Abstract:
A surface fishing lure includes a body, a hydrodynamic lip, a hook attachment, a line attachment, a counterweight, a propeller, and a propeller stabilizer. Advantageously, a surface fishing lure utilizing a preferred embodiment of the present invention is significantly more successful in attracting and catching large game fish, such as Muskie.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application is based upon and claims priority from prior U.S. Patent Application No. 60/407,510, filed Aug. 29, 2002, the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention generally relates to the field of fishing lures, and more particularly relates to surface lures that are used to attract and catch large game fish, such as Muskie.  
           [0004]    2. Description of Related Art  
           [0005]    Many surface lures have been designed to attract and catch game fish, most of which attempted to imitate prey fish floundering on the surface of the water. Some examples are: U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,660 issued to Dudeck which disclosed a surface lure with a hydrodynamic-effect body that oscillates; U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,914 issued to Norman which disclosed an elongated egg-shaped planer body with spinner journaled within a central upstanding opening; U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,710 issued to Hanna,et al., which disclosed a surface lure with a plurality of propellers and flotation devices; U.S. Pat. No. 2,653,408 issued to Bradley which disclosed a buoyant fishing lure having a propellor mounted for rotation about the longitudinal axes; U.S. Pat. No. 3,012,357 issued to Helin which disclosed a surface lure with a rotary blade mounted on the forward most end of the lure body. Two more examples are surface lures manufactured by Moudly Tackle company where the whopper stopper has contra rotating propellers mounted on a shaft that extends through a cigar-shaped body; and, the hog wobbler which uses a convex lip to produce a wobble when slowly retrieved.  
           [0006]    All of the lures to date have shortcomings to overcome, some of which are: lures such as Dudeck&#39; are not buoyant thus requiring a fast retrieve to remain on the surface; Norman&#39;s lure requires a steady strait line retrieve; Hanna&#39;s flotation device has a minimal effect on the lure&#39;s buoyancy; Bradly&#39;s lure does not resemble prey fish; Moudly&#39;s lures are not very durable.  
           [0007]    Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a hydrodynamic-effect surface lure is provided that can be retrieved with several speeds and styles. Also, according to a preferred embodiment, a surface lure is provided that more closely resembles the silhouette of prey fish. Further, another aspect of the present invention provides a surface lure that can have multiple actions imparted on it. Yet another aspect of the present invention provides a surface lure wherein the buoyancy is controlled by an internally mounted counter weight. According to another aspect of the present invention, a surface lure is more durable.  
           [0009]    In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a surface lure comprises a body means, a hydrodynamic lip means, a hook means, a line attachment means, a counterweight means, a propeller means, and a propeller stabilizer means. Advantageously, a fishing lure utilizing a preferred embodiment of the present invention is significantly more successful in attracting and catching large game fish, such as Muskie. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    The subject matter, which is regarded as the invention, is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features and also the advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment the present invention.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a top view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is an end view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a front view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 is a top view of the second embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0018]    FIGS.  8  to  11  illustrate bottom elevational views of skimmer lips for surface lures, according to alternative embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0019]    It is important to note that these embodiments are only examples of the many advantageous uses of the innovative teachings herein. In general, statements made in the specification of the present application do not necessarily limit any of the various claimed inventions. Moreover, some statements may apply to some inventive features but not to others. In general, unless otherwise indicated, singular elements maybe in the plural and visa versa with no loss of generality.  
         [0020]    Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a surface lure device that facilitates attracting and catching large game fish, such as Muskie.  
         [0021]    According to a preferred embedment of the present invention, a surface lure is indicated generally by the numeral  15  as shown in FIG. 1. The surface lure  15  comprises a body  18  which is formed out of a hard wood such as maple. Other buoyant materials such as molded plastic and other hard woods may be used.  
         [0022]    Now referring to FIG. 2, a surface lure  15  comprises a body  18  generally conforming to the silhouette of prey fish, the lure  15  comprising a nose section  12 , a belly section  16 , and a tail section  14 . The nose section  12  is generally rounded about the forward most end of the body  18  and forming a rearwardly arching acute angle, preferably in the range of 25 to 30 degrees, about the longitudinal axis of the body  18 . The nose section  12  preferably constitutes approximately ⅕ the total length of the body  18 . The tail section  14  is somewhat flat at the rearward most end of the body  18  and forming a forward slanting acute angle, preferably in the range of 15 to 25 degrees, about the longitudinal axis of the body  18 .  
         [0023]    The lower portion of the belly section  16  curves downward and rearward proximate the rearward most portion of the nose section  12  and then slants downward and rearward proximate the forward most portion of the belly section  16 , rounding to a crest proximate the center of the body  18 . The lower portion of the belly section  16  is preferably non-concentric and curves upward and rearward to form the tail section  14 . The upper portion of the belly section  16  arches to a crest proximate but rearward to the center of the body  18 . The arch is preferably somewhat symmetrical about the crest, then slanting rearward to form the tail section  14 .  
         [0024]    Now continuing with reference to FIG. 2, the surface lure  15  comprises the body  18 , the nose section  12 , the belly section  16 , and the tail section  14 . Means for attaching fishing line comprises an eyelet  20  with a cup washer  21  disposed centrally at the forward most end of the nose section  12 . A hook  36  is loosely and movably coupled to a split ring  28  and then an eyelet  22  and securely affixed centrally to the lower most portion of the body  18 , proximate the forward most portion of the belly section  16 . A second hooking means comprising a hook  34 , a split ring  30 , and an eyelet  24 , is securely affixed centrally to the lower most portion of the body  18 , proximate the rearward most portion of the belly section  16 . A counter weight  52  preferably is embedded within the body  18  preferably proximate but rearward to the center of the body  18 . Of course, other locations for the counter weight  52  should be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present discussion.  
