Apparatus

Abstract

A fishing float 100 comprising a body 102 and a closure element such as a cap 104, defining a hollow interior 106, the body having one or more apertures 110 extending through, and an absorbent materia

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a fishing float. In particular, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a fishing float for retaining fish attractant, and releasing the same. BACKGROUND Float fishing is typically performed using live or artificial bait attached to a hook at the end of a fishing line. The float enables the angler to cast out the bait away from a shore or boat whilst maintaining a reference point to where the bait is located. It is known that use of live or artificial bait alone may in some cases be insufficient to attract fish. Anglers therefore commonly apply liquid fish attractant to enhance the palatability of the bait and to mask any unpleasant smells. Water soluble fish attractants are commonly used, and they are easy to apply and dissolve quickly in water. Due to their high dissolution rate, water soluble fish attractants have short lifetimes and consequently anglers have to regularly reapply fish attractant to the bait, which can be wasteful and also pollute the water environment. It is known to apply fish attractant to edible bait which is then thrown into water close to a float by an angler to attract fish. However, the edible bait is prone to sink and the angler has to throw additional bait into the water, often repeatedly. Furthermore, distributing edible bait close to the float is dependent on the angler’s ability to throw accurately and the distance at which the float is cast. There is a growing need to extend the effective lifetime of fish attractant, and to prevent its quick dispersion into the water away from the hook on the end of the fishing line. The present invention has been devised with the foregoing considerations in mind and it seeks to provide an improved fishing float for controlled release offish attractant, optionally slow release of a fish attractant. SUMMARY OF INVENTION According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fishing float comprising a body and a closure element attached to the body, the body and closure element defining a hollow interior, the body having one or more apertures extending therethrough, the fishing float further including an absorbent material located in the hollow interior and operable to absorb fish attractant, wherein the one or more apertures allow water to flow into and out of the hollow interior in use. The body may have any suitable number of apertures. For example, in one arrangement, the body may have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 apertures. In another arrangement, the body may have from 1-10 apertures, from 2-9 apertures, from 3-8 apertures, from 4-6 apertures, or from 5-6 apertures. The absorbent material may be formed from any suitable porous material, such as sponge, foam, or rubber. The absorbent material may be an open pore material or may comprise an open pore material. In one arrangement, absorbent material may be a mixture of open pore material and closed pore material or may comprise a mixture of open pore material and closed pore material. The closure element may be attached to the body by any suitable means, such as a cap or plug. In one arrangement, the closure element may be sealingly attached to the body. In another arrangement, the closure element may be detachable from the body. The closure element may comprise a retaining means to retain the absorbent material. Any suitable retaining means may be used. In one arrangement, the retaining means may be an enclosure dimensioned to receive the absorbent material, such as a cylindrical, rectangular, or polygonal enclosure. In another arrangement, the absorbent material may be retained by engagement with the closure element, such as frictional engagement. The absorbent material may be located in any suitable position in the hollow interior. In one arrangement, the absorbent material may be located or predominately located in an upper half of the hollow interior. The body or closure element may further comprise a fishing line attachment means. The absorbent material may be positioned substantially along a central plane of the attachment means. Any suitable fish attractant may be used. The fish attractant may be in the form of a liquid or gel. In one arrangement, the fish attractant may be a gel attractant. In another arrangement, the fish attractant may be a liquid attractant. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit of parts comprising a fishing float and an absorbent material according to the first aspect. Advantageously, with the present invention it has been found that incorporating absorbent material that has operably absorbed fish attractant into a fishing float enables slow controlled release of fish attractant from the float. The controlled release of fish attractant may be achieved via water flowing into the hollow interior through the one or more apertures, suitably applying a water pressure to the absorbent material, and then flowing out of the body through the one or more apertures to deliver fish attractant to the external surroundings. The apertures may have any suitable dimension. For example, the apertures may have a dimension of from 1 to 5mm, from 1.5 to 4mm, from 2 to 3.5mm, or from 2.5 to 3mm, wherein the dimension may be the length, width or diameter of the aperture. The apertures may be any suitable shape. For example, the aperture may be circular with a diameter from 1 to 5mm, from 1.5 to 4mm, from 2 to 3.5mm, or from 2.5 to 3mm. The aperture dimensions limit the flow-rate of water into the body so that a low water pressure can be applied to the absorbent material. Limiting the amount of pressure applied to the absorbent material advantageously enables slow controlled release of fish attractant from the absorbent material. When more than one aperture is present, the apertures