popper

Abstract

To provide a popper that enables water biting to be strongly performed on a water surface at its cup-shaped tip.SOLUTION: A popper comprises a lure body 22, at least the head 22a of which is made of a rigid material and which has predetermined buoyancy, and a jacket body 24 that is made of an approximately cylindrical flexible material formed on the outside of the lure body 22. A cup-shaped tip 42 having a concave spherical front surface is formed at the tip of the jacket body 24. Biting of water W on a water surface WL is strongly performed by the cup-shaped tip 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a popper, which is a type of lure (artificial bait) used in fishing.

Background Art

[0002] A popper is a top-water lure that floats on the water surface and has a cup-shaped portion with a concave spherical surface at its tip. It is designed to receive water in the cup-shaped portion and attract the predatory behavior of fish by the sound, bubbles, and water splashes produced at that time.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Poppers generally include a vertical floating type in which the tip floats on the water surface and the body is in a vertical state in the water, a horizontal floating type in which the entire lure floats parallel to the water surface, and an inclined floating type in which the entire lure floats in an inclined state with respect to the water surface. However, any type of popper has the following problems.

[0005] That is, with the tip of the line attached to the line eye protruding from the central bottom of the cup-shaped portion of the popper and the tip of the line wound around the reel attached to the rod fastened, when the popper is cast and allowed to land on the water surface, and then retrieved while applying rod actions such as twitching and jerking, it is important how well the cup-shaped portion of the popper bites the water on the water surface. In this regard, conventionally, various changes have been made to the shape of the cup-shaped portion to address this issue. However, since the constituent material of the popper is usually made of hard synthetic resin, there is a limit to the biting of water on the water surface as described above.

[0006] Also, there is a popper with a through-hole penetrating the main body of the popper and constricted toward the central portion of its length. However, this popper is designed to be retrievable from both sides and does not solve the technical problem regarding water intrusion of the aforementioned popper.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a popper capable of strongly causing water intrusion on the water surface.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The present invention according to claim 1 is a popper having a cup-shaped tip with a concave spherical front surface at the head. At least the head is composed of a hard material and is a lure body having a predetermined buoyancy, and a jacket body made of a substantially cylindrical soft material formed outside the lure body. The popper is characterized in that a cup-shaped tip with a concave spherical front surface is formed at the tip of the jacket body.

[0009] The present invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, for the popper of claim 1, the rear surface of the cup-shaped tip of the jacket body abuts against the front end surface of the lure body, and the front end surface is configured to receive the rear surface of the cup-shaped tip of the jacket body.

[0010] The present invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that, for the popper of claim 2, the entire lure body from the head to the tail is made of a hard material and has a predetermined buoyancy, and a jacket body is formed outside the lure body from the head to the tail.

[0011] The present invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that, for the popper of claim 3, the jacket body is fitted over the lure body.

[0012] The present invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that, for the popper according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the lure body is hollow.

[0013] The present invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that, with respect to the popper according to claim 5, the lure body is composed of a plurality of partition chambers.

[0014] The present invention according to claim 7 is that, with respect to the popper according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the lure body is made of a foamed material.

[0015] The present invention according to claim 8 is that, with respect to the popper according to claim 3 or claim 4, a substantially disc-shaped weight member having an outer diameter larger than that of this part is detachably attached to the tail part of the lure body by a screw, a stepped part is formed at the head side end of the weight member, the tail side end of the jacket body is abutted against the stepped part, and the tail side part of the jacket body and the weight member are flush with each other.

[0016] The present invention according to claim 9 is that, with respect to the popper according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the lure body is made of a hard synthetic resin, and the jacket body is made of a soft synthetic resin.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] The popper according to the present invention is a popper having a cup-shaped tip portion with a concave spherical front surface at the head. At least the head is composed of a hard material and includes a lure body having a predetermined buoyancy, and a jacket body made of a substantially cylindrical soft material formed outside the lure body. Since a cup-shaped tip portion with a concave spherical front surface is formed at the tip portion of the jacket body, the head is ensured of a predetermined buoyancy and sufficient shape retention by the lure body made of a hard material, and the cup-shaped tip portion with a concave spherical front surface formed at the tip portion of the outer soft material jacket body deforms to bite into the water on the water surface during the retrieve of the reel. As a result, the generation of ripples, splashes, bubbles, etc. on the water surface becomes more prominent than before, and as a result, a special effect of being able to more strongly attract the predatory actions of fish in the water can be obtained.

