Abstract:
A removable, adjustable attachment for fishing lures slows down and adds fish attracting movements to the motion of the lures to which it is connected.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to fishing tackle and more particularly to artificial fishing lures. Soft bodied fishing lures feel relatively lifelike to game fish, so the striking fish will usually hold a soft lure longer in its mouth than the fish would hold a hard bodied lure. This allows the fisherman additional time to recognize the strike and set a hook in the fish&#39;s mouth. Some types of soft plastic fishing lures do not have any inherent wobbling motion or action that attracts game fish and causes them to strike. It is up to the fisherman using these lures to retrieve them in a way that causes an action that produces strikes. Many fishermen lack the skill and patience to consistently manipulate their tackle in ways that give these soft bodied lures a strike inducing action. 
     Other types of fishing lures such lead head jigs also do not have inherent fish attracting motions. Also, non-floating artificial lures may sink or otherwise move too fast to induce strikes under many fishing conditions. 
     OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide improved fishing tackle. 
     Another object is to provide soft appendages for fishing lures that feel lifelike. 
     An additional object is to provide jigs, soft bodied, and non-floating fishing lures with strike inducing action. 
     Another object is to provide attachments for live and artificial baits that impart fish attracting motions to such baits. 
     A further object is to provide adjustable attachments for fishing lures that can change the action of the lures when fishing conditions change. 
     An additional object is to provide removable attachments for fishing lures that can help relatively unskilled fishermen catch more fish. 
     Another object is to provide fishing baits with expanded surfaces that slow down the baits. 
     A further object is to provide removable fishing bait attachments that reflect and disperse light and sound waves in many directions. 
     Another object is to provide fishing lures with attachments that impart rotational components to the movements of the lures. 
     A further object is to provide fishing lures and attachments for fishing lures that are rugged, economical, highly attractive, easy to use and change and adjust, and which do not possess defects found in similar prior art fishing tackle. 
     Other objects and advantages of the fishing tackle incorporating this invention will be found in the specification and claims and the scope of the invention will be set forth in the claims. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a fishing bait in accord with this invention. 
     FIG. 2 is partially cross sectional plan view of the bait shown in FIG. 1 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross section taken along the line  3 — 3  in FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross section taken along the line  4 — 4  in FIG. 2 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross section taken along the line  5 — 5  in FIG. 2 
     FIG. 6 a side view of another embodiment of a fishing bait in accord with this invention. 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged top plan view of the attachment shown in FIG.  6 . 
     FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross section taken along the line  8 — 8  in FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 9 is an-enlarged cross section taken along the line  9 — 9  in FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross section taken along the line  10 — 10  in FIG.  7 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The drawing shows a fishing tackle in accord with this invention. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-5 a fishing lure  1  includes an artificial soft bodied plastic bait or worm  2  that has been impailed on a hook  3  that is attached to a fishing line  4  in conventional manner. The lure  1  may be retrieved by reeling in or pulling on the line  4  in the general direction of the longitudinal axis  5  that runs through the center of the lure. 
     To impart fish attracting and strike inducing motions to the lure  1 , an integral one-piece attachment  6  has been placed on the bait  2 . The attachment  6  should be made from a soft plastic. The attachment  6  has a relatively thick cylindrical central hub  7  with a circular center hole  8 . The predetermined diameter of the hole  8  is less than the diameter of the of the portion  9  of the bait  2  where the attachment is located. The hub  7  has been stretched so that the bait  2  could be passed through the hole  8  and the resiliency of the hub allowed to grip the portion  9  with a friction fit tight enough to hold the attachment  6  in place. But the location of the attachment  6  along the worm  2  can be changed and the position of attachment  6  can be rotated or otherwise adjusted simply by moving or sliding the attachment  6  and bait relative to each other. The longitudinal central axis  5  of the bait  2  and the longitudinal central axis  10  of the hub  7  will be essentially coincident in the area where the attachment  6  is placed on the body of the bait  2 . 
     The attachment  6  imparts motion to the lure  1  by means of a plurality of spaced, relatively thin, elongated rotors  12  that are integral with the hub  7 . When viewed in cross section, the rotors  12  are essentially flat on one side  13  for their entire length, and when viewed in cross section the other or opposite side  14  of the rotors is arcuate or curved. The curvature of the side  14  need not be uniform throughout the length of any rotor  12 , and different rotors may have different degrees of curvature. Also the width W and thickness T of the rotors  12  may vary along their length. Preferably both the thickness and width diminish approaching the tips  15  of the rotors, which may be split at  16 . 