may be arranged at regular intervals from each other around the body. The apertures may be arranged in any suitable arrangement around the body. For example, the apertures may be arranged in a symmetrical or a substantially symmetrical configuration. Arranging the apertures in such ways allows for a uniform water pressure to be applied across the absorbent material. It will be understood that the body and closure element may be formed from any suitable material, such as a water-resistant material or a right water-resistant material. The body and closure may be formed of the same or different materials. In one arrangement, the body and / or closure may be formed from a water-resistant plastic material, such as Polyethylene (PE), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polypropylene (PP), Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). The body and closure element may collectively have a substantially spherical or cylindrical configuration. In one arrangement, the body may have a substantially spherical or cylindrical configuration. The fish attractant may be a gel or liquid. The body and closure element may be attached via any suitable attachment means. In one arrangement, the body and closure element may be attached via a snap-fit, screw-thread, or male / female connection. In another arrangement, the closure element may be sealingly attached to the body. The absorbent material may be an open pore material or may comprise open pore material. However, it will be understood that the absorbent material may be a mixture of open pore material and closed pore material or may comprise a mixture of open pore material and closed pore material. Typically, the material may be formed from a sponge, foam, or rubber material. The absorbent material used in the float may be replaceable and thus enables a user to change the type of absorbent material dependent on their needs. For example, open porous material can be used when the user requires a high concentration of fish attractant to be emitted over a predetermined short time period. In contrast, when the absorbent material is a mixture of open pore material and closed pore material or comprises a mixture of open pore material and closed pore material be used when the user requires a low concentration of fish attractant to be emitted over a predetermined long time period. By way of further example, the user may select open pore or closed pore material based on the porosity of the material. Porosity (%) = (Volume of pores / Total Volume) x 100%. Any suitable open pore material may be used. For example, the open pore material may have a porosity of from 60% to 98%, from 65% to 95%, from 70% to 90%, from 75% to 85%, or from 75% to 80%. The porosity may be measured by any suitable means, such as using a Gurley Densometer at standard temperature and pressure, namely 0°C and 100kPa. The absorbent material may have any suitable pore diameter. In one arrangement, the average pore diameter may be from 90pm to 350pm, from 100pm to 300pm, from 150pm to 250pm, or from 200pm to 225pm. The pore diameter is measured using Capillary Flow Porometry (CFP) on a Porometer3G TM at standard temperature and pressure, namely 0°C and 100kPa. The closure element may be a cap, plug or any other feature that is suitable for sealingly engaging with the body. The closure element and body may be sealingly engaged via sealing members, such as plastic, rubber or silicon sealing members. Typically, the sealing members are arranged around mutually engaging periphery portions of the closure element and body. Sealing engagement between the closure element and body prevents passage of water into the interior of the fishing float through the engaged sealing members. The closure element may be detachable from the body. This allows a user to easily remove spent absorbent material and replace it with new absorbent material, or alternatively apply additional fish attractant to the absorbent material. Alternatively, the closure element and body may be pivotably attached, for example via one or more hinges. The closure element may comprise retaining means to retain the absorbent material. Any suitable retaining means may be used. For example, the absorbent material may be retained via frictional engagement. This allows a user to remove the absorbent material via the closure element when sealingly disengaged from the body, allowing for easy manipulation of the absorbent material without the user having to touch the absorbent material. This is advantageous as human contact with fish attractant may introduce smells that are unpleasant to fish. The retaining means may be an enclosure dimensioned to receive the absorbent material. Any suitably shaped enclosure may be used. In one arrangement, the enclosure may be regularly shaped or irregularly shaped. For example, the enclosure may be a cylindrical, rectangular, or polygonal. Other shaped enclosures or irregularly shaped enclosures may be used to enclose the absorbent material. Use of an enclosure to retain the absorbent material may be advantageous because the enclosure can limit the amount of absorbent material in direct contact with water, or put another way the enclosure may limit the amount of absorbent material to which a water pressure may be applied. The absorbent material may be located or predominately located in an upper half of the hollow interior. This has the advantage of aiding buoyancy of the float, for example when sponge, foam, or rubber material are used. Typically, the absorbent material may be centrally located to aid positioning of the fishing float in a buoyantly upright position when in use. The body or closure element may further comprise a fishing line attachment means, such as a ring loop, although other commonly known means for attaching a fishing float to a fishing line are envisaged. The absorbent material may be positioned substantially along a central plane of the attachment means to aid positioning of the fishing float in a buoyantly upright