Fishing lure

#This invention relates to fishing, specifically to soft flexible fishing lures.

#Fish primarily feed on living or dead organisms, called bait, such as smaller fish. Lures are used to catch fish by mimicking bait in shape, size, smell, sound, appearance and action. It is a well known fact that the closer the action and appearance of the lure is to the actual bait it is imitating, the more fish the lure will catch. The lures that catch the most fish are most popular for obvious reasons. If fishing pressure is severe, fish can become “accustomed” to lures over a period of time and tend not to bit the same lure as aggressively as when the lure was first marketed. The fishing lure industry is constantly refining and improving fishing lures to better mimic the shape, size, smell, sound, appearance, color and action of bait in order to allow the fishermen to be successful in his pursuits. Sight and appearance play an important role, if not the most important role, in fish feeding habits, and fishermen are constantly seeking better methods of attracting fish by means of the lure's appearance. One of the main areas of emphasis in recent years has been creating hard plastic lures with better reflective characteristics and better fish imitating paint designs. This is achieved by using metallic paints or placing reflective foil inside the hollow hard plastic bodies. Placing reflective foil inside hard plastic lures has been around since at least 1968. U.S. Pat. No. 3,528,189 is an example of such. However, soft plastic lures have seen virtually no advance in reflective improvements since glitter was introduced many years ago.

#In prior art, glitter was interspersed into soft bodied lures to achieve reflection of light in the lure in order to imitate the brilliant reflection of the scales and skin of fish. The largest glitter size I have seen used is 0.040 of an inch, although glitter is available in sizes to ⅛ of an inch. However, glitter does not come close to imitating the brilliant reflection of the skin and scales in many fish, nor match the reflective ability of other lures such as hard plastic lures or metal lures. The reflection of light from a fish's skin and scales is of a specific area of a fish, normally the broad side and belly of the fish. In prior art, glitter is interspersed in the plastic, and accordingly does not have the surface reflective area to match the amount of reflection from fish's skin and scales. The reflection from a fish is not limited to sparkles here and there as is the case with glitter, but is normally a wide area covering the entire side or belly of the fish. Any person who has seen baitfish knows the brilliant reflection the baitfish give off as they swim and turn in the water. Additionally, particles of glitter do not all face the same direction since they are randomly interspersed in the lure, and thus the total surface area of the glitter that can reflect in a particular direction is much less than if the glitter all faced in one direction. Additionally, the use of glitter to achieve reflection prevents the use of “pattern” such as fish scales or other patterns to be reflected in the lure.

#In the following disclosure, note that FIGS. 18-20, 25-27, 37, 56, 57, 60, 62, 68, 69 and 72-79 are not provided in this application.

#The drawings are all rough hand drawings and are not perfectly to scale or perfect drawings. Formal drawings will be submitted later.

#It is important to note that the various features of the swimbait lures shown in the figures may be combined. For instance, the swimbait tail section described in one figure may be used on a swimbait in a different figure.

#The subject invention is of any soft plastic fishing lure with a large piece or pieces of reflective foil or reflective material, placed into the lure, or onto the outside surface of the lure. The reflective material, hereinafter called reflective foil, is of a larger size than the glitter used in prior art. Prior art used glitter sizes up to 0.040 inch dispersed into the plastisol, although some limited colors of glitter are available in sizes to ⅛ inch. The reflective foil, in the preferred embodiment, is of any highly reflective foil or reflective material. Examples include embossed metallized polyester film, holographic metallized polyester film, holographic polyester film, polyester film, polyester and aluminum glitter, Polyvinyl chloride aluminum/metal foils, holographic foils, polyester and metal flake, etc. The reflective foil often has a pattern in the material, such as fish scales, or small dots. The reflective foil may have an adhesive coating applied to one side. Additionally, it can be coated with a non-adhesive coating. The coating, among other things, protects the reflective foil from chemicals, heat, scratching, etc. The coating can also be of a transparent color that imparts color to the reflective foil. Transfer Print Foil and The Witchcraft Company are two of many companies that provide such reflective foil. The reflective foil, larger than the size of glitter, creates a more brilliant reflection than what was available through prior art. The reflective foil can also have an image or likeness of any fish or bait or an art design. Said image, likeness, or art design can be placed into or onto the reflective foil by any suitable means. Examples include embossing, hot stamping, pad printing, painting, air brushing or printing.

#In prior art, soft bodied lures have used very small pieces of glitter or reflective pigments, to achieve reflection of light in the lure to imitate the brilliant reflection of the scales and skin of fish. However, glitter does not produce near the reflective qualities as that produced by a large strip of reflective foil. Glitter is interspersed throughout the plastic lure and thus does not have near the same amount of surface area with which to reflect light. Also, the small pieces of glitter that are randomly interspersed throughout the lure in prior art do not all face the same direction, and thus the total surface area of the glitter that reflects in a particular direction is much less than a lure with a larger piece of reflective foil. Additionally, the use of glitter to achieve reflection prevents the use of a “pattern” such as fish scales to be seen in the lure. Glitter is of such small size, does not face the same direction, and does not have the continuous surface area and thus cannot match the amount of reflection of a larger strip of reflective foil.

#A piece of reflective foil that is much larger than the size of glitter, has greater surface reflection area and much greater reflection than glitter. Consequently, a much better imitation of the natural reflection of a fish's skin and scales is achieved. The piece of reflective foil also has the advantage in that the reflective foil can have a pattern, such as fish scales or other patterns. Thus, the invention achieves an improved or different reflection and a better imitation of fish that was not available in prior art. Through use of holographic images, the pattern in the reflective foil is highly visible, even at extreme angles. This improved reflection is achieved whether the reflective foil is embedded in the lure or applied to the outside surface of the lure.