     The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.