Patent Application
20160244129
Commercial and recreational fishing is often conducted in shallow water. Both fresh water and salt water shallows are often populated with a variety of fish. Fishermen who fish these waters precisely locate and anchor their boat in areas where the amount of fish caught will be maximized. Oftentimes fishermen will locate their boat where fish are visually detectable within the water through a technique called sight fishing. When using this technique, the fishermen must make every attempt to minimize noise so as not to scare the fish.
Conventional anchors are typically used to anchor a boat when shallow water fishing. A conventional anchor may take on various forms but generally has the form of a mass located at the end of a rope or chain that is in turn attached to the boat. To anchor the boat, a fisherman simply drops or throws the mass into the body of water letting it sink to a bottom thereof.
Unfortunately, several problems arise when using a conventional anchor during shallow water fishing. First, because the anchor is ordinarily tethered to the boat using a rope or chain, the boat will drift when anchored due to currents within the water. This drifting effect can place the boat in an unintended position other than a position most advantageous for shallow water fishing. Second, a loud noise and splash is produced when the anchor is thrown into the water that in turn can scare away the fish in proximity to the boat. Third, the mass often times drags across the bottom surface of the body of water and stirs up particulate matter such that the fisherman's view of fish within the water is obscured. Additionally, the mass can damage the vegetation growing at the bottom of the body of water as it drags across it.
In view of the above problems and limitations of the art, it is desirable to have an anchor that anchors a watercraft within the water such that the watercraft does not drift due to current. It is further desirable that such an anchor function without producing an excessive amount of noise or obscuring the clarity of the water.
Another outdoor sporting activity frequently performed on or near the water is waterfowl hunting, the practice of hunting ducks, geese, or other waterfowl for food and sport. Waterfowl are frequently hunted on or near bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps, sloughs, or oceanic coastlines. Boats are used to set up decoys, pick up birds, and travel distances to hunting areas. They can also be covered and used as a blind. Hunters position themselves in camouflage blinds to conceal themselves from waterfowl, while decoys are used to lure the birds within range.
Given the popularity and nature of waterfowl hunting, and the large amount of equipment needed to hunt, it would be desirable to consolidate this equipment by providing a shallow water anchor pole that could also function as a decoy. It is further desirable that this decoy be a removable attachment that could be added to or removed from the anchor pole as needed, and that the anchor pole is designed to allow for the attachment of interchangeable elements as desired by the user.
Embodiments of the present invention provide such an anchor pole. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a telescopic anchor pole that can extend and retract for quick and easy use, as well as allow for efficient storage within a boat. It is another object of the present invention to provide a telescopic anchor pole with an attachment mechanism allowing a user to attach interchangeable elements such as a decoy, T-handle, camera, or any other desired accessory.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art with respect to marine anchors and provide a novel apparatus for facilitating frequent manual deployment and retraction of a quiet shallow water anchor. Additionally, the present invention addresses the desire to have a single apparatus that functions to anchor a boat and allows for the attachment of multiple accessories useful in fishing, hunting, boating, and the like. In one embodiment of the invention, an apparatus for anchoring a boat to a bottom of a body of water is disclosed. It will be recognized that while the following description will utilize such an exemplary environment in describing the various features and functionality of the present invention, such description should be taken by way of example and not by way of limitation.
An anchor pole of the present invention is designed to be adjustable in length; this adjustability preferably being accomplished through the use of a telescopic design.
It is to be understood that the embodiment described above is a preferred arrangement and is not limiting the anchor pole 10 to a specific design. In an alternative embodiment, the second pole 16 may be larger in diameter whereby the lower end of the first pole 14 is inserted into the upper end of second pole 16 and locked into place via a locking mechanism 18 that may be present on the upper end of the second pole 16. The locking mechanism 18 may be a cam lock, as shown, a clamp mechanism, a spring loaded button present on one pole that locks into a corresponding slot present on the other pole, or any other suitable locking mechanism.
The telescopic anchor pole 10 may also be designed to function as an attachment apparatus for optional attachments 12 such as hunting decoys 12b, a T-handle 12a, bicycle handle-type grips, cameras, and the like. Additionally, the pole 10 may receive a paddle attachment for rowing, a gig attachment for fishing, or a Y shaped attachment or duck foot to be used like a push pole. The upper end of the first pole 14 may be adapted to receive an interchangeable attachment element 12, which may be inserted into the first pole 14 and locked into place using a cam lock or similar locking mechanism 22. Alternatively, the actual attachment 12 itself may include a built-in locking mechanism 22 to lock the attachment 12 to the anchor pole 10.
It is contemplated that a user may transport the anchor pole 10 in a boat with said pole 10 in a fully retracted position. Once the user has boated to a desired location, the anchor pole 10 may be extended to a length sufficient for anchoring the boat. A T-handle apparatus 12b may be attached to the top of the anchor pole 10 to facilitate driving the pole 10 into the ground. If the user is hunting wild fowl, the T-handle attachment 12b may be removed and replaced with a decoy attachment 12a for attracting ducks, geese, etc. It is to be understood that other attachments 12 may be used as well, such as camera for capturing photos and/or videos, a light or reflector for easy identification of the boat, a flag for identification or decorative purposes, or other suitable and useful attachments. The attachment elements 12 are not limited to those described above, but could include any attachment as desired. Once the user is ready to remove the anchor pole 10, the attachment apparatus 12, whether it be a decoy 12a, flag, etc., may be removed and replaced with a T-handle 12b, the pole 10 can be pulled from its anchoring position, fully retracted, and stored compactly within the boat. It is to be noted that a user is not limited to the use of a single anchor pole 10 and may use multiple poles at one time. For example, a user may boat to a particular hunting area and drive into the ground one or more anchor poles 10 containing a decoy attachment 12a, then boat to an area some distance from the decoy(s) and drive another anchor pole 10 into the ground to anchor the boat. In this way, multiple poles with multiple attachments may be used interchangeably at one time.
