Improvements in Spinning Baits.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Spinning Baits.
We, WILLIAM Hardy and John JAMES HARDY, of Alnwick, in the County
of Northumberland, trading as Hardy Brothers, Fishing Rod Manufacturers,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
"
This invention relates primarily to artificial spinning baits of the "Phan-
tom or "Devon " type; but is also in part applicable to mounts designed
for use with natural baits; as, for example, such as are referred to in the
Specification to our Letters Patent dated 3rd December, 1894, No. 23,457; our
objects being to render such baits better adapted for use under different con-
ditions, and to diminish their liability to derangement during the operations
of casting and working.
A spinning bait well adapted for use in shallow or rapid streams may be
but imperfectly adapted for use in deep sluggish waters; the rapidity of the
stream, the speed with which the bait is worked, and the obliquity of the fins,
all influencing the character of the effect produced. In order to enable the
spinning action of the bait to be regulated, we arrange the fins on pivots and
in such a manner that their inclination may be varied. One mode in which
this can be effected is to provide the body of the artificial bait (or the frame
in the case of a natural bait-carrier) with a transverse spindle or with pins
which project on either side and whereon the blades are pivotally mounted;
a steady-pin, arranged in the adjacent edge of the fin, engaging in one or
another of a series of holes formed in the body of the bait, according to the
angular position desired. The outer extremity of the spindle or pin whereon
the blade is mounted is furnished with a nut or button, beneath which is a
spiral spring arranged in such a manner as to ensure the blades remaining
engaged in the position in which they are set.
Rotatably mounted blades of the kind above referred to and capable of angular
adjustment are also applicable to various spinning mounts for natural baits, in-
cluding those the subject of our aforesaid Letters Patent. In the latter
instance, a central needle being employed, the blades are mounted on inde-
pendent, pivots, as distinguished from a through-pin common to both. It will
be obvious that, by the means described, the speed or rotation of the bait may,
not only be varied, but its direction reversed, should any tendency be noticed
for the line to "kink." It will also be obvious that various means, other
than those described, may be devised for securing the blades in any given angular
position.
In order to diminish the liability for the spinning flight to become deranged,
owing to the "flying" or other triangles fouling with other parts of the gear, we
form the imitation bait-body with two or three longitudinal slits (according
to whether duplex or triplex hooks are employed in the flight), and we allow
the shanks of the hooks to enter the bait-body, whilst the bends and barbs of
the said hooks protrude through the aforesaid slits. The slit portion of the
bait-body is slightly tapered and fitted with a sliding ring, which, when slid
along the body, engages frictionally therewith and compresses the slit portion
of the bait-body sufficiently to grip the shanks and retain the flight in position

page_text: in relation thereto. The triangles pertaining to the flight are thus prevented
fouling the bait-body; but another important advantage is that, upon a fish
being struck, one of the triangles-preferably the leading triangle of the flight
forces the ring off the bait-body, and the latter, becoming thus released, is free
to slide up the trace and to leave the flight entirely unencumbered.
Dated this 24th day of November 1899:
T
Improvements in Spinning Baits.
We, WILLIAM HARDY and JOHN JAMES HARDY, of Alnwick, in the County
of Northumberland, trading as Hardy Brothers, Fishing Rod Manufacturers,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:
-
This invention relates primarily to artificial spinning baits of the "Phan-
tom"
or "Devon "
type but is also in part applicable to mounts designed
for use with natural baits; as for example, such as are referred to in the
Specification to our Letters Patent dated 3rd December, 1894, No. 23,457; our
objects being to render such baits better adapted for use under different con-
ditions, and to diminish their liability to derangement during the operations
of casting and working.
A spinning bait well adapted for use in shallow or rapid streams may be
but imperfectly adapted for use in deep sluggish waters; the rapidity of the
stream, the speed with which the bait is worked and the obliquity of the fins,
all influencing the character of the effect produced. In order to enable the
spinning action of the bait to be regulated, we arrange the fins on pivots and
in such a manner that their inclination may be varied. One mode in which this
can be effected is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings;
whereof Figs. 1 and 2 are side elevations in planes at right-angles to one another
showing an artificial spinning bait furnished with adjustable fins and flying
triangles; Fig. 3 being a longitudinal section of the bait body, and Fig. 4 a
side elevation thereof with the fins removed. In this construction, the body a of
the artificial bait (or the frame in the case of a natural bait-carrier) is provided
with pins b, b which project on either side and whereon the blades e, care
pivotally mounted; a steady-pin c¹, arranged in the adjacent edge 2 of the
fin engaging in one or another of a series of holes a', a¹ formed in the body
of the bait a, according to the degree of obliquity the fin is desired to assume.