position when in use. The closure element may further comprise a reservoir for receiving fish attractant, wherein the reservoir and absorbent material are in fluid communication with each other. Advantageously this enables the absorbent material to be replenished with fish attractant so that the fishing float may be used for extended periods of time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One or more embodiments of the present invention are described further hereinafter, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 a illustrates a perspective view of a fishing float in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 b illustrates a side view of the fishing float of Fig. 1a. Fig. 1c illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the fishing float of Fig. 1a. Fig. 2a illustrates a perspective view of a fishing float in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2b illustrates a side view of the fishing float of Fig. 2a. Fig. 2c illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the fishing float of Fig. 2a. Fig. 3a illustrates a perspective view of a fishing float and closure element in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3b illustrates a side view of the fishing float of Fig. 3a. Fig. 3c illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the fishing float of Fig. 3a. Fig. 3d illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the closure element of Fig. 3a. Fig. 4a illustrates a perspective view of a fishing float in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4b illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the fishing float of Fig. 4a. Fig. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a fishing float in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Figures 1a to 1c show a fishing float 100 according to a first embodiment. The fishing float 100 comprises a curved body 102 and a closure element, in the form of a cap 104, attached to the body 102. Typically, the body 102 and cap 104 are sealingly attached. The body 102 and cap 104 collectively define a hollow interior 106. The fishing float 100 further comprises an absorbent material 108, typically the absorbent material 108 is an open pore material or comprises an open pore material. Typically, the absorbent material 108 is formed from a sponge, foam, or rubber material. The absorbent material 108 may be located or predominately located in an upper half of the hollow interior 106. The body 102 comprises a plurality of circular apertures 110 (although other suitable shaped apertures are envisaged along with the use of only one aperture) and a fishing line attachment means 112, such as a ring loop. The apertures 110 are located in a lower half of the body 102. The body 102 further comprises a rebate 114 located adjacent the cap 104 to facilitate removal of the cap 104. The cap 104 includes a curved outer body 116 and retaining means 118 depending therefrom. The retaining means 118, such as a cylindrical, rectangular, or polygonal enclosure, may be arranged to fixedly retain the absorbent material 108 within the hollow interior 106, typically via frictional engagement. The absorbent material 108 may be completely located within the enclosure 118, or a portion of the absorbent material 108 may be located outside the enclosure 118, so that only an amount of the absorbent material 108 is directly exposed to a water pressure. The cap 104 may be configured to sealingly engage a perimeter of the body 102 to provide a substantially spherical configuration, for example via a snap-fit, screw-thread, male / female connection. In use, the cap 104 is removed from the body 102, for example by the user inserting their finger or other suitably sized object into the rebate to apply leverage to the cap 104. The absorbent material 108 is then removed from the enclosure 118, contacted with fish attractant so that fish attractant is absorbed into the absorbent material, and subsequently returned to the enclosure 118. Alternatively, the absorbent material 108 is contacted with fish attractant whilst still retained within the enclosure 118. By way of further example, the fish attractant may be injected into the absorbent material, such as via one of the apertures 110. Following reattachment of the cap 104 to the body 102, the fishing float 100 may be connected to a fishing line v / athe attachment means 112, and cast out by a user. Upon contact with water, the fishing float 100 is buoyantly held on the water surface so that the apertures 110 are positioned under the water surface. The apertures 110 allow water to flow into and out of the hollow interior 106 without affecting the buoyancy of the fishing float 100. As water flows into the hollow interior 106 it contacts the absorbent material 108 facilitating diffusion of the fish attractant into the surrounding water, typically via a water pressure being applied to the absorbent material 108. The aqueous concentration offish attractant is free to flow out of the fishing float 100 via the apertures 110, typically near the fishing hook and attached bait, to aid in attracting fish. Following use, water may then be drained out of the fishing float 100 via the apertures 110 so that the fishing float 100 may be reused. Alternatively, additional fish attractant may be applied to the absorbent material 108 using the above procedure. Figures 2a to 2c show a fishing float 200 according to a second embodiment. The fishing float 200 of Figures 2a to 2c is substantially identical to the fishing float shown in Figures 1a to 1c, with the exception of the following. The cap 204 is dome shaped and includes an annular rim 220 that delimits an upper potion 222 and lower potion 224 of the cap 204. The cap 204 further includes a retaining means 218 depending from the upper portion 222, such as a cylindrical, rectangular, or polygonal inner enclosure which is arranged to fixedly retain the absorbent material (not shown) within the hollow interior 206, typically via frictional