Patent Publication Number: US-5025586-A

Title: Fishing lure apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates in general to a fishing lure attachable to a fishing line, and in particular to a fishing lure comprising a plastic worm having a fishing hook attached thereto with a weight attached to the front of the worm which lure is primarily adapted for bass fishing. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Bass fishing is a specialty unto itself within the broad fishing category of artificial worm fishing using a pole and reel. Within the technique of bass fishing, is a category wherein the fisherman casts a lure to a particular spot within a body of water with the lure descending substantially straight downward by means of a weight attached to the lure. Once the lure hits bottom, the fisherman then jigs the line so that the lure moves in a way that it simulates the movement of a live worm. This type of bass fishing is very popular among bass fisherman who apparently have had relatively good success with the technique. 
     The rig most generally associated with bass fishing comprises the attachment of a plastic worm in a manner which is commonly known as &#34;a Texas rig,&#34; including variations thereof. In this type of rig, the fishing hook having a fishing line attached thereto is embedded into and through the front portion of a plastic worm such that the eyelet of the hook remains embedded within the plastic worm approximately three-quarters of an inch from the head of the lure. Then the hook is extended to the rear of the worm where its pointed end is embedded within the body of the plastic worm. Finally, the Texas rig is completed by utilizing a lead weight in the front of the lure so that when it is cast, the lure descends toward the bottom of the body of water. The lead weight may be fixedly attached to the line a distance away from the head of the worm; or, the lead weight may be fixedly attached to the line at the location of the head of the worm; or, the lead weight may be slidingly attached to the line, that is, it may move along the length of the line in the general vicinity of the head of the worm. 
     Because of the desire during bass fishing to have the lure freely pass through the aquatic vegetation, a bullet-shaped lead weight having a hole through the center axis thereof is most commonly used. In practice, the bullet-shaped weight is attached to the line or to the eyelet of the hook. Where the weight is attached to the line, a thin elongated member, such as a part of a toothpick or a part of a rubber band, is used to wedge the fishing line against the interior of a hole through the central axis of the lead weight. With the advent of a bullet-shaped weight having a helical attaching means attached thereto as shown and explained in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,212, issued Mar. 31, 1987, entitled &#34;Artificial Fishing Lure and Method of Use,&#34; it became desirable to use this type of weight and attaching means instead of using the toothpick or rubber bank to secure the weight to the fishing line. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus comprising a fishing lure whereby a lead weight may be attached to a plastic worm rigged as a Texas rig and whereby the line extending through the front portion of the worm and the weight does not get entangled with the attaching member. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a fishing lure rigged as a Texas rig whereby the fishing line extending within and through the body of the plastic fishing worm and the lead weight extends in a straight line therethrough. 
     The above-stated objects as well as other objects which, although not specifically stated, but are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention, are accomplished by the present invention and will become apparent from the hereinafter set forth Detailed Description of the Invention, Drawings, and the Claims appended herewith. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention accomplishes the above-stated objectives as well as others, by providing a fishing lure which is rigged as a Texas rig having a plastic worm and a lead weight attached thereto with the fishing line extending in a straight direction from the eyelet of the hook through and out of the lead weight in front of the fishing worm and thence to the pole and reel. 
     In the present invention, the lead weight to be attached to the front portion of a plastic fishing worm includes an attachment member comprising an expanded helical coil spring made from wire attached to and extending from the lead weight with a tube positioned with the helical coil. The helical coil attaching member further extends through and within a hole in the lead weight. According to the present invention, when assembling the lead weight to a plastic worm having a hook embedded therewithin in the manner of a Texas rig, the free end of the line is threaded through the opening through the tube so that when the lead weight is attached to the plastic worm, the fishing line does not get entangled upon the means to secure the lead weight to the plastic fishing worm. And, the fishing line extends from the eyelet of the hook through the plastic fishing worm and through the lead weight and out therefrom in a straight line. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TUE DRAWINGS 
     Various other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following discussion taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 illustrates the sequential rigging of a plastic worm in a Texas rig manner; 
     FIG. 2 illustrates in an enlarged cross section a lead weight to be attached to a fishing lure in combination with securement apparatus and means to prevent entanglement of a line within the plastic fishing worm; 
     FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of connecting the attaching means to the lead weight; and, 
     FIG. 4 illustrates in cross section a fully assembled plastic worm with a lead weight attached to the front thereof in a Texas rig arrangement. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. 
