Ice fishing system
AssigneeJoni Lu Sorcic
InventorGerald J. Sanderfoot
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ice fishing system comprising a variable stiffness jigging mechanism inside a housing. The jigging mechanism includes an oscillating arm having a flexible tube that supports and jigs the fishing line. The fishing line is draped over a flexible line guide. The flexibilities of the flexible tube and the line guide are chosen to suit the particular kind of fish to be caught. A heat exchanger in the housing has a slidable glass door that protects a burner from the wind as well as provides illumination inside the housing. The heat exchanger is spaced from the housing walls to provide adequate air circulation around it. A lid of the housing is strong enough for a fisherman to kneel on.
Claims37
Apparatus for fishing through the ice comprising:
- a. a housing having a top wall and at least one side wall that cooperate to define a housing interior;
- b. lid means for selectively opening and closing to provide and prevent, respectively, access to the housing interior;
- c. heat exchanger means for providing illumination and heat to the housing interior;
- d. a reel mechanism in the housing top wall and including a fishing line;
- e. means for jigging the fishing line comprising:
- i. a rod that oscillates inside the housing interior;
- ii. a flexible tube on the rod having a slit therethrough that receives the fishing line;
- and
- iii. means for supporting the fishing line on the flexible tube and thereby enabling the fishing line to reciprocate in response to oscillating the rod;
- and
- f. means for alerting a fisherman of a strike on the fishing line.
A fishing system for use on ice comprising:
- a. a housing having at least one wall that defines a housing interior;
- b. means for selectively providing access to the housing interior;
- c. a heat exchanger in the housing interior comprising:
- i. first and second side plates fastened to the housing;
- ii. a bottom plate and a middle shelf both joined to the side plates and cooperating therewith to define a combustion chamber with an open front;
- iii. a burner on the bottom plate;
- and
- iv. a clear door slidable within the side plates to selectively slide between a lower position whereat the combustion chamber open front is closed and a raised position whereat the combustion chamber open front is partially open;
- d. a reel mechanism in the housing comprising a reel in the housing interior and mounted to a shaft that rotates about a vertical axis and a fishing line being wound on the reel;
- e. means for jigging the fishing line;
- and
- f. means for alerting a fisherman of a strike on the fishing line.
A method of catching fish through ice comprising the steps of:
- a. placing a housing having walls that define an interior over a hole in the ice;
- b. unwinding a predetermined length of fishing line from a reel inside the housing and dropping the fishing line through the hole in the ice;
- c. placing the fishing line in a slit of a flexible tube in the housing interior;
- d. supporting the fishing line on the flexible tube;
- and
- e. oscillating the flexible tube and thereby producing realistic jigging of the fishing line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.