engagement. The absorbent material may be completely located within the enclosure 218, or a portion of the absorbent material 208 may be located outside the enclosure 218, so that only an amount of the absorbent material 208 is directly exposed to a water pressure. The cap 204 may be configured to sealingly engage a perimeter of the body 202 via the annular rim 220, akin to a head and hat arrangement. The cap 204 also comprises a pair of central rebates 224 to facilitate removal of the cap 204 from the body 202. Figures 3a to 3d show a fishing float 300 according to a third embodiment. The fishing float 300 of Figures 3a to 3d is substantially identical to the fishing float shown in Figures 1a to 1c, with the exception of the following. The cap 304 further comprises a pair of central or substantially central apertures 326 extending therethrough, and a fishing line attachment means 312. The fishing line attachment means 312 comprises generally U-shaped body 328 and a pair of supporting members 330 attached to the U-shaped body 328. The supporting members 330 are arranged to engage an outer surface of the cap 304, typically with each supporting member being arranged within a complimentary shaped rebate 332 formed in the cap 304, so that the U-shaped body 328 extends through the apertures 326 into the hollow interior 306. The body 302 further comprises a channel 334, typically arranged diametrically opposite the apertures 326 of the cap 304. In use, fishing wire (not shown) may be threaded through the channel 334 and attached to the U-shaped body 328 when the cap 304 is detached from the body 302, with the cap 304 being subsequently reattached to the body 302. Typically, the fishing line attachment means 312 may be sealingly engaged within the apertures 326 of the cap 304. An advantage of this arrangement is that the fishing wire acts to provide additional securing means for retaining the cap 304 to the body 302 of the fishing float. Figures 4a and 4b show a fishing float 400 according to a fourth embodiment. The fishing float 400 of 5 Figures 4a and 4b is substantially identical to the fishing float shown in Figures 1a to 1c with the exception of the following. The body 402 has a substantially cylindrical configuration and comprises three rows of equiangularly spaced through apertures 410 formed around the cylindrical body 402. The first, second and third rows of through apertures 410 are located at a first, second and third longitudinal position, respectively, along the cylindrical body 402. Although the fishing float 400 of the 10 present embodiment is described as having three rows of equiangularly spaced through apertures 410, it is conceivable that any number of rows may be present. Alternatively, the through apertures 410 may be formed in the cylindrical body 402 in a helical or random pattern. Figure 5 show a fishing float 500 according to a fifth embodiment. The fishing float 500 of Figure 5 is 15 substantially identical to the fishing float shown in Figures 1a to 1c with the exception of the following. The cap 504 has a plurality of air vents 536 extending therethrough. The air vents advantageously facilitate the flow of water into the hollow interior 506 through the apertures 510 and limits the build-up of water pressure within the body 502. In the above-described one or more embodiments, the following variants and alternative arrangements are envisaged. The fishing float may be substantially rectangular, polygonal or any other shape that may be suitably buoyant. Likewise, the body may be substantially rectangular, polygonal or any other shape that may be suitably buoyant. The apertures 110 shape is not limited to circular apertures and any shape or irregular shape may be envisaged. Although the embodiments describe the use of a plurality of apertures it is envisaged that only a single aperture may be present. The enclosure may be any suitably shaped enclosure dimensioned to receive the absorbent material. Similarly, while the cap has been described as being retained on the body of the fishing float via a press-fit or frictional arrangement, other retaining means are envisioned such as a threaded or hinged connection. It is also envisaged that the cap of any embodiment described herein is suitable for use with the body of any other embodiment. Any references made herein to orientation (e.g. top, bottom, upper, lower, front, back, and rear) are made for the purposes of describing relative spatial arrangements of the features of the apparatus, and are not intended to be limiting in any sense. As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present). In addition, the terms “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of the invention. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the invention. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is means otherwise. In view of the foregoing description it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention. For example, embodiments in accordance with the invention are not limited to any of the particular materials disclosed herein. Other materials suitable for performing the function described herein for a particular material may also be utilised in embodiments of the invention. The scope of the present disclosure includes any novel feature or combination of features disclosed therein either explicitly or implicitly or any generalisation thereof irrespective of whether or not it relates to the claimed invention or mitigate against any or all of the problems addressed by the present invention. The applicant hereby gives notice that new claims may be formulated to such features during prosecution of this application or of any such further application derived therefrom. In particular, with reference to the appended claims, features from dependent claims may be combined with those of the independent claims and features from respective independent claims may be 5 combined in any appropriate manner and not merely in specific combinations enumerated in the claims.

