The present invention relates generally to a snag-resistant bladed fishing lure and, more particularly, to a fishing lure with a blade that is attached directly to the jig (weighted hook) at two attachment points to stabilize the jig and to prevent rollover.
One type of fishing lure favored by many anglers is a bladed jig type of lure, which includes a weighted jig body from which a hook extends and to which a blade is attached opposite the hook. The purpose of the blade, among other things, is to move side-to-side to provide the lure with heavy vibration and to shelter the jig body and prevent the hook from being snagged on an underwater obstacle, such as grass or a branch. If the lure becomes snagged, the angler may seek to dislodge it forcefully from the obstacle, but such efforts to retrieve the lure scare away the fish, reducing the likelihood of a successful catch. Further, if the fishing line breaks during the struggle to free the snagged lure, the lure can be lost.
The attachment mechanism for securing the blade to the jig body affects the movement of the blade, as the fishing lure is pulled through the water. The blade is typically provided with a single attachment hole through which a wire loop, or eyelet, extending from the jig body is positioned. One or more intermediate rings may also be used between the wire loop and the blade. In lures of this type, the blade edge proximate the jig body is positioned within the wire loop (or the intermediate ring). The proximity of the attachment hole to the blade edge, the size of the attachment hole in comparison with the outer diameter of the wire loop, and the distance between the attachment hole and the jig body affect the range of the side-to-side motion of the blade over the jig body. The bigger the inside diameter of the wire loop, the more side-to-side movement the blade exhibits.
It has been found that the freedom of movement of the blade associated with connecting the eyelet or wire loop through a single attachment hole can result in an unacceptable amount of “play” between the blade and the weighted jig body. The use of an intermediate ring increases the play in the fishing lure. If there is too much play, the fish may not fully engage the hook and may evade being caught. Many bladed lures with a single attachment point exhibit a 270-degree up-and-back motion, which creates the potential for the jig body to roll over as it passes over an obstacle. This rollover can lead to snagging.
Because of the aggravation associated with snagging and potentially losing a bladed lure, most fishermen choose not to fish these lures in regions known to have heavy cover (that is, areas with ample branches or thick vegetation), where fish tend to congregate. Instead, fisherman position their lures to be above or around the heavy cover area.
Since the fish gather in heavy cover areas, a bladed fishing lure that could navigate through heavy cover without experiencing jig body and hook rollover would reduce the risk of snagging and, therefore, would be highly advantageous.
Thus, the fishing experience would be improved by a fishing lure that has a controlled amount of up-and-back blade movement to promote firm engagement of the fish and to resist snagging by preventing rollover of the jig body.
A fishing lure includes a jig having a body, a hook, and a blade attached to the body at two attachment points. The hook extends along a longitudinal axis of the body. A fixed wire loop extends from a forward end of the body along the longitudinal axis to directly connect the blade to the body. The blade has an edge near the body, a first attachment hole through the blade near the first edge, a second attachment hole aligned with and spaced near the first attachment hole, and a pair of line attachment holes spaced apart from the second attachment hole. The wire loop is fed directly through both the first and the second attachment holes, and the first edge is outside the wire loop. This arrangement controls the jig body's movement relative to the blade, reducing the likelihood of rollover that could lead to snagging.
More specifically, a fishing lure includes: a jig having a body with a longitudinal axis; a hook extending from the body along the longitudinal axis; a fixed wire loop extending from a forward end of the body along the longitudinal axis; and a blade having a first edge proximate to the body, a first attachment hole through the blade proximate to the first edge, a second attachment hole aligned with and spaced proximate to the first attachment hole, and a pair of line attachment holes spaced apart from the second attachment hole; wherein the wire loop is fed directly through both the first attachment hole and the second attachment hole, and the first edge is outside the wire loop.
The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and its operation, can be understood with reference to the accompanying figures. It should be noted that these figures are not necessarily to scale in all instances.
Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the figures. Each example is provided by way of explanation and is not meant to be a limitation of the claimed subject matter. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used with a different embodiment to yield yet still another embodiment. It is intended that the present application include such modifications and variations as come within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Selected combinations or aspects of the disclosed technology correspond to a plurality of different embodiments of the present invention. Certain features may be interchanged with similar devices or different features not expressly mentioned that perform the same or similar functions.
As used herein, the singular forms of “a,” “and,” and “the” include plural versions, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Significantly, and as will be illustrated in several other figures, the wire loop 24 is positioned through both the first attachment hole 42 and the second attachment hole 44, which limits the back-and-forth motion of the blade 40 over the jig body 20 and, in turn, reduces the amount of play between the blade 40 and the jig body 20. Because of the attachment of the blade 40 at two points (holes 42, 44) rather than a single attachment location, the blade 40 and the jig body 20 tend to work as a unit, thereby reducing the likelihood of rollover and the risk for snagging during use. When a fish bites or when an underwater obstruction is encountered—events which cause the blade to be pulled forward within a 180-degree arc (as in
While the exemplary embodiments shown in the present application include a blade 40 having a shield shape, other blade shapes may instead be used. Blades 40 having shapes that are wider at the blade edge 43 and narrower opposite the blade edge 43 tend to perform well. The tip 39 of the blade 40 may be rounded or square, instead of pointed. The shape of the blade 40 determines the surface area of the water to be disrupted, and the weight of the jig body 20 is selected to balance the surface area.
The blade 40a includes the first attachment hole 42 in closest proximity to the blade edge 43 and the second attachment hole 44 adjacent to the first attachment hole 40. The distance between the second attachment hole 44 and the blade edge 43 may be described as a length L1. The line attachment holes 46 are positioned in close proximity to one another and are spaced apart from the second attachment hole 44. All of the holes 42, 44, 46 are positioned along the longitudinal axis 50 or in close proximity to the longitudinal axis 50. As shown in
The position of the line attachment holes 46 toward the center of the blade 40a and/or on the same half of the blade 40a as the attachment holes 42, 44 causes the fishing lure 10 fitted with such blade 40a to dive or plane downward, as the fishing lure 10 is drawn through the water. As shown in
As described above and as shown in
The position of the line attachment holes 46 toward the tip 49 of the blade 40b and/or on the opposite half of the blade 40b as the attachment holes 42, 44 causes the fishing lure 10 fitted with such blade 40b to rise or plane upward, as the fishing lure 10 is drawn through the water. As shown in
Like the blades 40a and 40b, the blades 40c, 40d of
In
The second attachment hole 54 may be arranged with the larger diameter (D3) portion in proximity to the first attachment hole 42, as shown, or may be arranged with the larger diameter (D3) portion distal to the first attachment hole 42. Providing the second attachment hole 54 with two different hole diameters permits installation of the wire loop 24 (as shown in
In
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Optionally, shown in
As disclosed herein, the present disclosure provides a snag-resistant bladed lure that includes a blade configured to protect the hook and prevent snagging upon an obstacle. The side-to-side movement of the blade is controlled by the two attachment points at which the blade is attached to the jig, the respective size of the two attachment holes, and the gauge of the wire loop. Because the blade is coupled to the jig body at two points, the blade and the jig body tend to work as a unit, thereby minimizing the risk of rollover that may lead to the lure being snagged by an underwater hazard.
While preferred embodiments of the present fishing lure have been shown and described, modifications and variations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Thus, it should be understood that various embodiments may be interchanged, both in whole or in part. Furthermore, those with skill in this technology will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only and is not intended to be a limitation of the invention as further described in the appended claims.
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