The outer extremity of the pin b is furnished with a nut or button b¹, beneath
which is arranged a spiral spring 62, the latter serving to maintain the fin
engaged in the position in which it is set.
Another mode of accomplishing the same object is illustrated in Figs. 5
to 9; Fig. 5 being a side elevation, Fig. 6 a longitudinal section of the bait
body, Fig. 7 a side elevation of the same denuded of its fins, whilst Figs. 8 and 9
are respectively a view of the plate metal blank from which the fin is formed and
an edge view of the finished fin. The body a of the artificial bait is similar to
that previously described and is provided with pins b, b whereon the fins or
blades c, c are pivotally mounted. These fins are formed from plate metal which
may be stamped to produce the blank represented in Fig. 8. The blank is slit
along the lines c°, c°: one portion being bent and turned upwards to form

page_text: the blade c whilst the annular strip c* is set slightly downwards to serve as a spring
detent for engaging with radial chases a formed in the side of the bait-body.
By these means, the blade c is held in the angular position desired, according to
the particular chase a to which the extremity of the detent c¹ is set.
"
Rotatably mounted blades of the kind above referred to and capable of angular
adjustment are also applicable to spinning mounts for natural baits, including
those the subject of our aforesaid previous Letters Patent. Such an application of
our invention is illustrated in longitudinal elevation in Figs. 10 and 11. It will be
obvious that, by the means described the speed or rotation of the bait may not only
be varied, but its direction reversed, should any tendency be noticed for the line
to "kink." It will also be obvious that where mere reversal of the fins is
required without means for adjusting their degree of obliquity the bait body
may be formed with shoulders against which the fins or blades may rest.
In order to diminish the liability for the spinning flight to become deranged,
owing to the "flying" or other triangles fouling with other parts of the gear,
we form the artificial bait-body a with two or more longitudinal slits a°, accord-
ing to whether duplex or triplex hooks are employed in the body of the flight.
The shanks of the hooks are housed within the bait-body whilst the bends and
barbs of the said hooks protrude beyond the slits as shown in Fig. 1. The slit
portion of the bait-body is slightly tapered and furnished with a sliding ring d,
which, when slid along the body, engages frictionally therewith and compresses
the slit portion of the bait-body sufficiently to grip the shanks and to retain
the flight in position in relation thereto. The flying triangles are thus pre-
vented fouling the main triangles or other portions of the flight; but, upon
a fish being struck, one of the main triangles (preferably that next the tail
triangle) forces the ring off the bait-body, and the latter, becoming thus released,
is free to slide up the trace, leaving the flight entirely unencumbered. Such a
condition of the parts is illustrated in Fig. 12.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we claim :-
1. An artificial spinning bait or natural bait spinner provided with fins
arranged in such a manner that their annular position may be reversed or the
degree of their obliquity varied, substantially as herein described.
2. In a spinning bait or bait spinner, the herein described means for varying
the obliquity of the fins; same being pivotally mounted and provided with steady
pins for engaging in holes or depressions formed in the bait body (or vice versa).
3. In a spinning bait or bait spinner the combination with a body a, of
pivotally mounted fins c, c, steady pins c¹, c¹, holes a, a¹ in the bait-body, and
springs 62, 62, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
4. An artificial spinning bait having a body formed with a central passage for
the trace and longitudinal slits for the reception of the main hook-bends, the
said body being furnished with a sliding ring adapted to engage frictionally
therewith but to be readily releasable therefrom, substantially as herein
described.
5. For employment with natural baits, a spinning mount constructed and operat-
ing substantially as described with reference to Figs. 10 and 11 of the accom-
panying drawings.
Deptember
For the Applicants,
G. G. M. HARDINGHAM,
Chartered Patent Agent, Clun House, Surrey Street, London, W.C.