Abstract:
An improved fishing rod comprising a plurality of generally triangular shaped strips joined together to define an elongated body having a distal end, a proximal end, and a plurality of sides extending from the distal end to the proximal end. Each of the triangular strips has an exterior side that defines a side of the rod and two interior sides that define an angle opposite the exterior side. The angle opposite the exterior side of at least one of the triangular strips is greater than the angle opposite the exterior side of the remaining triangular strips.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    This application relates generally to fishing rods, and more particularly, to an improved fly fishing rod constructed from multiple strips of rod material. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Fly fishing is an ancient angling method in which fish are caught using an artificial fly or lure cast with a fly fishing rod and a fly line. Fly fishing rods are typically thin, flexible fishing rods designed to cast the artificial fly. Fly fishing rods normally vary between six feet and 13 feet in length and are designated by weight (e.g., 0 wt. through 16 wt.). 
         [0003]    Fly fishing rods vary in action from slow to fast depending on the taper of the rod from one end (the “butt”) to the other end (the “tip”). In addition, fly fishing rods have different characteristics depending on the cross-sectional configuration of the rod. For example, some existing fly fishing rods have a cross-section that is shaped as a square (“quad”), pentagon (“penta”) or hexagon (“hex”). 
         [0004]    Despite the emergence of fishing rods made from composite materials, such as fiberglass or carbon graphite, fly fishing rods made from naturally occurring materials, such a split-cane bamboo, remain in demand. Bamboo fly fishing rods offer grace, form and surprising strength. Many bamboo fly fishing rods are handmade by experienced craftsman. To make a quality fly fishing rod, it can take an experienced rod builder in excess of 100 hours to select and split the raw bamboo into smaller strips and cure, flame, plane, file, taper, glue, wrap and finish the rod. 
         [0005]    Some existing bamboo fly fishing rods are solid and others are constructed from identically shaped triangular strips of bamboo that are glued or otherwise bonded together to form the desired cross-sectional configuration (e.g., quad, penta, hex, etc.). One example is a “quad” fly fishing rod that is constructed from four glued bamboo strips, each having an identical cross-section consisting of an equilateral triangle. When the four, identical triangular strips are glued together, they form a “quad” cross-section consisting of four equal sides. 
         [0006]    Because the cross-sectional configuration of the rod can affect the characteristics of the fly fishing rod, there are often tradeoffs that must be made in selecting one cross-section over another. For instance, although existing “penta” fly fishing rods tend to be excellent for casting, catching fish using these existing rods can be challenging because the line is difficult to balance. Similarly, existing “quad” fly fishing rods tend to have power, but are heavy, do not respond quickly, and can be difficult to manipulate. Thus, it is desirable to have an improved fly fishing rod that is light, powerful and easy to control. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    A fishing rod is disclosed herein that overcomes many of the shortcomings of existing fly fishing rods. The fishing rod comprises a plurality of generally triangular shaped strips joined together to define an elongated body having a distal end, a proximal end, and a plurality of sides extending from the distal end to the proximal end. Each of the triangular strips has an exterior side that defines a side of the rod and two interior sides that define an angle opposite the exterior side. The angle opposite the exterior side of at least one of the triangular strips is greater than the angle opposite the exterior side of the remaining triangular strips. 
         [0008]    In another embodiment, the fishing rod comprises an elongated body having a distal end, a proximal end, and a plurality of exterior sides extending from the distal end to the proximal end. Each exterior side has a measurable exterior side width at a given point along the rod between the distal and proximal ends. The measurable exterior side width of at least one of the exterior sides is less than the measurable exterior side width of another exterior side at each particular point along the rod between the distal and proximal ends. 
         [0009]    These and other advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary section of a preferred multi-stripped fishing rod; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional diagram of the multi-striped fishing rod illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional diagram of an exemplary strip of rod material used in the construction of the fishing rod illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    An improved fishing rod is disclosed herein having surprisingly good power, casting action and accuracy, but with a smaller cross-section as compared to existing fly fishing rods having similar characteristics. 
