Basic weight for fishing

Abstract

Basic weight (1) for fishing, including - a flexible sleeve-like body (101) made of a textile material, the diameter of which is significantly smaller than the length of which, and the flexible sleeve-like body (101) being plastically or elastically deformable in any direction, - a granular filling material (103) accommodated in the sleeve-like body (101), and - a suture material (105) which at least partially closes the sleeve-like body (101) and prevents the granular filling material (103) from escaping, wherein the suture material (105) has a fastening means (107).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a base weight for fishing, which is intended to replace the classic base lead weights.

[0002] In fishing, additional weights are usually required on the fishing line to cast the lure, also to keep it on or near the bottom. Traditionally, a so-called bottom lead is used for this purpose, which can have various geometric shapes. As the name suggests, it is made of lead or other high-density metals such as tungsten.

[0003] Lead is a toxic heavy metal that, like tungsten, can cause serious health problems if it enters the food chain. Some countries have therefore already banned the use of lead in fishing. Tungsten can also have negative health effects on the human body.

[0004] Therefore, various base weights for fishing are now generally known from the state of the art, intended to replace a base lead. For example, DE 202 02 246 U1 describes a plastic weight for fishing lines that has a sealed chamber for holding a liquid, with at least one opening for the controlled release of the liquid from the chamber to the environment.

[0005] From DE 20 2020 004 676 U1 a weight for fishing is known with a base body and at least one holder for attaching the weight to a fishing line, wherein the base body and the holder are made of stainless steel, or wherein the base body is made of stainless steel and the holder is a guide through the base body.

[0006] A fishing sinker consisting of a cloth bag open at the top is described in US Pat. No. 9,681,651 B2. The bag is partially filled, then the top part of the bag is gathered and closed using a grommet and a rubber band attached to the eyelet of the grommet. The grommet is placed over the gathered fabric, then the rubber band is pulled around the gathered fabric and over the end of the grommet to close the bag. The bag can then be emptied and retrieved by firmly pulling on the fishing line, which is also attached to the metal pin tied to the bottom of the bag.

[0007] US 2014 / 0311012 A1 describes releasable marine sinkers that use a rapidly disintegrating water-soluble material as a fastening means or as part of a fastening arrangement for attaching a weight to fishing line. Depending on the configuration of the rapidly disintegrating water-soluble material, the rapidly disintegrating water-soluble material dissolves after the sinker is exposed to water, e.g., by casting a fishing line into the water or by throwing a caught fish back into the water, thereby releasing the sinker from the fishing line. The weighted portion of the lead, which constitutes the majority of the lead's weight, may preferably be made of an organic material that also eventually dissolves in water, albeit much more slowly than the rapidly disintegrating water-soluble material.Finally, EP 2 754 348 A1 discloses a weighted container, in particular an attractant container, for the delayed release of a solid or liquid substance. To be able to adjust the release of the substance, it is proposed that the container comprise a container housing with a housing element that forms at least one adjustable opening in the container housing.

[0008] While these known solutions generally avoid toxic heavy metals, they still have serious disadvantages. Ground weights are naturally located on the bottom, where they can get caught on rocky or stony ground or other obstacles on the waterbed and jam due to their rigid or hard nature. As a result, these ground weights break off the fishing line and remain on the bottom. Since none of the state-of-the-art ground weights are made of a natural and / or biodegradable material, contamination always remains, even if it is no longer as toxic as lead or tungsten.

[0009] Given the problem of microplastics in waterways and the fact that even metallic or stainless steel weights can release harmful substances, there remains a need for an environmentally friendly and environmentally compatible base weight for fishing.

[0010] The present invention is therefore based on the object of providing a novel base weight for fishing which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and represents a non-toxic base lead substitute which, on the one hand, remains in the water less frequently and, on the other hand, is environmentally friendly when it remains in the water.

[0011] This object is achieved in the present invention by a base weight (1) for fishing, comprising - a flexible sleeve-like body (101) made of a textile material, the diameter of which is significantly smaller than the length of which, and the flexible sleeve-like body (101) being plastically or elastically deformable in any direction, - a granular filling material (103) accommodated in the sleeve-like body (101), and - a suture material (105) which at least partially closes the sleeve-like body (101) and prevents the granular filling material (103) from escaping, wherein the suture material (105) has a fastening means (107).

[0012] A "sleeve-like body" is understood to be a shape whose diameter is significantly smaller than its length and which encloses a hollow space. The term "flexible" in this context means that the sleeve-like body (101) is not rigid, but can deform plastically or elastically in any direction. The textile material used for the sleeve-like body (101) contributes significantly to its flexibility.

[0013] The "granular filler material" can be a single material or a mixture of several materials of the same or different particle size. It is important that the granular filler material (103) is inherently deformable, i.e., that the individual particles can slide against each other to impart flexibility to the inventive base weight (1) itself.

