Patent ID: 8453374

Claim:
An elastic and portable slide on cushion for enveloping the butt-end of a fishing rod for interposition with the fisher-person's body to protect the body when fighting a fish, comprising: an elongate unitary cushion body having a cylindrical section at a first end and a bulbous section at a second end, the external diameter of said bulbous section being greater than the external diameter of said cylindrical section, said cushion body being made of an elastic material that has the property of generally retaining its shape during use; a central bore in said cushion body and opening outwardly at least at said first end to accommodate the insertion of a butt-end of the fishing rod therein, said central bore having a first section tapering from a first diameter portion adjacent said first end to a second diameter portion located mid-length of said cushion body, said first diameter portion being larger than said second diameter portion, said first and second diameter portions being of equal or lesser diameter than the butt-end of the fishing rod passing into said cushion to removably retain the rod in said first and second diameter portions of said central bore, said central bore having a second section enlarging in diameter from said second diameter portion toward an end of said bulbous section remote from said first end of said cylindrical section to a larger third diameter portion that is coaxial with said first and second diameter portions, said second section having a further bore providing a passageway extending from said second section outwardly to a central location of said exterior surface at said end remote from said first end; and an exterior surface of said bulbous section having a plurality of separate flutes thereon for enhancing a frictional gripping of said bulbous section of said cushion body with the fisher-person's body, said plurality of separate flutes on said bulbous section extending between a first location at a junction between said bulbous section and said cylindrical section and a second location spaced radially outwardly from said longitudinally extending axis of symmetry at said end remote from said first end, at least one of said flutes transitioning onto an exterior surface of said cylindrical section and terminating adjacent said first end to enhance the frictional gripping of at least one hand of the fisher-person with said exterior surface of said cylindrical section.