         [0014]    The fishing rod disclosed herein is preferably made from multiple strips of rod material, preferably split cane bamboo such as Tonkin cane. It is understood, however, that the rod can be made from other known materials suitable for use as a fishing rod and that this disclosure is not intended to be limited to bamboo fishing rods. It is also understood that the fishing rod disclosed herein can be made from a solid piece of rod material and is not limited to being made from multiple strips of rod material. 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary section of a preferred fishing rod  100  that can be used, for example, for fly fishing. The rod  100  is preferably a “penta” fishing rod having a five-sided or pentagon-shaped cross-section formed by assembling five triangular strips  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  105  of rod material together. The rod  100  is preferably tapered from about one end  110  to about the other end  112 . The amount of taper along the length of the rod  100  is discussed further below. It is understood that the fishing rod  100  may be formed from a single section (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) or multiple sections that can be interconnected in a conventional manner as an assembled fishing rod. 
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the rod  100  showing the five generally triangular strips  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  105  assembled together. Preferably, two of the sides on each of the five triangular strips are of equal length so that the cross-section of each strip of rod material defines an isosceles triangle. For instance, triangular strip  101  is defined by three sides  201   a ,  210   a  and  210   b , with two of the sides  210   a ,  210   b  preferably being of equal length. Triangular strip  102  is defined by three sides  202   a ,  210   a  and  210   c , with two of the sides  210   a ,  210   c  preferably being of equal length. Triangular strip  103  is defined by three sides  203   a ,  210   b  and  210   d , with two of the sides  210   b ,  210   d  preferably being of equal length. Triangular strip  104  is defined by three sides  204   a ,  210   c  and  210   e , with two of the sides  210   c ,  210   e  preferably being of equal length. Lastly, triangular strip  105  is defined by three sides  205   a ,  210   d  and  210   e , with two of the sides  210   d ,  210   e  preferably being of equal length. 
         [0017]    The first strip  101  (also referred to herein as the “quad” strip) is a triangular strip of rod material having a preferred angle  201  of approximately 92°. The two other angles in the isosceles triangle of the first strip  101  are each approximately 44°. It is preferred that the first strip  101  defines the primary casting plane (i.e., the plane on which the guides are mounted) since it is the most stable of the planes formed by the triangular strips. 
         [0018]    The second and third strips  102 ,  103  (also referred to herein as the “penta” strips) are each a triangular strip of rod material having a preferred angle  202 ,  203  of approximately 73.5°. The two other angles in each of the isosceles triangles of the second and third strips  102 ,  103  are each approximately 53.25°. The second and third strips  102 ,  103  help to stabilize the primary casting plane defined by the first strip  101 . They can have non-squared opposite flats and, by volume, tend to be the stiffest of the strips  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  105  when glued together and the rod  100  is flexed. 
         [0019]    The fourth and fifth strips  104 ,  105  (also referred to herein as the “hex” strips) are each a triangular strip of rod material having a preferred angle  204 ,  205  of approximately 60.5°. The two other angles in each of the isosceles triangles of the fourth and fifth strips  104 ,  105  are each approximately 59.75°. Alternatively, angle  204 ,  205  could be approximately 61.5°, with a corresponding change in the two other angles in each of the isosceles triangles of the fourth and fifth strips  104 ,  105 . 
         [0020]    It is understood that the disclosed fishing rod is not intended to be limited to the preferred angles recited herein and that different angles may utilized without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. 
         [0021]    In the preferred embodiment, the two equal sides (i.e., sides  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c ,  210   d  and  210   e ) in all of the triangular strips have the same length. As shown in  FIG. 3 , this length is referred to as the “inside width” IW and is preferably the same for all strips  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  105  at any given point along the length of the rod  100 . In this manner, when the strips are assembled together as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the apex or point where each of the triangular strip  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  105  meet is preferably off-center (e.g., centered left to right, but lower top to bottom) because the dimension IW for each strip is the same at that particular point. 
