Patent ID: 8839548

Claim:
A device for indicating that a fish has taken bait during ice fishing, the device comprising: a housing containing an indicator mechanism, said housing comprising a ceiling wall, a first side wall, a second side wall opposite to said first side wall, an open bottom, and a hinged lid adapted for opening and closing in such a manner as to allow access to the indicator mechanism, said open bottom of said housing being adapted for placement over an opening in the ice, said indicator mechanism comprising: a spool for winding a fishing line, said spool having a first side wheel and a second side wheel, said second side wheel having a non-rotating portion and a rotating portion adapted for rotating relative to the non-rotating portion, said non-rotating portion being attached to the ceiling wall, said first side wheel and said rotating portion of the second side wheel being adapted for rotation relative to the housing to enable lowering of the fishing line into water below the opening in the ice; a handle tip attached to and extending away from the first side wheel, said handle tip being adapted to rotate with the spool; a curved rod having a first portion positioned inside the housing and a second portion positioned outside the housing, said portion positioned inside the housing being configured to continue from the outside of the housing to the inside of the housing through an opening in the first side wall, said curved rod portion positioned inside the housing having a perpendicular extension, said curved rod being adapted for pivoting inside the opening in the first side wall; and a bracket assembly for pivotally connecting the non-rotating portion of the spool with the ceiling wall such that the spool may be pivoted within the housing from a first forward and raised position that allows greater access to the spool, to a second rearward and lowered position that allows greater access to the opening in the ice; wherein: the perpendicular extension has a curved end adapted for resting on the handle tip in a manner that the second portion of the curved rod positioned outside the housing is substantially parallel with a plane defined by the ice, and further in a manner that an end of the fishing line containing a bait is positioned in the water below the ice such that gravitational forces exerted by the curved end onto the handle tip are balanced by weight forces exerted by the fishing line and bait, and still further in a manner that a fish in the water tugging on the bait rotates the handle tip downward and rearward in a manner as to release the curved end so that the curved rod portion that is outside of the housing rotates into a position that is perpendicular to the ice; and pivoting of the spool from its first position to its second position while the curved end of the curved rod is resting on the handle tip increases sensitivity of the gravitational forces exerted on the handle tip, requiring the fish to pull with progressively less force to turn the handle tip.