Claims

1. A fishing float comprising a body and a closure element attached to the body, the body and closure element defining a hollow interior, the body having one or more apertures extending therethrough, the fishing float further including an absorbent material located in the hollow interior and operable to absorb fish attractant.

2. A fishing float according to claim 1, wherein the absorbent material is an open pore material or comprises an open pore material.

3. A fishing float according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the absorbent material is formed from a sponge, foam, or rubber material.

4. A fishing float according to any preceding claim, wherein the closure element is sealingly attached to the body.

5. A fishing float according to any preceding claim, wherein the closure element is detachable from the body.

6. A fishing float according to any preceding claim, wherein the closure element is a cap or plug.

7. A fishing float according to any preceding claim, wherein the closure element comprises retaining means to retain the absorbent material.

8. A fishing float according to claim 7, wherein the retaining means is an enclosure dimensioned to receive the absorbent material.

9. A fishing float according to claim 8, wherein the enclosure is a cylindrical, rectangular, or polygonal enclosure.

10. A fishing float according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the absorbent material is retained via frictional engagement.

11. A fishing float according to any preceding claim, wherein the absorbent material is located or predominately located in an upper half of the hollow interior.

12. A fishing float according to any preceding claim, wherein the body or closure element further comprises a fishing line attachment means.

13. A fishing float according to claim 12, wherein the absorbent material is positioned substantially along a central plane of the attachment means.

14. A kit of parts comprising a fishing float and an absorbent material according to any one of claims 2 to 13, the fishing float including a body and a closure element attached to the body, the body and closure element defining a hollow interior, the body having one or more apertures extending therethrough, the absorbent material being locatable in the hollow interior and operable to absorb fish attractant.

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