Abstract:
A fishing lure capable of numerous operations to attract fish including a keel with a base platform at one end and an upper body at the other end. Forward fins are mounted on the upper body and a plurality of openings for tow points are provided. A tail rudder which can be rotated to provide various movements of the fishing lure is also mounted on the upper body. A bait line hook is mounted on the base platform to hold a fishing line.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention pertains to fishing devices and more particularly to a fishing lure to be towed by a boat to lure fish to strike at bait attached to the fishing lure. 
     2. Prior Art and Objects 
     Devices are known which oscillate under water and simulate the movement of fish which attracts larger fish to strike. One patent pertaining to such a trolling device is Mastropaulo, U. S. Pat. No. 4,254,573 which was issued on Mar. 10, 1981. This device offered a trolling device that worked well. Since then further development has resulted in substantial improvements to create a trolling device or fishing lure which can with predictability perform five separate patterns as follows: 
     1. Down Rigger 
     2. Surface 
     3. Out and Down 
     4. High Speed Trolling 
     5. Predator Pattern 
     In the development of the fishing lure which is the subject of this invention, it was also essential, in addition to the capabilities set forth above, to produce a device that is durable and can be easily adjusted to perform its specifically desired function. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to produce a fishing lure that can perform a multiplicity of fishing patterns. 
     It is another object of this invention to produce a fishing lure that is durable. 
     It is still another object of this invention to produce a fishing lure that is buoyant and will float to the surface should it become disconnected from its line or lines. 
     It is still a further object of this invention to produce a lure that is economical. 
     These and other objects will be apparent to one skilled in the art when the claims are read in conjunction with the Detail Description of the Preferred Embodiment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A fishing lure is provided which is towed by a boat and having a bait line attached to the fishing lure. The fishing lure includes a keel which is a flat sheet with a forward end and a tail end and an upper edge and a lower edge. A keel member is affixed generally at right angles to the upper edge of the keel along the longitudinal axis of the keel member. The keel is secured at its lower edge to the base platform substantially at right angles to the base platform. The keel member is secured to an upper enclosure which has an upper surface. Forward fins are removably mounted on the upper surface of the upper enclosure while forward fins are removably mounted on the upper surface of the upper enclosure toward the forward end. A tail rudder is removably mounted on the upper surface of the upper enclosure toward the tail end. The tail rudder includes a pair of swept back wings and a pair of rudders with rudders mounted on the outside edges of the wings. A bait line is mounted on the base platform. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the fishing lure. 
     FIG. 2 is side elevation of the lure when adapted for low speed operation. 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the lure when adapted for low speed operation. 
     FIG. 4 is a rear elevation of the lure when adapted for low speed operation. 
     FIG. 5 is a rear elevation of the lure when adapted for high speed operation. 
     FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the lure when adapted for high speed operation. 
     FIG. 7 is a side view similar to FIG. 2 but with a tail section for high speed operation. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE NUMERALS 
     
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 NUMERAL 
                 DESCRIPTION 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 11 
                 Upper Body 
               