     Reference is now made to the drawings, wherein like characteristics and features of the present invention shown in the various figures are designated by the same reference numerals. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown therein the present invention comprising an improved Texas rig arrangement of a hook 15, plastic worm 11, and lead weight 21. A plastic worm 11 may comprise any one of the large variety of different colors or styles of worms that are presently available at the retail market. Typically, the worm includes a body portion 12 and a tail portion 13 with the body portion comprising an elongated substantially cylindrical portion which is quite flexible while the tail 13 portion comprises a relatively flat and elongated piece of the same flexible plastic. Hook 15 includes an eyelet 16 at one end thereof and a sharp barbed point 19 on the other end. In rigging the plastic worm 11 in a Texas rig arrangement, a fishing line 17 is securely attached to the eyelet portion 16 of hook 15, then hook 15 is placed in relation to worm 11 such that the barbed end portion 19 is placed against the center of end face 14 of worm 11. The hook 15 is then pushed into the bodY of the plastic worm such that the hook end 19 passes through the central axis of the worm 13 at the front portion thereof and exits through an opening 20 created by the sharp barbed point 19 of fishing hook 15. The fishing hook 15 is then pulled out through the aperture 20, but such that the eyelet end 16 of hook 15 remains embedded within the front portion 12 of the body of fishing worm 11. The configuration of hook 15 at this point in time in the rigging of the Texas rig is shown by item 15A in FIG. 1. Hook 15 is then grasped by the shank thereof, rotated approximately 180°, and the pointed barbed end 19 is embedded with the body of the worm toward the tail 13 thereof. Hook 15 is then located as represented by 15B of FIG. 1. It is to be noted that the fishing line 17, at this time, extends from the eyelet 16 of hook 15 through the front portion of the body 12 of worm 11 and emanates from the center of end face 14 as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. 
     In accordance with the present invention, a weighted end piece 21 is provided and is to be attached to the front portion 12 of the body of worm 11. Weight member 21 comprises a tip portion 22 having a shape similar to that of the end of a bullet that is having a outer surface which extends from a rounded tip thereof backward in a divergingly convex configuration which terminates at the concave end 28 thereof as shown in FIG. 2. A hole 23 is provided through the central axis of end portion 22 of weight 21. A helical member 25 is fixedly attached at one end 29 thereof to an elongated small diameter plastic tube 26. The plastic tube 26 extends through the opening within helical member 25 and through the opening 23 in end piece 22. Plastic tubing 26 is fixedly secured within opening 23 such as by gluing. End 29 of helical member 25 is of a reduced cross-sectional diameter so as to fixedly secure helical member 25 to plastic tube 26. End 28 of end piece 22 may thereafter be filled with a waterproof glue 30 so as to further fixedly secure helical member 25 to lead weight lead weight 21. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment of attaching helical member and tube member 26 to a bullet-shaped lead weight member 35. In this embodiment the lead weight end piece 34 includes a cylindrical boss 36 integrally formed with the concave end surface 37. A helically coiled wire member 38 is attached to boss 36 by utilizing the thread-like arrangement of the helical coils of member 38 to attach it to the cylindrical outer surface of boss 36 Once attached to boss 36, helical member 38 is maintained in position thereon by a force fit created by the larger external diameter of boss 36 compared to the smaller internal diameter of helical coil member 38. In this manner, helical member 38 is, in effect, threaded onto boss 36 and extends outward from the back end 37 of weight member 35 along its central axis. An elongated small diameter tube member 39 is press fitted at one end through the opening 40 of weight member 35 and extends through and out of helical coil member 38 at its other end. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates the connecting arrangement of the lead weight 21 or 31 to plastic worm 11 as well as hook member 15 and line 17 within the body of worm 11. After the worm 11 and hook 15 are rigged in a Texas rig fashion as per FIG. 1 of the drawings, the free end of fishing line 17 is threaded into and through and out of the opening 23 or 40 in small diameter tube member 26. As can be seen, due to the arrangement of tube member 26 or 39 within helical coil member 25 or 38, the fishing line 17 within the body of worm 11 must necessarily pass through the opening 27 or 41 within tube member 26 or 39. In so doing, the line 17 is prevented from becoming engaged or entangled with helical coil member 25 or 38 which is used to attach the plastic worm 11 to the weighted tip 21 or 31. Furthermore, it may be seen that line 17 extending from eyelet 16 to and through the opening 23 or 40 in tip portion 22 or 35, respectively, is in a straight line so that when a fish, such as a large-mouth bass, engages the fishing lure and is hooked by the pointed end 19 of hook 15 there will be a direct pull from the hook 15 through line 17 to the fishing rod and reel being held by the fisherman without any indirectness due to slack in the fishing line 17. This positive and direct connecting of the fishing lure to the fishing pole, in a straight line and without any entanglement therebetween further provides for a very sensitive feel, enabling the fisherman to know when to set the hook to ensnare a fish. 
     While the invention has been described, disclosed, illustrated and shown in certain terms or certain embodiments or modifications which it has assumed in practice, the scope of the invention is not intended to be nor should it be deemed to be limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved especially as they fall within the scope of the breadth and scope of the claims here appended.