[0014] The term "monofilament" (also known as monofilament) generally means that this material consists of a single filament, i.e., it is "single-threaded." The diameter is usually greater than 0.1 mm, but plays only a minor role in the present invention.

[0015] According to the invention, the sleeve-like body (101) is closed with the suture material (105), which has a high load-bearing capacity, in particular 8 kg to 25 kg, at least at the points still open after production, for example at the ends. The same material is then used as a single- or double-threaded suture material (105). The suture material (105) is preferably a monofilament suture material.

[0016] In general, and also in order to increase the load-bearing capacity of the fastening device (107) to 60 kg or more, a braided suture material can also be used if it is coated in such a way that fraying of the braided threads is largely excluded.

[0017] For practical handling, it is advantageous if the suture material (105) has a fastening means (107). In this way, the base weight (1) according to the invention can be quickly and easily attached to or removed from the fishing line.

[0018] The device according to the invention has the primary advantage that the inventive base weight (1) represents a non-toxic base lead substitute. Due to the design with a flexible sleeve-like body (101) made of textile material and granular filler material (103), the invention has the advantage over base weights made of monolithic solid materials that the frequently observed occurrence in the prior art of the base weight becoming lodged in the stony waterbed or other obstacles, with subsequent loss of the same, is almost completely eliminated.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the textile material of the sleeve-like body (101) consists of biodegradable natural fibers. Examples include cotton, wool, silk, linen, hemp, viscose, modal (structurally modified viscose fiber), and lyocell (regenerated cellulose fiber).

[0020] Even if the rare case should occur that the inventive base weight (1) actually gets caught on an obstacle and is lost, it remains in the water as a virtually harmless container. It is more environmentally friendly than conventionally used base weights, not least due to its faster decomposition.

[0021] It has been found to be advantageous for the flexibility of the basic weight according to the invention if the textile material is designed as a woven fabric, knitted fabric, knitted fabric or felt.

[0022] Another embodiment provides for the granular filler material (103) to be made of a natural, nature-identical, and / or biologically inert material. This further ensures that a completely harmless container remains in the water body, which, due to its faster decomposition or completely inert behavior, is more environmentally friendly than the materials of conventionally used base weights.

[0023] The granular filling material (103) may comprise all kinds of sand, from fine sand to coarse sand, as well as mixtures thereof.

[0024] This fastening means (107) with a high load-bearing capacity is designed in particular as a round sling.

[0025] In order to find a reasonable balance between the size of the basic weight (1) according to the invention and its handling, it is preferred if the granular filling material (103) has a density of 1.1 g / cm 3 up to 2.0 g / cm 3 has.

[0026] A special embodiment of the present invention provides that the base weight (1) according to the invention can be scaled in terms of weight while maintaining a constant size by selecting the granular filling material (103) or by selecting the diameter of the sleeve-like body (101) or by selecting the length of the sleeve-like body (101).

[0027] This specific embodiment ensures a high degree of variability of the inventive base weight (1) when used for different applications, such as fishing in different waters. This embodiment also opens up the possibility of spontaneously scaling the weight on-site, for example, by removing or adding granular filler material (103).

[0028] Finally, a base weight (1) according to the invention that is damaged, for example, on a sharp edge, can be repaired on site by refilling the granular filling material (103) with existing material such as sand or gravel and simply sewing it back together.

[0029] In a further development of the base weight (1) according to the invention, the sleeve-like body (101) and the granular filling material (103) are designed to receive a liquid or flowable attractant.

[0030] Due to the stated nature of the base weight (1) according to the invention, it is possible to soak it with liquid attractants to attract fish and thus achieve a precise and resource-saving application of liquid attractants in the water for fishing.

[0031] It has also proven to be useful for practical handling if the dry weight of the base weight (1) according to the invention is in a ratio of 1 : 1.1 to 1 : 1.6 to its wet weight (calculated on an impregnation with water).

[0032] Due to this embodiment, the base weight (1) according to the invention has a significantly lower weight in the unused (dry) state, which results in a lower storage and shipping weight compared to the actual casting weight in the wet state, which must also be indicated.

[0033] Another development provides that the base weight (1) according to the invention does not have any reflective and / or fluorescent materials.

[0034] In contrast to conventional base weights made of metallic materials, which are often at least partially reflective, the present invention does not negatively impact the success of fishing (i.e., catching fish) due to their deterrent effect when fish perceive reflections and the like. Furthermore, the base weight (1) according to the invention can be additionally camouflaged to blend in with the bottom of the body of water.

[0035] Further objects, features, advantages, and possible applications will become apparent from the following description of non-limiting embodiments of the invention, also with reference to the figures. All described and / or illustrated features, individually or in any combination, constitute the subject matter of the invention, regardless of their summary in the claims or their reference back to them. It shows: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of a base weight 1 according to the invention according to a first embodiment, Fig. 2 a schematic cross-sectional view along the line B - B in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 a photographic representation of the Fig. 1 shown inventive base weight 1.