[0018] Further, according to the popper of the present invention, the rear surface of the cup-shaped tip of the jacket body abuts against the front end surface of the lure body, and the front end surface is configured to receive the rear surface of the cup-shaped tip of the jacket body. There is an advantage that the water entrapment at the cup-shaped tip of the jacket body described above can be performed more stably.

[0019] Also, according to the popper of the present invention, the entire lure body from the head to the tail is made of a hard material and has a predetermined buoyancy, and a jacket body is formed on the outer side from the head to the tail of the lure body. The hard lure body made of a hard material provides a sharp behavior as a hard lure, and the soft jacket body made of a soft material provides a strong water entrapment by the cup-shaped tip described above and a soft touch as a soft lure on the jacket body where the fish hits. Therefore, since the lure biting time of the hit fish becomes longer, there is an excellent effect that the hooking rate can be significantly improved compared to conventional poppers.

[0020] Furthermore, in conventional hard poppers, even when the surface of the popper is damaged due to repeated use or fish hits, unless the lure itself is replaced with a new one, the damaged lure has to be used as it is, so a decrease in fishing results was inevitable. However, in the popper of the present invention, only the damaged jacket body can be replaced with a new one due to repeated use or fish hits, so there is a practical advantage that a decrease in fishing results like that of conventional poppers can be effectively prevented.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments.

[0023] In this embodiment, "front and back" and "up and down" are based on FIG. 6, "front" refers to the left side direction in FIG. 6 and coincides with the tip-side head direction of the lure. Also, "back" refers to the right side direction in FIG. 6 and coincides with the rear-end side tail direction of the lure. Also, "up and down" refers to the up and down direction in FIG. 6, "up" means the dorsal side direction of the lure, and "down" means the ventral side direction.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the popper 21 according to the present embodiment has a generally so-called substantially barrel shape as a whole, and includes a substantially hollow hard synthetic resin lure body 22 (FIG. 2) having a partition chamber 23 inside, and a substantially cylindrical soft synthetic resin jacket body 24 (FIG. 3) attached to the outside of the lure body 22. Specific materials for the lure body 22 include ABS resin, polycarbonate resin, etc., and specific materials for the jacket body 24 include silicone rubber, elastomer, etc.

[0025] In the present embodiment, the lure body 22 has a generally substantially barrel shape as a whole. More specifically, partition walls 29 are erected at predetermined intervals inside from the head portion 22a to the tail portion 22b, and the spaces between the partition walls 29 form the partition chamber 23.

[0026] Note that the lure body 22 may not be provided with the partition walls 29 and may be entirely in one hollow shape.

[0027] Further, at the tail portion 22b of the lure body 22, a substantially disc-shaped weight member 25 having an outer diameter larger than that of this portion is detachably attached by a central screw 20 integral therewith. A stepped portion 32 is formed at the tail side end of the weight member 25, and the tail 24b side end of the jacket body 24 is abutted against the stepped portion 32, so that the tail 24b side portion of the jacket body 24 and the weight member 25 are flush.

[0028] Note that a female screw 22d for screwing the central screw 20 of the weight member 25 is formed at the tail portion 22b of the lure body 22.

[0029] Furthermore, a line eye 26 for connecting a line (not shown) is provided at the head portion 22a of the lure body 22, and hook eyes 27A and 27B for attaching hooks (not shown) are respectively provided at the tail portion 22b and the belly portion 22c of the lure body 22.

