Abstract:
A lure for mounting bait fish includes a unitary weighted body having a socket for receiving the nose of the bait fish and a lower tail section having inwardly projecting hooks for penetrating the sides of the bait fish to effect a secure, properly oriented mounting.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 USC 121 of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/299,361 filed on Jun. 19, 2001 in the name of Faulkner et al. and entitled “Bait Fish Lure”. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to fishing lures, and in particular to a lure for securely mounting a bait fish. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the sport fishing of various predator fish such as mackerel, wahoo, swordfish and the like, it is common practice to use as a lure an appropriate bait fish such as ballyhoo. Using accepted techniques, the hook line is manually wrapped around the bait fish and the hook barb attached to the tail. Oftentimes a sleeve is placed around the belly of the bait fish for additional support during the line attachment. In addition to being laborious, great skill and expertise is required to provide a lure attachment that will simulate the movement of the bait fish and accordingly provide the greatest enticement for the predator fish. Notwithstanding the above, the attaching gear detracts from desired natural appearance of the bait fish, particularly when the attaching procedure obscures the eyes of the bait fish, which many believe to present an artificiality to the lure that disinterests the target sport fish. Moreover, such mountings are highly prone to unnatural inversion during trolling. 
     For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,829,186 and 5,611,168 to Schultz et al. disclose a fishing lure wherein the head of the fish is encased in a pair of barbed jaws that cover the eyes and detract from the attractiveness of the bait to the attacking fish. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,255 to Hicks discloses a plastic sleeve that encases the head of the fish. Although the sleeve is initially transparent and the head visible, the transparency decreases in the fishing environment and the effect is mitigated. 
     Other approaches for rigging bait fish involve mounting the head in an encircling collar as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,337,442 to Schultz and 4,233,771 to Robinson. Both are formed of plastic material creating problems in trolling stability and making it difficult to control the depth of the lure. A further approach as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,914,896 to Sahagian uses a pair of spring biased jaws to retain the body of the bait fish. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a lure that rapidly securely mounts the bait fish with a minimal obscuring of the bait fish profile, enables easy attachment of even multiple barbed hooks, and provides the hydrodynamics for maintaining natural upright orientation of the bait fish for low speed trolling and deeper water transit, as well as bottom positioning at rest. The bait fish lure has a unitary lead body having an apertured conical nose section for receiving and retaining the nose of a bait fish and a symmetrically flared tail section defining an upwardly trough for supporting the lower portion of the nose of the bait fish, while leaving the eyes of the bait fish exposed. Inwardly projecting hooks on the tail section penetrate and secure the body of the fish to the body. A leader line extends through a lower longitudinal passage in body and is attached at the trailing end to a barbed hook. The tail section of the lure presents a balanced weighted shape under trolling or static conditions and presents a consistent realistic profile of the bait fish. The tail section also creates a turbulent flow along the body of the bait fish imparting a natural swimming section to the tail of the bait fish. Upon a predator fish striking, the lure is free to break away from the fish a travel forwardly on the leader. 
     Accordingly, it is an object to provide a fish lure to which a bait fish may be readily and securely attached. 
     Another object is to provide a fish lure for billed bait fish that presents a natural appearance. 
     A further object is to provide a bait fish lure that is stable and upright under trolling and static conditions. 
     Yet another object is to provide a bait lure presenting a realistic appearance to an attached bait fish and imparting natural swimming movements thereto during movement. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a live bait fish lure in accordance with a preferred embodiment with a bait fish on the lure shown in dashed lines; 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the live bait fish lure shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a top view of the live bait fish lure; 
     FIG. 4 is a partially sectioned side cross sectional view of the live bait fish with the leader illustrated; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectioned side cross sectional view of the live bait fish lure with the leader removed; 
     FIG. 6 is a front view of the live bait fish lure; 
     FIG. 7 is a rear view of the live bait fish lure; and 
     FIGS. 8 through 10 are schematic view of the sequential attachment of the bait fish to the lure. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the drawings for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment only and not for limiting same, FIG. 1 shows a live bait fish lure  10  carrying a bait fish  12 , such as a ballyhoo, and operatively attached to a leader  14 . The lure  10  terminates with a barbed hook  18  carried by the leader  14  and attached at the tail of the bait fish  12 . 
