Bait fish-holding turbine fishing lure

#This invention relates generally to fishing lures and more particularly to fishing lures arranged to hold a dead bait fish during fishing operations for attracting fish to be caught.

#As is well understood by those involved in the sport fishing art, a key to success in catching fish, irrespective of the type of fishing being conducted, is the ability to attract a target fish to the proximity of the fishhook and induce the fish into biting and impaling itself on the fishhook attached to the line of the fishing pole. The fishing lure art in this regard is voluminous and replete with lures of every description arranged for the purpose of attracting the attention of fish to be caught. In most cases, lures are designed to attract the attention of fish through distinctive shapes and bright coloration, etc. usually in combination with the provision of natural and artificial bait materials, etc. placed on a fishing hook.

#In this, as is also well known in the art, since many if not most types of game fish are instinctively predatory in nature and feed on smaller fish that they come across, a variety of bait fish-holding type lures have been provided heretofore that are specifically arranged to secure a substantially whole bait fish to the end of a fishing line for the impaling of a larger, target fish on a fishhook associated with the lure when the target fish strikes at the bait fish. Such lures are used in trolling, plunking, casting, stream and river current fishing, and other types of fishing in which there is a constant relative movement of the lure and surrounding water, either by the dragging of the lure through the water by trolling from a boat or through the use of the reel mechanism associated with a fishing pole, or by current movement of the water passing the lure as in stream and river current situations. It is these types of bait fish-holding lures and types of fishing to which the present invention relates.

#FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a fishing lure embodying features of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the fishing lure of FIG. 1 shown in condition ready for securement to the end of a fishing line for fishing operation.

#FIG. 3 is a rear end elevational view of the headcap turbine member of the fishing lure.

#This invention provides a substantially straight tracking bait fish-holding turbine fishing lure 10 arranged for connection to the terminal end portion of a fishing line L, the lure configured to support a dead bait fish for substantially even and consistent rotation of the lure and bait fish about an axis extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal center line of the lure and supported bait fish during relative longitudinal movement of the lure and surrounding water during fishing operations. It is by virtue of the structural arrangements now to be described in detail and shown in the illustrative embodiments in the drawings that a bait fish-holding type fishing lure is provided for consistent, substantially straight, tracking through the water behind the fish line with minimal random lateral and vertical wobbling movement while the lure and supported bait fish rotate evenly and smoothly for attracting the attention and feeding instincts of a fish to be caught.

#FIG. 1 illustrates a bait fish-holding lure 10 embodying features of the present invention tied to the end of a fishing line L and shown substantially in condition to receive and secure a dead bait fish preliminary to a fishing operation. As illustrated, the lure includes a turbine body member in the form of a substantially hollow headcap member 12 having a substantially closed front end 14 and opposite, open rear end 16 and enclosing peripheral side wall 18. As is apparent, the headcap member 12 is arranged and dimensioned to contain the head portion of a selected bait fish B within its hollow interior confines, as is reflected in FIG. 2 of the drawings. In this regard, although the headcap member may be substantially round in cross section if desired, it is preferably generally oval in cross section as shown in FIG. 3 in order to more closely conform to the overall shape of the head portion of a bait fish to be confined therein. Typically, selected bait fish may include herring, sardines and anchovy, although it is to be understood that the lure of this invention may of course be proportioned at manufacture as needed to accommodate use with larger bait fish such as mullet and bonita for larger game fishing applications such as in fishing for marlin and tuna.

#As seen best in FIGS. 3-5 of the drawings, the substantially hollow interior confines of the headcap member includes a longitudinally-extending, hollow axle rod support tube member 20 fixedly disposed centrally therein and arranged to extend longitudinally rearwardly from the front, closed end 14 of the headcap member. The central bore 22 extending longitudinally through the tube member 20 communicates through the closed front end 14 of the headcap member through a bore opening 24 as seen in FIGS. 3-5.