Artificial Fishing Baits.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 9th July, 1886.
Complete Left, 30th Mar., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 9th Aug., 1887.
Artificial Fishing Baits.
1, HAROLD WYERS, of the Piscatorial Works, Redditch, in the County of Worcester,
Fishing Tackle Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
SLIDING SPRING FISH-HOOKS, AND A METHOD OF APPLYING THEM TO ARTIFICIAL AND
TO NATURAL FISHING BAITS to be as follows:-
To any artificial bait made of metal, as for example, the spoon-bait (shown at a. a. a.
figure 1), which is somewhat larger but almost of the same shape and make as the
bowl of an ordinary tea-spoon, I solder, on the concave side by preference, a little
bridge b made of thin sheet metal and of a form which will be clearly understood by
referring to figure 2. I also prepare another little bridge of the same material and
shape to be soldered on the spoon-bait later on, in the place indicated by dotted lines
in figure 1.
at
I next make the sliding spring hook, which is a compound one made of two, or by
preference, of four single hooks rivetted together at the ends of the shanks as shown
in skeleton form in figure 3. Of these hooks the two middle ones are about two and
a half inches long and the two outer ones of about half this length, and when I have
rivetted them together in the two places indicated by e.e. all of them, but especially
the two middle ones, have a tendency after compression, to spring outwards with some
force.
To gain this elasticity and to enable me to rivet the hooks closely together as above
described, I flatten the sides of the shanks and pierce each of these with two holes ;
also, when the sliding spring hook has to be applied to the concave side of a spoon-
hait, I curve the shanks of the hooks so that they may slide in accordance with this
concavity. Figure 4. shows a single hook, flattened, pierced at ee for rivetting and
curved in the shank, and when the four single hooks are thus made and rivetted
together the compound sliding spring hook is complete.
Having made this sliding spring hook I proceed to apply it to the spoon bait in the
following manner. I insert the rivetted end of the sliding spring hook under the
bridge b. figure 5. and then compressing the shanks ff of the two middle hooks hold

page_text: them constrained in this position by placing over them the second bridge g which I
then solder down upon the spoon-bait a a a in the place shown in the same figure.
The sliding spring hook is thus held in a constrained state so long as it remains in
this position under the two little bridges, but when the fish is struck the act of doing this
causes the rivetted end of the sliding spring hook to slip from under the bridge b and
also releases the shanks ff of the two middle hooks from the constraint of the bridge g
so that they both fly outwardly and the whole assumes the position shown in figure 6,
the letters of reference in which figure correspond with those in figure 5.
And by means of the two little bridges and a sliding spring hook I can apply my
invention to any metal bait, it being only necessary to use a straight shanked
sliding spring hook or a curved shanked one according to the shape of the metal
bait.
Further, I can apply this sliding spring hook to the natural bait by connecting the
two little bridges under which it slides, by a simple strip of sheet metal h. h. figure 7.
having at its back a pin i hinged to the strip of metal in the same way as is the pin
of a lady's brooch and like this provided with a catch k.
Having placed the sliding spring hook under the two bridges in precisely the same
manner as before described in the example of the spoon-bait, I pass the pin i through
the side of the natural bait and then insert the pointed end of the pin in the catch k.
The whole is thus affixed to the side of the natural bait and when the fish is struck the
action of the sliding spring hook is precisely the same as when it is applied to a metal
bait.
Having now described fully the nature of my Invention and the manner in which
it is to be performed I claim as my Invention this sliding spring hook and the method
of applying it to any metal bait by means of the two little bridges as above described
and also of applying the same to a natural bait by means of a strip of metal connecting
the two little bridges, and furnished with a pin and catch to attach the whole to the
natural bait.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Sliding Spring Hooks and a Method of Applying them to any
Artificial Fishing Baits.
I HAROLD WYERS of the Piscatorial Works, Redditch, in the County of Worcester
Fishing Tackle Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
SLIDING SPRING FISH HOOKS, AND A METHOD OF APPLYING THEM TO ARTIFICIAL BAITS
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:—
To any artificial fishing baits, as for example the spoon bait shown at a. a. a. figure (1)
I solder on the concave side by preferance two guides B, & C, clearly shown in detail
figure (2), in which my sliding spring hooks work up and down. I next make the
sliding spring hooks, which is a double hook bowed at the top of the shanks, the
shanks are flatted half round, this improves the elasticity of the hooks which is clearly
shown in figure (3). Two or more hooks may be used in like manner, this sliding
spring hook may vary in size or shape according to bait required. Having now made
this sliding spring hook, I proceed to apply it to a spoon bait in the following manner.
I compress the two hooks together and lay them in the two guides B. & C. I then
bend the two guides over the shanks of the hooks, forming two little bridges of them
through which the hooks slide up and down, as clearly shown in figures (4) & (5).
The top bridge is smaller in diameter than the bow at the top of the shanks of the
hooks, forming a jamb for the bow of the hooks, and thus preventing the hooks from
sliding right through the bridges, as shown in figure (5). The hooks while kept in
the position as shown in figure (4) are in a constrained position, but when struck by
fish they immediately slide back and spring out with great force, as shown in
figure (5), and by the means of the two bridges and a sliding spring hook, I can apply
my invention to any artificial fishing bait, it only being necessary to use a straight
shanked hook or a curved one according to the shape of the artificial bait required.
Having now fully described the nature of my invention, and the manner in which
it is to be performed I claim as my invention this sliding spring hook, and the method
of applying it to any artificial fishing bait.
Dated this 20th day of March 1887