     Referring additionally to FIGS. 2 through 7, the lure  10  comprises a unitary body  30  formed of a suitable material such as lead. The lure  10  includes a generally frustoconical frontal nose section  32  and a rearward tail section  34  carried on a lower body rib  36 . The nose section  32  has an inner conical surface forming a ovate opening  38  blending with the upper surface of the rib  36 . The tail section includes a pair of laterally spaced side wings  40 . The wings  40  have a curved end walls  41  extending rearwardly beyond the end of the rib  36  to define a vertical rearwardly opening slot. 
     The side wings  40  have planar inner walls  42  diverging outwardly and upwardly from the side margins of the upper surface  43  of the rib  36 . The upper surface of the rib has a lesser contour than the lower surface to more closely conform with the jaw profile of the bait fish. The side wings  40  have outer side walls comprising inwardly and upwardly converging upper sections  44  terminating and blending with the upper ends of the inner walls  42  and lower sections  46  converging downwardly and inwardly blending with the lower surface of the body rib  36 . The inner walls  42  and the upper surface  43  of the rib  36  form a trough that engages and cradles the lower jaw of the fish head and terminate adjacent and beyond the gill area. The inner walls  42  are provided with inwardly projecting, slightly forwardly inclined, needle hooks  48  which penetrate the sides of the bait fish for securing the bait fish to the lure  10 . The nose section  32  and outer walls of the tail section present a sculpted exterior surface blending with the contours of the bait fish. The wall surfaces establish a balanced hydrodynamic contour to the lure and provide a stable orientation at varying trolling speeds. They also provide a static balance to the lure for bottom fishing, correctly orienting the lure at rest. Further the symmetry, inclination and rounded termination of the wing sections impart a turbulent flow over the body of the bait fish, imparting a side-to-side action to the bait fish simulating natural swimming movements. 
     The nose section  32  is provided with the nose socket  50  for receiving the nose of the fish. A frontal hole  52  in the nose section  32  communicates with the socket  50  and facilitates attachment of billed bait fish, such as the ballyhoo. 
     As shown in FIG. 5, a leader passage  54  is centrally formed in the body rib  36 . The lure  10  is thus slidably disposed on the leader  14  allowing the lure to break away from the bait fish during a strike and move freely along the length of the leader. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the leader  14  is a typical construction, such as a copper wire having a trailing end terminated with a twisted loop  60  carrying a conventional snap fastener  62  to which the barbed hook  18  is attached. A ball member  64  having a diametral hole is threaded onto the leader  14  and covers the coils at the loop  60 . The ball member  64  reinforces the end of the loop during to prevent kinking of the leader line. A cylindrical ferrule  66  is threaded onto the leader between the rear wall  68  of the rib  36  and the ball member  54 . The front end of the ferrule  56  engages the rear wall  58  of the rib  36  to limit rearward travel of the lure and provide the propelling engagement surface for forward movement of the lure, while accommodating the above mentioned break away sliding of the lure. 
     For providing stable, simulated movement of the bait fish, the lateral sides of the lure are upwardly and rearwardly flared to provide stabilizing surfaces. The bottom surface  54  is rearwardly circumferentially flared for reducing drag while trolling. The weight of the lure and attachment to the bait fish allow the baited lure to sink toward bottom depths while maintaining an erect, natural appear horizontal profile. 
     As shown in FIGS. 8 through 10, the lure  10  cradles and carries the beak and head of the bait fish  12 . The head of the bait fish  12  is initially inserted into the rearwardly opening socket on the nose section of the lure  10  with the bill of the bait fish extending through the frontal opening of the socket. The fish  12  is initially inserted into the socket at a shallow angle of about 30° as shown in FIG.  8 . Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 9, the body of the fish is pivoted downwardly whereat inwardly projecting needle hooks  48  penetrate the sides of the fish, thereby capturing the later and maintaining orientation of the fish  12  with respect to the lure. The hook  18  is conventionally attached at the tail of the fish as shown in FIG.  10 . As a result, the bait fish  12  is readily conveniently and securely positioned on the lure  10  with the fish bearing a clear profile with the eyes visible. 
     It will thus be appreciated that the bait fish lure as described above overcomes the extensive limitations of prior bait fish mountings and provides a natural appearing bait fish attachment that presents the baited lure to the sport fish in an enticing disposition. 
     Having thus described a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will now be appreciated that the objects of the invention have been fully achieved, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from is the sprit and scope of the present invention. The disclosures and description herein are intended to be illustrative and are not in any sense limiting of the invention, which is defined solely in accordance with the following claim.