         [0022]    In contrast, the length of the unequal side (i.e., side  201   a ,  202   a ,  203   a ,  204   a ,  205   a ) in each of the triangular strips  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  105  is referred to as the “exterior enamel side” or “exterior side width” ESW. In the preferred embodiment, this dimension will vary between the first strip  101 , second and third strips  102 ,  103 , and third and fourth strips  104 ,  105  at any given point along the length of the rod  100 . 
         [0023]    The disclosed rod  100  may be made using standard rod maker tools, such as block planes, a scraper plane, splicing blocks, dial calipers, a dial indicator depth gauge, planing forms, and/or a hand mill such as, for example, a Morgan Bamboo Hand Mill. Once the rod material (e.g., bamboo) is selected, it is split into narrow strips and any protrusions caused by nodes in the rod material are removed using a plane and file. Heat and pressure can also be used to remove such imperfections. One or more planing forms can then be used to plane each strip  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  105  to the desired angles. 
         [0024]    Preferably, the quad strip  101  is planed first, then the penta strips  102 ,  103  are planed second, and the hex strips  104 ,  105  are planed last. If the hex strips  104 ,  105  are planed first, one may be required to use a new anvil and thus reset the taper for the other strips as there may not be enough support for the edges of the wider strips. Cutting from widest to narrowest should allow for only one setting for all of the strips as their relative rate of change along the entire strip will be identical. This can be important since thinner than normal strips may ultimately be cut. It is also preferred that the strips have very consistent edges given the various and unusual angles around the rod  100 . As such, the quality of the rod material (e.g., bamboo) can also be important. 
         [0025]    Once each strip  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  105  is planed to the desired triangular configuration, the triangular strips can be assembled together in the penta configuration shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The assembled strips are then bound together with string and placed in a heat treating oven to dry, straighten and temper the strips. Thereafter, each of the strips  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  105  is preferably tapered from about one end  110  to about the other end  112  using, for example, a set of adjustable planing forms. The amount of the taper is discussed further below. 
         [0026]    The tapered strips  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  105  are reassembled into, for example, the configuration illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and the strips are glued or otherwise bonded together using, for example, Acraglas Gel® manufactured by Brownells, Inc. Preferably, the strips are glued together with a small amount space between the apex or tip of the triangular sections. 
         [0027]    The glued strips  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  105  are then preferably tightly bound together with cotton thread using, for example, a Garrison-style rod binding machine. This process can also be done by hand. The glued, tapered strips  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  105  forming the rod  100  may then be sanded to remove any excess glue. The rod  100  can be finished with a cork grip and reel seat, and then a final varnish may be applied to the rod. 
         [0028]      FIG. 3  illustrates the cross-section of a single strip of rod material used to make the disclosed fishing rod  100 . The inside width IW refers to the length of the two equal sides that form the vertex defined by angle A. Angle A corresponds to angles  201 ,  202 ,  203 ,  204 ,  205  illustrated in  FIG. 2 . Similarly, the Enamel Side Width ESW refers to the length of the unequal or exterior side (i.e., sides  201   a ,  202   a ,  203   a ,  204   a ,  205   a ) of each of the isosceles triangles defined by strips  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  105 . The enamel apex height h 1  is the height of the apex (defined by the point where the two equal sides of a triangular strip meet) as measured from the unequal or exterior side of the triangular strip. The inside apex height h 2  is the height of the apex (defined by the point where one of the equal sides meets with the unequal or exterior side of a triangular strip) as measured from the opposing equal side of the triangular strip. As discussed above, all of the triangular strips  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  105  preferably have identical inside widths 
         [0029]    As mentioned above, the rod  100  is preferably tapered from one end (the “butt”)  110  to the other end (the “tip”)  112 . The following chart illustrates the preferred rates of change of inside width IW and exterior side width ESW at five-inch intervals along the length of an exemplary 7.5 foot long 4 wt. rod  100  from the tip  112  to the butt  110 . 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 INCHES 
                 RATE OF 
               
