GB2238938A

GB2238938A - Fishing hooks; flies

Info

Publication number: GB2238938A
Application number: GB9026038A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Pidgeon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1989-12-11
Filing date: 1990-11-30
Publication date: 1991-06-19
Also published as: GB9026038D0

Abstract

In a method of salmon fishing a fly is made on a fishing hook which has an eye 14 located in the shank 11 of the hook at a position spaced from, but near to, the end 15 of the shank 11 opposite to the bend 12 which has a barb 13 forming the hook part. The eye 14 lies in a plane which includes the shank 11 and which is perpendicular to the plane containing the bend 12. The dressing of the fly is attached at least partly at a position between the eye 14 and the said other end 15 of the shank 11. In use, the line 20 which is attached to the eye 14 extends away from the fishing hook in contact with the surface of the water and at an angle to the length of the shank 11 so that, when the fly is drawn over the surface of the water, a double bow wave, caused by the said other end 15 of the shank and the junction of the line 20 with the eye 14, forms a ripple pattern attractive to the salmon. <IMAGE>

Description

A METHOD OF FISHING AND A FISHING HOOK THEREFOR.

The present invention relates to a method of fishing, more particularly salmon fishing, and a fishing hook therefor.

In salmon fishing a salmon fly is formed by tying dressing to the shank of a fishing hook which comprises a shank having a bend at ohe end of the shank with a barb on the end of the bend, and an eye at the other end of the shank. The salmon fly is tied to the end of a nylon line, which is a light length of line at the end of the heavy fly line used as the reeled line on a fly fishing rod, by knotting the nylon line to the eye of the fishing hook.

In normal salmon fishing practice the line is cast across the river slightly downstream and the fly is allowed to float in the downstream current round to the bank naturally without any pressure being applied and, when it arrives in a stationary positiOn, it is described as being "on the dangle" whereupon it is drawn in and then cast again across the river and the process is repeated in a similar manner.

When a salmon fly is cast in such a conventional process it sinks below the surface of the water as it swings round towards the bank and the majority, if not all, salmon takes are below the surface.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of salmon fishing in which the salmon fly is more attractively presented to the salmon and an increase in the number of salmon caught is obtained.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of fishing using a fly rod with a line and a fly attached to the line, wherein the fly comprises dressing tied to a fishing hook having a shank at one end of which there is a bend with a barb thereon, the line extending away from the fishing hook during fishing at an angle to the length of the shank and from a position near but displaced from the other end of the shank, and the dressing being tied to the shank at least at the part of the shank between the said other end of the shank and the position at which the line extends away from the fishing hook.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention there is provided a method of salmon fishing using a fly rod with a line and a fly attached to the line, wherein the fly comprises dressing tied to a fishing hook having a shank at one end of which there is a bend with a barb thereon, and there being an eye in the shank near but not at the other end of the shank, the eye being in a plane which contains the length of the shank and which is perpendicular to the plane of the bend, the line being connected to the eye, and the dressing being tied to the shank at least in part at a position between the eye and the said other end of the shank.

A method in accordance with the present invention has the advantage of causing the fly to sit on the surface of the water which is thought to be one reason for increasing the frequency of catching salmon using this method. Furthermore by raising the tip of the fly rod towards the bank on the side from which the fisherman is fishing the fly may be caused to move across the surface of the water and, because the fly is knotted to the nylon line at a position beyond the end of the shank, a double bow wave is produced on either side of the eye. When the fly moves relative to the water it is further noted that this double bow wave makes the fly attractive to salmon and they therefore take it readily either because it resembles something they eat in the ocean or because the fly is being presented in a different manner.

A fishing hook according to the present invention may also include a second eye at a conventional position at the said other end of the shank.

A fishing hook according to the present invention may further be a double hook or a triple hook having, respectively, two barbs or three barbs.

Preferably the eye is located on the body of the shank at a distance of the order of 5mm from the said other end of the shank.

Desirably the line is tied to the eye at one side of the shank so that, when a cast has been made and the fly is drifting downstream, the line is tied to the side of the eye nearer to the fisherman.

The present invention further comprehends a fishing hook comprising a shank, a curved portion forming a bend at one end of the shank and terminating in a barb, and an eye which is formed in the shank near the other end of the shank but displaced from the said other end of the shank, the eye being in a plane which contains the length of the shank and which is perpendicular to the plane of the bend.

The present invention will be further understood from the following detailed description which is made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates a conventional salmon fly, Figure 2 illustrates a fishing hook according to the present invention, Figure 3 illustrates a salmon fly according to the present invention, and Figure 4 illustrates a fishing hook according to the present invention which is a double hook.

Referring to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings a conventional salmon fly comprises a dressing 1 tied at 2 and 3 to a shank 4 of a fishing hook which additionally includes a bend 5 at one end of the shank 4, the bend 5 terminating in a barb 6. The fishing hook further includes an eye 7 at the other end of the shank 4. A nylon line 8 is knotted at 9 to the eye 7 of the fishing hook thereby connecting the salmon fly to the fly line of a fly rod.

It will be noted that in this conventional salmon fly the dressing is tied to the shank 4 of the fishing hook at a position on the opposite side of the eye 7 from where the nylon line 8 is tied so that the dressing is inevitably dragged downstream of the nylon line 8.

