GB2204771A - Fishing weights - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a fishing weight which is assembled from separable parts and can be converted from a bomb-like weight (Figure 1) to an anti-tangle weight (Figure 2) by replacement of a central spigot (14) by an anti-tangle tube (30). <IMAGE>

Description

FISHING WEIGHTS The present invention is concerned with the weights for use in fishing, which are usually made of lead and are more commonly referred to as leads. In particular, the invention is concerned with weights intended for use in rigs designed for catching carp.

A common way for carp to feed is to suck food from the lake bed and to blow out any particles which are not to be consumed. When attempting to catch carp feeding in this way, the technique known as ledgering is used in which the bait is designed to resemble a freely floating food particle hovering near the bed and steps are taken to disguise the presence of a hook and a fishing line as fish would know to avoid such bait.

A rig used by many anglers to catch carp is the so-called hair rig. Here, the hook at the end of the line is not inserted in the bait and instead a fine hair is attached to the bait and is connected at its other end to the hook on the fishing line. When the bait is sucked in by the carp, it draws the hook into its mouth with the bait and often the fish will then blow out again in an attempt to eject the bait. However, the shape of the barbed hook and its method of attachment to the hair leading to the bait are such that the fish will be pierced by the hook and will be caught on the line. Because the hair is itself very fine and there is no hook within the bait, the bait behaves like any other unattached morsel of food and if a large light bait is used it is easily sucked in by the carp when feeding along the lake bed.

The line from the fishing rod to the hook is weighted near the hook. The specialist angler uses a weight for three reasons namely to achieve the required distance when casting, to improve hooking efficiency and to improve bite indication. Therefore, the design of weight best suited to one situation may be quite different from that best suited for another and a variety of weights are currently available and in common use in different rigs.

Carp anglers generally use a form of weight based on the so-called Arlesey bomb. These are weights designed primarily with casting in mind and are shaped for aerodynamic efficiency. The weights are torpedo shaped weights and may be fluted along their length and may also have a short tail. The tail gives stability in flight and increases casting accuracy while the fluted shape enables the weight to plane on impact and is better suited to shallow swims. The fluted weight is also advantageous when fishing over bars or mussel beds as the shape will lift up more quickly and thereby avoid snagging on retrieval.

The size of the weight is governed by the distance one needs to achieve and is also dependent upon the type of rig used. The weight may need to vary between, for example, 0.50z and 20z to obtain the desired self-pricking action effectively. A weight that is too light may lift up and down off the lake bed as a carp moves off, causing the hook to be bounced out.

The type of rig used determines the method of attachment of the weight to the fishing line. Commonly used rigs are a fixed lead rig, an anti-tangle rig and a bolt rig each of which has its own merits and limitations. In a bolt rig or a fixed lead rig, the weight is as described previously but in an anti-tangle rig a relatively rigid length of tube may pass through the weight and the line is passed through the tube to prevent its becoming entangled with the hook line during casting. The length of the tube depends on the length of the hook line and this in turn depends on the nature of the lake bed, a longer hook line being required in lake beds having weeds in order to prevent entanglement.

The above description is not intended to provide an exhaustive review of the various techniques which have been'developed in carp fishing but enough has been stated to illustrate that many different types of weight are required and that on any serious fishing expedition, an expert angler will need to carry a large number of weights to ensure that he is equipped with the weight best suited to the rig required in any particular situation.

With a view to reducing the amount of tackle that an angler need carry, the present invention seeks to provide a multi-purpose weight which is capable of being used in fixed lead, anti-tangle and bolt rigs.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fishing weight comprising a body formed with a through bore and a separable spigot having a shank passing through the bore, the spigot also having at one end of the shank a head of larger diameter than the bore in the body for retaining the body on the shank and means on the other end of the shank for enabling a line to be secured to-the weight.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an anti-tangle fishing weight comprising a body formed with a through bore and a separable tube passing through the bore, the tube having a retaining collar of larger diameter than the bore in the body for retaining the body on the shank.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a multi-purpose fishing weight comprising a body formed with a through bore, a separable tube capable of passing through the bore and having a retaining collar of larger diameter than the bore in the body for retaining the body on the shank whereby to form an anti-tangle weight, and a spigot having a shank for passing through the bore, having at one end' of the shank a head of larger diameter than the bore in the body for retaining the body on the shank and means on the other end of the shank for enabling a line to be secured to the weight.