               
                   
                 (FROM TIP) 
                 CHANGE 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 0 
                 0.064 
               
               
                   
                 5 
                 0.06 
               
               
                   
                 10 
                 0.0505 
               
               
                   
                 15 
                 0.0435 
               
               
                   
                 20 
                 0.0365 
               
               
                   
                 25 
                 0.0325 
               
               
                   
                 30 
                 0.028 
               
               
                   
                 35 
                 0.022 
               
               
                   
                 40 
                 0.014 
               
               
                   
                 45 
                 0.004 
               
               
                   
                 50 
                 0.05 
               
               
                   
                 55 
                 0.04 
               
               
                   
                 60 
                 0.0335 
               
               
                   
                 65 
                 0.026 
               
               
                   
                 70 
                 0.0165 
               
               
                   
                 75 
                 0.007 
               
               
                   
                 80 
                 0 
               
               
                   
                 85 
                 0 
               
               
                   
                 90 
                 0 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0030]    It is preferred that the height measurements for each triangular section are obtained using a V-block. Another approach is to measure the exterior enamel side or exterior side width ESW for each triangular strip  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  105  at the same point along the taper using, for example, a standard micrometer. 
         [0031]    In the preferred embodiment, the inside widths IW of all strips are equal at any given point across the length of the rod, while the ESW measurements vary between the quad strip  101 , the penta strips  102 ,  103 , and the hex strips  104 ,  105 . For example, the preferred ESW measurement at the mid-point along the 7.5 foot length of a preferred 4 wt. rod  100  is 0.108 inches for the hex strips  104 ,  105 , 0.128 inches for the penta strips  102 ,  103 , and 0.155 inches for the quad strip  101 . Similarly, the preferred IW measurement for all of the strips at the mid-point along the length of this exemplary 7.5 foot rod is 0.107 inches. Using these measurements and the rate of change table above, the preferred ESW and IW measurements can then be calculated for each point along the length of the rod  100 . 
         [0032]    Alternatively, the following mathematical equations may be utilized to calculate ESW, IW, h 1  and h 2  for each triangular strip at particular point along the length of the rod  100 : 
         [0000]        ESW  (Enamel Side Width)=2× h 1×tan ( A/ 2) 
         [0000]        IW  (Inside Width)= h 1/cos ( A/ 2) 
         [0000]        h 1 (Enamel apex height)=½ ×ESW /tan ( A/ 2) 
         [0000]        h 2 (Inside apex height)= ESW ×cos ( A/ 2) 
         [0000]    where A=92° for the quad strip  101 ; 73.5° for the penta strips  102 ,  103 ; and 60.5° for the hex strips  104 ,  105 . Using these numbers and the rate of change chart above, a rod builder can calculate the target width ESW and height h 1  for each strip  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 ,  105  at points along the length of the rod  100 . 
         [0033]    Conversion factors may also be used to measure the width of the strips at various points along its length. Preferred conversion factors include: 
         [0034]    For the hex strips  104 ,  105 : W=2×tan (60.5/2)=2×tan (30.25)=1.166: 
         [0035]    For the quad strip  101 : W=2×tan (92/2)=2×tan (46)=2.071: and 
         [0036]    For the penta strips  102 ,  103 : W=2×tan (73.5/2)=2×tan (36.75)=1.494. 
         [0037]    Furthermore, the conversion factors from the multiplier  1 /(sine of the outer angle) for the other angles are: 
         [0038]    For the preferred quad strip  101  having a 44° angle, the multiplier is 1.44; 
         [0039]    For the preferred penta strips  102 ,  103  having a 53.25° angle, the multiplier is 1.25; and 
         [0040]    For the preferred hex strips  104 ,  105  having a 59.75°, the multiplier is about 1.16. 
         [0041]    Having described and illustrated the principles of this application by reference to one or more preferred embodiments, it should be apparent that the preferred embodiment(s) may be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from the principles disclosed herein and that it is intended that the application be construed as including all such modifications and variations insofar as they come within the spirit and scope of the subject matter disclosed herein.