     The rotors  12  all lie in the same plane at their point or area  17  of attachment to the hub  7 , and that plane is perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis  10 . Thus the rotors  12  will be perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis in the area immediately adjacent to their points of attachment to the hub  7 . Because of their flexibility, resilience and relative thin elongated shape, the portions of the rotors  12  spaced away from the hub  7  will gyrate and oscillate when the lure  1  is moved in water, and portions of the rotors  12 , such as at their tips  15 , will have essentially universal movement. When the attachment  6  is made from transparent or translucent plastic, tiny reflective particles or speckles  18  may be incorporated into the plastic and dispersed throughout the rotors  12 . 
     Rotors  12  are integral with hub  7  at one of its ends  19 . The rotors  12  may be grouped into adjacent pairs that merge together at their points of attachment  17  with the hub  7 , as shown in FIG.  3 . As shown in FIG. 4, the attachment areas  17  on opposite sides of the hub  7  may be connected by a straight ledge  20  that runs around the hub  7 . The ledge  20  connects and adds stiffness to the rotors  12  in the area  17  of their attachment to the hub  7 . 
     FIGS. 6-10 show another embodiment of the invention in which a fishing lure  21  includes an artificial soft bodied plastic tubular bait  22  that has been impailed on a hook  3  that is attached to a fishing line  4  in conventional manner. The lure  21  may be retrieved by reeling in or pulling on the line  4  in the general direction of the longitudinal axis  23  that runs through the center of the lure. 
     An integral attachment  25  made from soft plastic has been placed on the bait  22 . The attachment  25  has a relatively thick cylindrical central hub  26  with a circular center hole  27 . The predetermined diameter of the hole  27  is less than the diameter of the of the portion  28  of the bait  22  in the area where the attachment is located. The hub  26  grips the portion  28  with a friction fit tight enough to hold the attachment  25  in place, and the location and rotational position of the attachment  25  can be changed or otherwise adjusted in the manner described above for the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-5. The longitudinal central axis  23  of the tubular bait  22  and the longitudinal central axis  29  of the hub  26  will be essentially coincident in the area where the attachment  25  is placed on the body of the bait  21 . 
     The attachment  25  also imparts motion to its lure by means of a plurality of spaced, relatively thin, elongated rotors  30  that are integral with its hub  26 . When viewed in cross section, the rotors  30  are essentially flat on one side  31  for their entire length, and when viewed in cross section the other or opposite side  32  of the rotors is arcuate or curved. The curvature of the side  32  need not be uniform throughout the length of any rotor  30 , and different rotors may have different degrees of curvature. Also the width W and thickness T of the rotors  30  may vary along their length. Preferably both the thickness and width diminish approaching the tips  33  of the rotors. 
     The rotors  30  all lie in the same plane at their point or area of attachment  34  to the hub  26 , and that plane is perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis  29 . Thus the rotors  30  will be perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis in the area immediately adjacent to their points of attachment to the hub  26 . The rotors  30  may be attached to the hub at its center and may be uniformly spaced around the circumference of the hub. Because of their flexibility, resilience and relative thin elongated shape, the portions of the rotors  30  spaced away from the hub  26  will gyrate and oscillate when the lure  21  is moved in water, and portions of the rotors  30 , such as at their tips  33 , will have essentially universal movement. The rotors  30  may include tiny reflective particles or speckles  35  as previously described, and the tips may be split at  36 . 
     The integral fishing lure attachments  6  and  25  may be injection molded from soft, pliable, resilient, life-like feeling plastics, such as plastisol formulations using polyvinyl chloride plasticized with esters of phathalate. Hubs  7  and  26  made from these plastics can stretch to receive, and then grip to hold, the portions of the lures to which they are attached. The fisherman can adjust and change to effect of the attachments  6  and  25  on his lures by sliding or rotating the attachments along the lures. Either the flat sides  13  and  31  or the round sides  14  and  32  of the rotors may face in the direction in which the lures are retrieved. The rotors for most of their length may move back and forth in essentially all directions as the lures are retrieved, and the rotors will slow the speed at which lures may be retrieved or fall in water. The pliability of the rotors  12  and  30  will enable strong forces to bend the rotors out of their perpendicular planes, but the inherent memory and resilience of the plastic will urge the rotors back toward or to their perpendicular planes in their areas  17  and  34  of attachment to the hubs. 
     When suspended vertically in air, as shown in FIG. 6, the rotors  12  and  30  will extend essentially perpendicularly to the central axis of their respective hubs  7  and  26  at the areas of attachment of the rotors to the hubs. When the fishing lures  1  and  21  are drawn through water or allowed to sink or otherwise move in water, the portions of these curved rotors  12  and  30  that act in the planes that are essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal central axes of the lures will impart rotational torques to the lures. These torques can cause the lures to turn, twist, oscillate or move in various unpredictable ways with respect to the lure longitudinal central axis. These unpredictable lure movements occur without requiring any special tackle manipulating skills from the fisherman. 
     While the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is not intended to illustrate or describe all of the equivalent forms or ramifications thereof. Also, the words used are words of description rather than limitation, and various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the appended claims cover all such changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.