Patent Application
20210137089
This disclosure relates to fishing accessories, and in particular, organizational devices for paravane-type fishing rigs.
Trolling is a popular form of fishing, especially for sport fishing in large bodies of water, such as oceans and large lakes. Trolling includes pulling a baited fishing line behind a slowly moving boat. In order to keep the bait at a desired depth while moving, a downrigger or paravane can be used. Downrigging conventionally uses heavy weights to keep bait at a desired depth while paravanes use the down force created by an angled plane moving through water to keep the bait at a desired depth. While effective, conventional downrigging and paravane-type trolling devices can be expensive and cumbersome.
Cost-effective paravane-type fishing accessories have emerged as a popular solution to expensive and cumbersome conventional downrigging and paravane-type trolling. A popular example of cost-effective paravane-type fishing accessory is a planing device. Dipsy Divers™ are small planing devices coupled to the fishing line between the bait and the boat via fishing pole or other line-reeling device. Planing devices, such as Dipsy Divers™, operate similarly to conventional paravane-type rigs, but are simpler in form and function. Often, the Planing device and bait rig are arranged at an end of the fishing line such that a desired depth of plane can be achieved when the rigging is pulled behind a boat.
Planing devices are often included as the first coupling point to a baited rig such that planing device-baited rigs are quickly coupleable to a main fishing line. A planing device-baited rig is often coupled to a first end of a length of fishing line, and a bait portion is arranged at a second end of the fishing line. The length of fishing line used within the rig can range from ½ meters to 10 meters. Planing device-baited rigs are often assembled prior to use and stored on the boat such that they can be used on short notice.
On fishing boats, especially commercial or high output fishing boats, a large number of pre-assembled planing device-baited rigs are made available on the boat. Planing device-baited rigs present an organizational and safety issue on the boat deck, however, due to the lengths of fishing line. The lengths of fishing line can easily stray and become snagged or tangled. Various planing device holders have been developed to contain the planing device to a fishing rod or to a wall or other portion of a boat. Conventional planing device holders, however, do not provide adequate storage for multiple planing device-baited rigs that are easily accessible and position the planing device-baited rigs such that they can be put into use quickly.
Disclosed herein are embodiments of a fishing accessory line management device configured to secure and organize a planing device rig, such as a rig incorporating a Dipsy Diver™. The fishing accessory line management device includes a base portion and a cantilevered portion. The cantilevered portion includes a plurality of channels configured to align and engage with various structures of the planing device. The housing is configured to provide a wrapping surface such that the length of fishing line and bait portion can be wrapped around the housing when the planing device is coupled to the fishing accessory line management device. When the planing device is coupled to the fishing accessory line management device, the tension and friction created by wrapping the length of fishing line and bait portion around the housing secures the planing device to the fishing accessory line management device. When a fisherman is ready to use the planing device rig, the fisherman can pull the planing device out of the housing while the length of fishing line is unraveled.
In particular, one embodiment of a fishing accessory line management device for use in storing and coupling to a planing device includes a vertical fin and a horizontal plane. The fishing accessory line management device can include a cantilevered portion and a base coupled to the cantilevered portion. The fishing accessory line management device can also include a fin channel defined by fin channel walls within the cantilevered portion. The fin channel can be sized and shaped to receive the fin. The fishing accessory line management device can further include a plane channel defined by plane channel walls within the cantilevered portion. The plane channel can be sized and shaped to receive the plane. In embodiments, the base and cantilevered portion are configured such that a portion of fishing line can be wrapped around the base and the cantilevered portion.
In an alternative embodiment, a fishing accessory line management system can include a board and one or more fishing accessory line management devices. The board can further include one or more fishing accessory line management device couplings. Each of the one or more fishing accessory line management devices can include one or more coupling apertures. The one or more coupling apertures can be coupleable to one of the one or more fishing accessory line management device couplings of the board.
The above summary is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the subject matter hereof. The figures and the detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify various embodiments.
Subject matter hereof may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments in connection with the accompanying figures, in which:
While various embodiments are amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the claimed inventions to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the claims.