               
                 13 
                 Base Platform 
               
               
                 14 
                 Longitudinal Axis 
               
               
                 15 
                 Keel 
               
               
                 17 
                 Forward End 
               
               
                 18 
                 Opening 
               
               
                 19 
                 Tail End 
               
               
                 20 
                 Opening 
               
               
                 21 
                 Upper Edge 
               
               
                 23 
                 Lower Edge 
               
               
                 25 
                 Top edge 
               
               
                 27 
                 Keel Member 
               
               
                 28 
                 Longitudinal Axis 
               
               
                 29 
                 Upper Enclosure 
               
               
                 30 
                 Longitudinal Axis 
               
               
                 31 
                 Foam 
               
               
                 33 
                 Upper Surface 
               
               
                 35 
                 Forward Section 
               
               
                 37 
                 Tail Section 
               
               
                 39 
                 Forward Fins 
               
               
                 41 
                 Five Openings 
               
               
                 43 
                 Two Bolts 
               
               
                 45 
                 Three Bolt Holes 
               
               
                 47 
                 Tail Rudder 
               
               
                 49 
                 Swept Back Wings 
               
               
                 51 
                 Two Rudders 
               
               
                 53 
                 Outside Edges 
               
               
                 55 
                 Curved Slot 
               
               
                 56 
                 Bolt Opening 
               
               
                 57 
                 Bolt Hole 
               
               
                 59 
                 Bolt 
               
               
                 61 
                 Retainer Bolt 
               
               
                 63 
                 Pivot Hole 
               
               
                 65 
                 Wide Section 
               
               
                 67 
                 Narrow Section 
               
               
                 69 
                 Slot 
               
               
                 71 
                 Bait Line Hook 
               
               
                 73 
                 Indentations 
               
               
                 75 
                 Pair Of Mountings 
               
               
                 77 
                 Single Mounting 
               
               
                 79 
                 Threaded Opening 
               
               
                 81 
                 Bolt 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to FIG.  1  and FIG. 2, the fishing lure has an upper body  11  and a base platform  13 . Between the upper body  11  and the base platform  13 , a keel  15  is located. The fishing lure itself as well as the upper body  11 , the keel  15  and the base platform  13 , as well as other parts of the fishing lure have the same forward end  17  and tail end  19 . 
     The keel  15  is a flat sheet. The keel  15 , besides having the forward end  17  and the tail end  19 , also has an upper edge  21  which is connected to the upper body  11  and a lower edge  23  which is connected to the base platform  13 . The forward end  17  of the keel  15  extends from the upper body  11  at the forward end  17  of the upper body  11  toward the tail end  19  of the keel  15  and downwardly toward the base platform  13  and turns back toward the forward end  17  of the base platform  13  adjacent the base platform  13 . An opening  18  is located in the base platform  13  toward the forward end  17 . The base platform  13  has a longitudinal axis  14  The tail end  19  of the keel  15  extends toward the forward end  17  of the keel  15  adjacent the upper body  11  and then extends substantially straight toward the base platform  13  and then slopes toward the tail end  19  of the base platform  13  adjacent the base platform  13 . An opening  20  is located in the base platform  13  toward the tail end  19 . In general, the forward end  17  of the keel  15  and the tail end  19  of the keel  15  slope toward each other between the base platform  13  and the upper body  11 . 
     Small weights (not shown) may be suspended from either the opening  18  or the opening  20  in the base platform  13  to provide a desired change in the pitch of the fishing lure. 
     As best seen in FIG. 5, the keel  15  at its upper edge  21  is secured to a keel member  27 . The keel member  27  is flat and elongated and extends from the forward end  17  of the upper body  11  to the tail end  19  of the upper body  11 . The keel member  27  has a longitudinal axis  28 . Toward the tail end  19  of the fishing lure, the keel member  27  slopes downwardly toward the base platform  13 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 2,  4  and  5 , the keel member  27  is secured into an upper enclosure  29 . The upper enclosure  29  has substantially the cross section of an inverted U and has a longitudinal axis  30 . The keel member  27  is sealed to the bottom of the upper enclosure  29  thereby closing the open part of the U. The upper enclosure  29  and the keel member  27  form the upper body  11  which is a sealed chamber that is water tight and is further filled with foam  31 . The upper body  11  provides buoyancy to the fishing lure but in the event of a leak in the upper body  11 , the foam  31  retains the necessary buoyancy to cause the fishing lure to float to the surface if not being towed. 
     The upper enclosure  29  has a upper surface  33  that is generally flat. The upper surface  33  has a forward section  35  and a tail section  37  both of which are flat but the tail section  37  is slightly elevated above the forward section  35  so that the tail section  37  of the upper surface  33  is slightly further removed form the base platform  13 . The forward section  35  is located toward the forward end  17  and the tail section  37  is located toward the tail end  19 . 
     On the forward section  35  of the upper surface  33 , forward fins  39  are located. The forward fins  39  are swept back. The forward end  17  of the forward fins  39  is swept back at an angle slightly greater than the tail end  19  of the forward fins  39 . The forward fins  39  also slope slightly downwardly from the upper surface  33  of the upper body  11  toward the base platform  13 . On the top of the forward fins  39 , along the center of the forward fins  39 , is a series of five openings  41  used to tow the fishing lure with different results being achievable depending upon which one of the five openings  41  is used. 
     The forward fins  39  are secured to the upper surface  33  by two bolts  43 . The upper surface  33  of the upper enclosure  39 , however, has three bolt holes  45  which permits the forward fins  39  to be mounted in a plurality of positions. The forward fins  39  may, as a result of the bolt holes  45 , be moved toward the forward end  17  or back toward the tail end  19  by a distance of one inch. The change in the center of pressure results in a change in the dive angles. At a speed above ten miles per hour, the forward fins  39  is placed toward the forward end  17 . As a result, dive angles decrease and the fishing lure can be used up to nineteen miles per hour. Below ten miles per hour, the forward fins  39  are placed toward the tail end  19 . However, the angle of dive always increases with an increase in speed. 