[0036] In the figures, all identical components are designated by the same reference numerals; however, for reasons of clarity, not all reference numerals are necessarily included in all illustrations. A specific embodiment of the invention is described below, but this is not to be construed as limiting.

[0037] Fig. Figure 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the base weight 1 according to the invention, which here consists of a thick cotton fabric as a flexible sleeve-like body 101 and contains a filling of fine sand as granular filling material 103. The sleeve-like body 101 is shown partially cut open along the curved line A-A. The sleeve-like body 101 is closed accordingly with the preferably monofilament suture material 105. The fastening means 107, here as a loop, can also be formed from the preferably monofilament suture material 105. The single or double-threaded, preferably monofilament suture material 105 can run through the base weight according to the invention and ideally consists of the same material as the monofilament suture material 105 used for the suture.

[0038] In Fig. 2 is a cross section along the Fig. 1 is shown schematically. Only indicated is the preferably monofilament suture material 105, which here lies in the middle of the inventive base weight 1.

[0039] A photographic representation of the Fig. 1 shown inventive base weight 1 is Fig. 3. This illustration shows a braided surface.

[0040] Depending on the target fish to be caught, the base weight 1 according to the invention can be impregnated with various liquid attractants. In the prior art, these liquid attractants are usually added to a bait mixture, which is attached to the bottom rig in a heavy feeder basket instead of the bottom lead.

[0041] The positioning of the attractant near the bait is significantly more precise with this invention than with the feeder basket described above. With the conventional feeder basket, a rather large, imprecise cloud of feed is typically created when it hits the water surface and then sinks to the bottom. Furthermore, a relatively large amount of feed is spread over a large area on the bottom, which quickly satiates the fish and thus reduces the success rate of catches, as the bait ends up lying somewhere in this large field of feed and attractant. Finally, with each subsequent cast, the amount of feed and the area of ​​feed on the bottom become larger and less precise.

[0042] By a targeted cast with the fishing rod, the bait attached to the rig is transported to the desired location in the water where, according to experience, the chances of catching fish are greatest. Furthermore, the inventive base weight 1, impregnated with attractant, then specifically and precisely attracts the fish to the location where the bait is located, without unnecessarily satiating them or making them suspicious.

[0043] Since the base weight 1 according to the invention is soft and easily deformable due to its nature, it does not jam between the solid rock formations or get caught on other obstacles on rocky bottoms. Due to these so-called "snags," anglers not only constantly lose their bottom lead in the water (the lead is torn off the fishing rig by a strong pull on the fishing line), but they also lose larger fish that have already taken the bait, as the "snag" can cause them to break free again after the bite. Typically, the broken hook, along with parts of the line, remains in the fish's mouth, which can be avoided in this way.

[0044] The inventive base weight 1 also achieves better catch results because, unlike metal weights, it doesn't create underwater light reflections. A light reflection near the bait makes fish suspicious, which leads to them not biting.

[0045] The possible natural decomposition of the base weight 1 according to the invention, should it nevertheless become snagged and lost, is an additional aspect that contributes to environmental protection Reference symbol 1 base weight 101 flexible sleeve-like body 103 granular filling material 105 suture material 107 Fasteners

Claims

[1] Basic weight (1) for fishing, including - a flexible sleeve-like body (101) made of a textile material, the diameter of which is significantly smaller than the length of which, and the flexible sleeve-like body (101) being plastically or elastically deformable in any direction, - a granular filling material (103) accommodated in the sleeve-like body (101), and - a suture material (105) which at least partially closes the sleeve-like body (101) and prevents the granular filling material (103) from escaping, wherein the suture material (105) has a fastening means (107). [2] Base weight (1) according to claim 1, wherein the textile material of the sleeve-like body (101) consists of biodegradable natural fibers. [3] Base weight (1) according to claim 1, wherein the textile material is designed as a woven fabric, knitted fabric, knitted fabric or felt. [4] Base weight (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the granular filling material (103) consists of a natural, nature-identical and / or biologically inert material. [5] Base weight (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the suture material (105) has a load-bearing capacity of 8 kg to 25 kg. [6] Base weight (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the granular filling material (103) has a density of 1.1 g / cm 3 up to 2.0 g / cm 3 has. [7] Base weight (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, which is scalable in terms of weight while maintaining a constant size by the choice of the granular filling material (103) or by the choice of the diameter of the sleeve-like body (101) or by the choice of the length of the sleeve-like body (101). [8] Base weight (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the sleeve-like body (101) and the granular filling material (103) are designed to receive a liquid or flowable attractant. [9] Base weight (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein its dry weight is in a ratio of 1 : 1.1 to 1 : 1.6 to its wet weight. [10] Base weight (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9, which does not contain any reflective and / or fluorescent materials.

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