Disclosed herein are a fishing accessory line management device and associated systems and methods. Embodiments of the fishing accessory line management device include a housing configured to selectively couple to a planing device rig. In embodiments, the planing device rig includes a planing device, a length of fishing line, and a bait portion. The housing of the fishing accessory line management device includes a base portion and a cantilevered portion. The cantilevered portion includes a plurality of channels configured to align and engage with various structures of the planing device. The housing is configured to provide a wrapping surface such that the length of fishing line and bait portion can be wrapped around the housing when the planing device is coupled to the fishing accessory line management device. When the planing device is coupled to the fishing accessory line management device, the tension and friction created by wrapping the length of fishing line and bait portion around the housing secures the planing device to the fishing accessory line management device. When a fisherman is ready to use the planing device rig, the fisherman can pull the planing device out of the housing while the length of fishing line is unraveled. It is understood that a particular product (i.e., a planing device commercially known as the Dipsy Diver™) is used throughout this disclosure embodiments of the fishing accessory line management device are equally suitable for use with other similarly shaped paravane-type fishing accessories.
In embodiments as depicted in
Also depicted in
Referring now to
Fin channel 118, as depicted in
Plane channel 120, as depicted in
Ribs 124, as depicted in
In an alternative embodiment depicted in
In one embodiment and referring now to
In alternative embodiments, storage rack 250 can include coupling components corresponding to coupling apertures 216 of one or more fishing accessory line management device 200 in lieu of one or more channels 256.
Fishing accessory line management device 100 and 200 can comprise unitary construction via injection molding, machining, forging or other suitable construction methods. In alternative embodiments, fishing accessory line management device 100 can be constructed of a plurality of components assemble via known fixation method such as screws, snap-fit couplings, press fit couplings or other weldment. Fishing accessory line management device 100 can be made of plastic material such as polypropylene or other suitable plastic material. In alternative embodiments, fishing accessory line management device 100 can also be made of other non-corroding materials such as aluminum or other suitable material.
In use and as depicted in
At 406, the fisherman can begin winding rig line 94 around housing 100 at base transition 122. The friction force of rig line 94 being wound around housing 100 can provide a portion of the force needed to selectively retain planing device 84 to fishing accessory line management device 100. At 408, planing device rig 98 and fishing accessory line management device 100 are in a storage position, planing device rig 98 being selectively coupled to fishing accessory line management device 100 via friction force created by the rig line 94 winding and engagement surfaces of cantilevered portion 114 engaging with plane 86 and fin 88. At 404, a fisherman can remove planing device rig 98 from fishing accessory line management device 100 by holding fishing accessory line management device 100 at base 112 and base transition 122 and pulling planing device 84 away from fishing accessory line management device 100. While planing device 84 is moving away from fishing accessory line management device 100, rig line 94 unwinds until there are no more rig line 94 windings around housing 110 and planing device rig 98 is free of fishing accessory line management device 100.
Various embodiments of systems, devices, and methods have been described herein. These embodiments are given only by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed inventions. It should be appreciated, moreover, that the various features of the embodiments that have been described may be combined in various ways to produce numerous additional embodiments. Moreover, while various materials, dimensions, shapes, configurations and locations, etc. have been described for use with disclosed embodiments, others besides those disclosed may be utilized without exceeding the scope of the claimed inventions.
Persons of ordinary skill in the relevant arts will recognize that the subject matter hereof may comprise fewer features than illustrated in any individual embodiment described above. The embodiments described herein are not meant to be an exhaustive presentation of the ways in which the various features of the subject matter hereof may be combined. Accordingly, the embodiments are not mutually exclusive combinations of features; rather, the various embodiments can comprise a combination of different individual features selected from different individual embodiments, as understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, elements described with respect to one embodiment can be implemented in other embodiments even when not described in such embodiments unless otherwise noted.
Although a dependent claim may refer in the claims to a specific combination with one or more other claims, other embodiments can also include a combination of the dependent claim with the subject matter of each other dependent claim or a combination of one or more features with other dependent or independent claims. Such combinations are proposed herein unless it is stated that a specific combination is not intended.
