Patent ID: 12185705

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides generally for a fishing rod that is easier to use for fishermen to precisely cast short to medium distances than prior art rods, especially during fly fishing. As shown inFIG.1, the fishing rod10includes a rod body11, a free line cast control and drag mechanism12operatively connected to a proximal end14of the rod body11, and a line16operatively threaded through the free line cast control and drag mechanism12and running through a hollow passageway18of the rod body11and out a distal end20. The fishing rod10of the present invention allows an individual to cast a weighted fly with only one stroke using a typical fishing line.FIGS.5A and5Bshow disassembled and assembled views of the free line cast control and drag mechanism12and rod body11. Most generally, the present invention provides for a fishing rod10including a hollow rod body11having a line16extending therethrough and a free line cast control and drag mechanism12that applies pressure as needed to the line16to control movement of the line16through the rod body11in order to extend the line16from the rod body11or draw the line16back in.

The rod body11can be any suitable fishing rod body, and can be made of fiberglass, carbon fiber, or any other suitable material. The rod body11can be different lengths for different purposes or sized for different users. The hollow passageway18of the rod body11can be any suitable diameter to easily allow the line16to move freely within.

The free line cast control and drag mechanism12replaces the reel assembly used in the prior art, thus eliminating much of the weight of the fishing rod10and making the fishing rod10more comfortable to use. The free line cast control and drag mechanism12allows an individual to selectively apply pressure or drag to a line16as it is released from the fishing rod10. The free line cast control and drag mechanism12also allows an individual to more precisely control the length of the line16by applying pressure to the line when it is at the desired length. The free line cast control and drag mechanism12is shown in more detail inFIGS.2and3, and includes a housing22. The housing22can be made of plastic, metal, or any other suitable material. The housing22is of a cylindrical shape with a passageway44extending therethrough from a proximal end46to a distal end48, and includes a top outlet58for receiving a push button24and related pieces described below. The passageway44is also connected to a rod receiving compartment54that receives the proximal end14of the rod body11. The rod receiving compartment54can be sized to fit any suitable rod body11. As shown inFIG.7, an additional rod receiving compartment54can also be configured to sit at the proximal end46in addition to the distal end48of the housing22. In this configuration, the fishing rod10is operated in the same manner, and only its position can be changed should the individual using it decide that the alternative placement is more comfortable for their operation of the fishing rod10.

As shown inFIG.3, the housing22includes a push button24, a lock washer26, a holding plate28, a line pressure pin30, a lock/unlock hole32, a spring34, a drag piece36, a draining hole38, and a line stopper40. The line16enters the housing22through the proximal end46of the passageway44and continues through the distal end48of the passageway44and through the hollow passageway18of the rod body11with no tension. The drag piece36is positioned at a bottom side50of the passageway44below the line16, and is preferably made of rubber, but can also be any other suitable material that can place drag on the line16. The drag piece36is designed to hold the line16loosely enough to prevent the line16from breaking. When pressure is applied by the push button24, the pressure pin30pushes the line16onto the drag piece36, ultimately acting as the drag. The spring34holds the pressure pin30preventing it from pushing onto the line16unless pressure is directly applied by pushing on the push button24. The lock/unlock hole32is designed to allow disassembly of the mechanism12for cleaning purposes. Any suitable small key device, such as a traditional safety pin, can be inserted into the lock/unlock hole32to unlock and allow for disassembly. The holding plate28is screwed into the housing22by two small screws52. The purpose of the holding plate28is to secure the pressure pin30, spring34, and drag piece36inside the housing22in the assembled condition. The lock washer26locks in place the positions of the push button24and line pressure pin30. The draining hole38is included so that water does not accumulate in the housing22and is designed to drain any water that may have entered the housing22.

An alternative embodiment of the housing22, shown inFIG.6, holding plate28can be replaced with an internal housing60to secure the pressure pin30and spring34. In this embodiment, there is no washer lock26, lock/unlock hole32on the pin30, or draining hole38. The internal housing60can be secured in place to the housing22with a small screw62, at any suitable location on the housing22.

The line16can be any suitable fishing line. The line16can also include a floating line stopper40to ensure that the line16is secure, and connected to a proximal end56of the line16to weigh it down so that the line16does not float around under the individual's arm. Since most fly fishing is done in the water, the line stopper40has two purposes. First, attached to the proximal end56of the line16, it causes the proximal end56to float above the water. Second, when a fish is hooked and begins to pull on the line16, the line stopper40is there to prevent the line16from being pulled out through the distal end20of the rod10.

The present invention provides for a method of using the fishing rod10, by casting the line16out of the distal end20of the rod body11onto a body of water, detecting that a fish is on the line16, and pulling the line16through the proximal end14of the rod body11with the free line cast control and drag mechanism12. A cast is made allowing the line16to be dispensed from the distal end20of the fishing rod10. A variable length of line16can be used depending on the casting distance. There is the option to cast the entire length of the line16with one stroke. Alternatively, a precision cast can be made by stopping the line16by manually holding it in place with one hand (shown inFIG.4). This allows for an individual to be better able to feel the fish bite. The length of the line16can also be fixed by inserting the line stopper40into the bottom of the free line cast control and drag mechanism12. Once the fish bite is felt, the hook can be set and pressure can immediately be put onto the free line cast control and drag mechanism12. Pressure is applied to the push button24(when the fish is hooked or any time the individual wishes to stop the line) and this manually applies pressure or drag to the line16by the pressure pin30pushing the line16onto the drag piece36. Preferably, the push button24is pushed down with the individual's arm while pulling the rod10upwards, once the fish is hooked, as shown inFIG.4. Pressure or drag can be released from the line16by releasing the push button24which is spring biased to move radially outward. To pull a fish in, the individual can alternate manually pulling the line16through the free line cast control and drag mechanism12and applying pressure onto the free line cast control and drag mechanism12. Any water that has accumulated in the housing22can be drained through the draining hole38.

The fishing rod10can also be used for Tenkara fishing, and provides advantages over the traditional method because the length of the line16can be adjusted, and when using a longer line16, a fisherman is able to pull in and net a fish without assistance.

The present invention also provides generally for a method of retracting a line16using a rod10by extending the line16through an internal passageway18of a hollow rod10, applying pressure to the line16in the passageway18to control drag on the line16, and manually drawing the line16back through the passageway18to retract the line16. The line16is extended as described above using the free line cast control and drag mechanism12to a desired length and pressure to the line16is applied by pressing on the drag piece36through pressure pin30. When a fish has been caught or a new cast is desired, the line16can be manually drawn back and retracted through the passageway18.

Throughout this application, various publications, including United States patents, are referenced by author and year and patents by number. Full citations for the publications are listed below. The disclosures of these publications and patents in their entireties are hereby incorporated by reference into this application in order to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.

The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology, which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.