Because in each case the weight is formed of a body with a separable spigot or tube, it is possible to use the same body it is possible to use the same body in a variety of rigs. For example, a weight for a bolt rig can be converted into an anti-tangle weight by removing the spigot from the body and inserting into the now vacant bore in the body a length of hollow tube.

Preferably, the spigot is provided with a swivel at its end remote from the head for attachment to the fishing line, the swivel having an outer diameter smaller than the diameter of the bore in the body.

preferably, the body is shaped for aerodynamic efficiency and has at one end a flat face against which there abuts the head of the spigot or the collar on the tube, as the case may be, the collar or head also being shaped to continue the aerodynamic shape of the weight past the end of the body.

The body is conveniently made of lead and is cast or moulded in the desired shape.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a section through a bomb shaped lead weight, Figure 2 shows a section through an anti-tangle lead weight.

The bomb-like weight 10 shown in Figure 1 comprises a lead body 12 having through bore in which there is received a plastics spigot 14. The spigot has a shank 16 and a head 18 at one end of the shank 16. The other end of the shank has moulded into it an eye for connection to a fishing line.

In the embodiment of Figure 1, the connection means is formed by moulding one eye 20 of a swivel 22 into the shank 16, the other eye 24 of the swivel 22 acting as a means of attachment to the fishing line. The swivel is dimensioned to be capable of passing through the bore in the lead body 12.

This lead weight can be used in the same manner as an Arlesey bomb and it is not necessary within the present context to describe in detail the various rigs in which the weight is used.

The fact that it is formed from a lead body 12 and a separable spigot 14 enables the weight 10 of Figure 1 to be converted into the anti-tangle weight shown in Figure 2. Here, after removal of the spigot 14 from the through bore of the lead body 12, an anti-tangle tube 30 having a fixed collar 32 is inserted into the through bore. The collar 32 is formed separately from the tube 30 and secure to it by a suitable adhesive.

It will be noted that both the head 18 of the spigot 14 in Figure 1 and the collar 32 on the anti-tangle tube 30 in Figure 2 are shaped to merge with and continue the aerodynamic shape of the lead body and the latter may be fluted as has been the practice in the prior art.

By virtue of the invention, an angler need only carry a few lead bodies, spigots and anti-tangle tubes to enable him to assemble a wide variety of leads having different weights, different aerodynamic properties and lengths of anti-tangle tube. This increases the convenience for the angler, who can now carry less tackle, reduces the weight and the cost of the tackle and also adds versatility by permitting the rig to be virtually tailor made to suit any given fishing conditions and waters.

It should be clear that while the invention has been described by reference to carp fishing in particular, the weights do have more general application and may be used when in rigs designed different kinds of fish.

The term "weights" has been used in the description rather than the more commonly used term "leads" to avoid confusion with the name-of the metal frequently used in making the weights. For environmental reasons, lead metal should be avoided in the making of the weights wherever possible, but, in heavier weights, lead is often the only practical choice of material.

Claims (7)

1. A fishing weight comprising a body formed with a through bore and a separable spigot having a shank passing through the bore, the spigot also having at one end of the shank a head of larger diameter than the bore in the body for retaining the body on the shank and means on the other end of the shank for enabling a line to be secured to the weight.

2. An anti-tangle fishing weight comprising a body formed with a through bore and a separable tube passing through the bore, the tube having a retaining collar of larger diameter than the bore in the body for retaining the body on the shank.

3. A multi-purpose fishing weight comprising a body formed with a through bore, a separable tube capable of passing through the bore and having a retaining collar of larger diameter than the bore in the body for retaining the body on the shank whereby to form an anti-tangle weight, and a spigot having a shank for passing through the bore, having at one end of the shank a head of larger diameter than the bore in the body for retaining the body on the shank and means on the other end of the shank for enabling a line to be secured to the weight.

4. A fishing weight as claimed in claim 1 or 3, wherein the spigot is provided with a swivel at its end remote from the head for attachment to the fishing line, the swivel having an outer diameter smaller than the diameter of the bore in the body.

5. A fishing weight as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the body is shaped for aerodynamic efficiency and has at one end a flat face against which there abuts the head of the spigot or the collar on the tube, as the case may be, the collar or head also being shaped to continue the aerodynamic shape of the weight past the end of the body.

6. A fishing weight as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the body is made of lead and is cast or moulded in the desired shape.

7. A fishing weight constructed substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 1 or Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.