     In a low speed operation, as shown in FIG. 3, the two of the the three bolt holes  45  toward the tail end  19  of the fishing lure are used. As shown in FIG. 6, with a high speed operation, two of the three bolt holes  45  toward the forward end  17  of the upper surface  33  are used. With high speed usage, the forward fins  39  are closer to the forward end  17  of the fishing lure and further from the tail end  19  of the fishing lure than with a low speed operation. 
     The forward fins  39  incorporate an aspect ration of approximately one. Aspect ration is defined by the span divided by the mean chord of the forward fins  39 . The forward fins  39  are swept back thirty degrees and this degree of back sweep with the aspect ration results in unstable design. This is done so that the small differences between the five openings  41  used as the tow points results in substantial changes in the resulting dive angle which can change from ten degrees to eighty-five degrees. The result is that fishing with the fishing lure can be either deep or shallow. 
     The upper enclosure  29  at the tail section  37 , as previously stated, is slightly elevated over the forward section  35  where the forward fins  39  are located. On the tail section  37 , a tail rudder  47  is located. The tail rudder  47  has two components, namely a wing component which includes a pair of swept back wings  49  and a rudder component which includes two rudders  51  extending downwardly from the swept back wings  49 . The swept back wings  49  are flat and swept back across the upper enclosure  29  and do not slope as do the forward fins  39 . The swept back wings  49  have outside edges  53  and the two rudders  51  are mounted substantially at right angles to the swept back wings  49  adjacent the outside edges  53 . As best seen in FIG. 2, the two rudders  51  are triangular plates. As best seen by comparing FIG.  4  and FIG. 5, for high speed operation, the size of the two rudders  51  is substantially reduced from the size of the two rudders  51  used with a rudder for slow speed operation. 
     The swept back wings have a curved slot  55  in it and a bolt opening  56  through the swept back wings  49  located toward the forward end  17  from the curved slot  55 . A bolt hole  57 , which is threaded, is located beneath the bolt opening  56  and a bolt  59  is placed through the bolt opening  56  into the bolt hole  57  but does not secure the swept back wings to the upper enclosure  39  but rather serves as a pivot point for the tail rudder  47 . A retainer bolt  61  is placed through the curved slot  55  and is secured into the upper enclosure  29  at a pivot hole  63  which is also threaded. The retainer bolt  61  secures the tail rudder  47  in place at whatever angle is desired for any specific operation. 
     To fish the surface, the tail rudder  47  is turned to the maximum position. This results at low speeds to turn the fishing lure to it&#39;s side. The extent to which the tail rudder  47  is turned, controls the extent of the roll of the fishing lure. The tail rudders  51  used for low speed operation are larger triangular plates which move the fishing lure away from the boat. Conversely, the high speed rudders  51 , which are much smaller triangular plates, are turned to drive the fishing lure toward the boat which reduces roll. 
     The base platform  13  at its forward end  17  is rounded and then expands to a width just slightly less than the forward fins  39  forming a wide section  65 . The base platform  13  narrows to form a narrow section  67  having a width just slightly greater than the upper enclosure  29  as the base platform  13  extends toward the tail end  19 . The narrow section  67  is substantially narrower than the wide section  65 . A slot  69  is located in the center of the narrow section  67  of the base platform  13  toward the tail end  19 . 
     A fishing bait hook  71  is mounted to rotate in the slot  69  located in the narrow section  67  of the base platform  13 . The fishing bait hook  71  has a crescent shape with a pair of indentations  73 . On the base platform  13  facing the upper body  11 , a pair of mountings  75  are secured on opposite sides of the slot  69 . The fishing bait hook  71  is mounted at one end to rotate in the pair of mountings  75 . On the side of the base platform  13  opposite from the pair of mountings  75 , a single mounting  77  is located with a threaded opening  79  through it generally parallel to the base platform  13 . The single mounting  77  is located slightly toward the forward end  17  of the base platform  13  from the slot  69 . A bolt  81  is placed in the threaded opening  79  and when tightened down against the fishing bait hook  71 , the bolt  81  holds the fishing bait hook  71  in place. However, by turning the bolt  81  back, the fishing bait hook  71  may be released. 
     The bolt  81  intersects the fishing bait hook  71  at a point just inside the end of the fishing bait hook  71 . The fishing bait hook  71  is set by holding the fishing lure and loosening the bolt  81  until the fishing bait hook  71  opens. The fishing bait hook  71  is then closed and the bolt  81  is tightened two turns. In this manner, the fishing bait hook  71  will pull past the bolt  81  when a fish is caught. At that point, the fishing lure is disengaged and the fish is taken in the usual known techniques using a fishing pole. It should be noted that the fishing bait hook  71  must open to the rear as the fishing line goes to the boat forward of the fishing lure. 
     To utilize the fishing lure as a down rigger, either the most forward or rear tow points are used with tail rudder  47  in a straight position which means that the tail rudder  47  is aligned with the keel  15 . Of the five openings  41 , the one which is closest to the forward end  17  results in the most shallow dive and the one closest to the tail end  19  results in the deepest dive. 
     To utilize the fishing lure as an outrigger, surface fishing is accomplished with the forward fins  39  located closest to the tail rudder  47  as shown in FIG.  3 . The tail rudder  47  is swung to its most extreme position. The use of different ones of the five openings  41  as tow points results in a range of angles to the boat that ranges from large to small. 
     The operation of out and down with the fishing lure is achieved with the tail rudder  47  placed only moderately off the center position. With this operation, the fishing lure will go out from the boat and then down. 
     To accomplish high speed trolling, the tail rudder  49  intended for high speed operation (FIG. 5) must be employed. The tail rudder  49  is turned inboard to drive the fishing lure toward the boat. The forward fins  39  are located in a position closest to the forward end. 
     A predator pattern is achieved by playing out forty to fifty yards of line between the boat and the fishing lure. If the line is connected to the opening of the five openings  41  closest to the tail end  19 , a thirty to forty foot dive will result. If the opening of the five openings  41  closest to the forward end  17  is utilized, a twenty foot dive will be achieved. 
     It is to be understood that the drawings and description matter are in all cases to be interpreted as merely illustrative of the principles of the invention, rather than as limiting the same in any way, since it is contemplated that various changes may be made in various elements to achieve like results without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.