         [0025]    A propeller stabilizer  29  is disposed centrally to the rearward most portion of the body  18  with an eyelet  26  and a cup washer  27 . A propeller hook assembly  19  is loosely attached to the eyelet  26 . The propeller hook assembly  19  comprises a spacer means  44 , a propeller means  40 , a spacer means  46 , a propeller means  42 , and a spacer means  48  disposed axially on a wire shaft  50 . A hook  32  is attached loosely to the rearward most portion of the wire shaft  50 .  
         [0026]    A skimmer lip  55 , preferably comprises a tear dropped-shape spoon having a convex side and a concave side, such as a colorado spinner blade. The skimmer lip  55  is securely affixed centrally, proximate the forward most portion of the lower most portion of the nose section  12 . The concave side of the skimmer lip  55  is adjacent the nose section  12 . An epoxy adhesive or at least one screw, or other such fastening means, maybe used to secure the skimmer lip  55  to the body  18 . The skimmer lip  55  preferably extends beyond the forward most end of the nose section  12  but not necessarily beyond the eyelet  20 . As with most fishing lures an eye  54  is disposed at the rearward portion of the nose section  12 . Now referring to FIG. 3, the skimmer lip  55  preferably is of sufficient size as to extend beyond the edges of the nose section  12 . A second eye  56  is shown opposing the eye  54  and may be bulging from the body  18 . Refer to FIG. 1 to better visualize the preferred physical relationship of the skimmer lip  55  and the body  18 . Note also that FIGS.  8  to  11  illustrate alternative embodiments of the present invention utilizing different skimmer lips for surface lures. It should be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art, in view of the present discussion, that further alternative shapes, mass, and sizes of skimmer lips may be utilized with surface lures to effect the advantages of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0027]    With reference to FIG. 2, note that by removing the propeller hook assembly  19  and the propeller stabilizer  29 , a second embodiment of the present invention can be realized. Referring to FIG. 6, a hook  31  is attached to a split ring  56  and affixed to eyelet  226 . This feature creates a second embodiment of the present invention by providing a modified surface lure  215 .  
       Operation of a Preferred Embodiment of the Present Invention  
       [0028]    Referring to FIG. 2, the general function of the surface lure  15  can be effected by one or more factors, such as the size of the skimmer lip  55 , the weight of the counter weight  52 , the overall shape and mass of skimmer lip, and the relative size of the body  18 . The counter weight  53  is preferably adjusted beyond the point of positive bouncy preferably keeping the center of gravity of the surface lure  15  rearward, a nose up position on the waters surface, and the tail portion  14  under the waters surface. The body  18  is preferably flat sided and slender as compared to it&#39;s length and shape. The skimmer lip  55  functions with a wide range of sizes for example colorodo deep cup blades number 6 through number 8.  
         [0029]    Now referring to FIG. 5, when the surface lure is retrieved across the surface of the water the skimmer lip  55  creates lift thus preventing the surface lure  15  to dive below the surface of the water. The convex shape of the skimmer lip  55  introduces a slight rolling action, as indicated by the arrow, and the relatively large flat surface of the body  18  interacts with wave action to magnify the roll and make the roll erratic. This roll is realized with virtually all retrieve speeds from stop and go to a slow steady retrieve even as fast as trolling speeds. FIG. 4 indicates the preferred action of the propellers  40  and  42  that are preferably contra-rotating relative to each other. The relatively large size of the body  18  somewhat restricts water flow across the propellers  40  and  42  thus reducing the amount of propeller splash and thereby making the surface lure  15  a more natural presentation as a prey fish.  
         [0030]    Referring to FIG. 2, the propeller stabilizer  29  helps maintain the propeller hook assembly in an extended direction while casting the surface lure  15 , effectively reducing hook fouling during the cast.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 7 illustrates the function of a second embodiment of the present invention. The modified surface lure  215  is retrieved with a snapping of the rod tip repeatedly. The relatively large size and convex shape of the skimmer lip  255  produces a side to side darting motion known as “walk the dog.” The relatively large profile of the modified surface lure  215  interacts with the water to produce a roll as illustrated by FIG. 5.  
         [0032]    Referring to FIG. 6, the counter weight  252  preferably is adjusted rather heavy, to the point of almost sinking the modified surface lure  215 . Now the modified surface lure  215  can be retrieved slowly across the surface with the “walk the dog” action as illustrated in FIG. 7. If the retrieve rate is speeded up, the modified surface lure  215  exhibits an erratic “walk the dog” action just bellow the surface of the water. The counter weight  252  preferably is heavy enough to counteract but not eliminate the hydrodynamics of the skimmer lip  255  and its interaction with the body  218 . The result is a life like darting action at, and just below, the surface of the water. This is a significant advantage of the present invention. A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a surface lure device that facilitates attracting and catching large game fish, such as Muskie.  
         [0033]    Although specific embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, those having ordinary skill in the art will understand that changes can be made to the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is not to be restricted, therefore, to the specific embodiments, and it is intended that the appended claims cover any and all such applications, modifications, and embodiments within the scope of the present invention.