The method in accordance with the present invention is preferably put into practice using a salmon fishing hook of novel design as illustrated in Figure 2. The fishing hook of Figure 2 comprises a shank 11 having at one end a bend 12 terminating in a barb 13. The shank 11 includes an eye 14 formed as a ring in the body of the shank 11 at a position about three sixteenths of an inch (5mm) from the other end 15 of the shank.

The eye 14 is formed as a ring in a plane which includes the main length of the shank 11 and which is perpendicular to the plane in which the bend 12 lies as shown in Figure 2. The end 15 of the shank 11 is preferably curved slightly in the opposite direction to the bend 12.

In Figure 3 there is shown a salmon fly formed by using the fishing hook of Figure 2. Dressing 16 is tied at 17 to the part of the shank 11 between the eye 14 and the end 15 of the shank 11. The dressing 16 may also be tied at 18 and 19 to the shank 11.

In use, a nylon line 20 is tied to the eye 14 and, when the salmon fly is cast, the action of the nylon line 20 against the movement of the water flowing downstream causes the dressing 16 of the salmon fly to float on the surface of the water. As shown in Figure 3, the nylon line 20, which is in contact with the surface of the water, extends away from the fishing hook at an angle to the shank 11 of the fishing hook.

If the fisherman moves the tip of the fly rod to draw the fly towards the bank, a double bow wave will be caused by the end 15 of the shank 11 and by the junction of the nylon line 20 with the eye 14, thereby causing a ripple pattern believed to be attractive to salmon.

A similar effect to that obtained using the fishing hook of Figure 2 and a salmon fly obtained by dressing the hook of Figure 2 as illustrated in Figure 3 may be obtained using the conventional salmon fly of Figure 1 by knotting the nylon line 8 to the shank 4 of Figure 1 at a position some three sixteenths of an inch (5mm) down the shank 4 from the eye 7. However such a further knot or half knot bends the artificial feathers used in forming the salmon fly of Figure 1 and has the further disadvantage that the knot tends to come loose after a number of casts. Accordingly it is preferred to carry out the method of the present invention using the fishing hook of Figure 2 and the salmon fly of Figure 3 which are not subject to these disadvantages.

It has been found in practice that use of a method in accordance with the present invention has enabled salmon to be caught in less than ten minutes when no catches at all had been made prev vly when using the conventional salmon fly of Figure 1 for an extended period.

In Figure 4 there is illustrated a double fishing hook which is capable of use in the conventional method of salmon fishing as well as in the method of salmon fishing according to the present invention. The fishing hook of Figure 4 is formed from a single length of wire bent on itself and shaped to provide an eye 21 in the conventional position at the opposite end of the shank 22 to the two barbs 23, 23, and also an eye 24 nearer to the eye 21 than to the bends 25, 25, which terminate in the barbs 23, 23. The two portions of the wire constituting the straight parts of the shank 22 are welded together, particularly where they join on either side of the eye 24.

The double fishing hook of Figure 4 operates in use in similar manner to the single fishing hook of Figure 2, as described with reference to Figure 3.

Although the method and fishing hook of the present invention have been described in relation to salmon fishing, the invention also has application to trout fishing.

Claims

1. A method of fishing using a fly rod with a line and a fly attached to the line, wherein the fly comprises dressing tied to a fishing hook having a shank at one end of which there is a bend with a barb thereon, the line extending away from the fishing hook during fishing at an angle to the length of the shank and from a position near but displaced from the other end of the shank, and the dressing being tied to the shank at least at the part of the shank between the said other end of the shank and the position at which the line extends away from the fishing hook.

2. A method of salmon fishing using a fly rod with a line and a fly attached to the line, wherein the fly comprises dressing tied to a fishing hook having a shank at one end of which there is a bend with a barb thereon, and there being an eye in the shank near but not at the other end of the shank, the eye being in a plane which contains the length of the shank and which is perpendicular to the plane of the bend, the line being connected to the eye, and the dressing being tied to the shank at least in part at a position between the eye and the said other end of the shank.

3. A method according to Claim 2 wherein the eye is located in the body of the shank at a distance of the order of 5mm from the said other end of the shank.

4. A method according to Claim 3 wherein the line is tied to the eye at one side of the shank so that, when a cast has been made and the fly is drifting downstream, the line is tied to the side of the eye nearer to the fisherman.

5. A method according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein the fly is caused to move relat-ive to the surface of the water by movement of the rod.

6. A method of fishing substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A fishing hook comprising a shank, a curved portion forming a bend at one end of the shank and terminating in a barb, and an eye which is formed in the shank near the other end of the shank but displaced from the said other end of the shank, the eye being in a plane which contains the length of the shank and which is perpendicular to the plane of the bend.

8. A fishing hook according to Claim 7 wherein the eye is formed at a distance of 5mm from the said other end of the shank.

9. A fly for salmon fishing which comprises a fishing hook according to either Claim 7 or Claim 8 and dressing tied to the shank of the fishing hook at least partly at a position between the eye and the said other end of the shank.

10. A fishing hook according to either Claim 7 or Claim 8 which further includes a second eye located at the said other end of the shank.

11. A fly for salmon fishing which comprises a fishing hook according to Claim 10 and dressing tied to the hook at least partly at a position between the eye and the second eye.

12. A fishing hook according to any one of claims 7, 8 and 10 which is a double hook.

13. A fishing hook according to any one of claims 7, 8 and 10 which is a triple hook.

14. A fishing hook substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.

15. A fishing hook substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

16. A fly for salmon fishing substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.