[0030] The jacket body 24 has a shape in which the head portion 24a is closed and the tail portion 24b is open. The head portion 24a is provided with a cup-shaped tip portion 42 whose front surface is a concave spherical surface 42a. The rear surface 42b of the cup-shaped tip portion 42 abuts against the front surface 22e of the tip of the lure body 22, and the front surface 22e is configured to receive the rear surface 42b of the cup-shaped tip portion 42 of the jacket body 24.

[0031] Also, the jacket body 24 is provided with various paints and prints (not shown in the figures) on its outer surface that resemble a live fish from the head portion 24a to the tail portion 24b. Further, an artificial eye pattern 30 that resembles a fish's eye is drawn on the head portion 24a of the jacket body 24.

[0032] Also, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a line eye insertion hole 28A for inserting the line eye 26 of the aforementioned lure body 22 is formed at the center of the cup-shaped tip portion 42 in the head portion 24a of the jacket body 24. Hook eye insertion holes 28B for inserting the hook eyes 27A and 27B of the lure body 22 are formed in the vicinity of the center and the tail portion of the abdominal portion 24c of the jacket body 24.

[0033] Next, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the manner in which the cup-shaped tip portion 42 of the popper 21 according to the present embodiment bites into the water on the water surface will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 8, the tip of a line L previously wound around a reel (not shown) is fastened to the line eye 26 protruding from the head portion 22a of the lure body 22. When the popper 21 is cast and floating on the water surface WL, and the reel (not shown) is rotated to wind up the line L while applying an action such as twitching to the rod (not shown), the line L and the popper 21 are pulled in the direction of arrow F1, and the water W on the water surface WL enters into the cup-shaped tip portion 42 of the jacket body 24 of the popper 21.

[0034] Next, as shown in FIG. 9, when water W enters the entire inside of the cup-shaped tip portion 42 in the jacket body 24 of the popper 21, since the inlet pressure concentrates on the central portion CP of the cup-shaped tip portion 42, due to the inlet pressure, the outer peripheral portion OP of the cup-shaped tip portion 42 made of a soft material deforms inward so as to embrace the water W that has entered the cup-shaped tip portion 42. As a result, the cup-shaped tip portion 42 strongly bites into the water W. As a result, large water splashes and bubbles rise on the water surface WL, which more strongly attracts the predatory behavior of fish.

[0035] Note that the outer peripheral portion OP of the cup-shaped tip portion 42 is preferably sharp-pointed in order to reduce the resistance of water when used on the water surface (FIGS. 8 and 9).

[0036] The popper 21 described above is composed of a lure body 22 made of a hard material and a jacket body 24 made of a soft material formed on the outside thereof. The jacket body 24 is previously molded into a form corresponding to the overall shape of the lure body 22, and the popper 21 can be configured by fitting and covering the jacket body 24 from the outside of the lure body 22.

[0037] Also, in this embodiment, the inside of the lure body 22 is made into a hollow shape composed of a plurality of partition chambers 23 to give a predetermined buoyancy to the lure body 22. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 10, a predetermined buoyancy may be obtained by configuring the lure body 22 itself with a foaming material 22A.

[0038] In addition, as described above, in this embodiment, the entire popper 21 is composed of a lure body 22 made of a hard material and a jacket body 24 made of a soft material. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In some cases, at least the head of the popper 21 may be a lure body made of a hard material, and only the outer portion thereof may be a jacket body made of a soft material.

[0039] Furthermore, in the present invention, as a modification of the cup-shaped tip portion 42 of the popper 21 according to the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, there may be a case where the area of the concave spherical surface 42a is wider on the lower side than on the upper side. Further, as shown in FIG. 12, there may be a case where the outer peripheral portion OP of the cup-shaped tip portion 42 has a flare shape that spreads outward.

Industrial Applicability

[0040] According to the popper of the present invention, due to the cup-shaped tip portion made of a soft material at the head thereof, the water on the water surface is strongly bitten, resulting in more splashes and bubbles on the water surface, and a stronger appealing force to fish. Therefore, compared with conventional poppers, the fishing effect can be surely improved, and thus wide use in the field of fishing tackle can be expected.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0041] 21 Popper 22 Lure body 22a Head of the lure body 22b Tail of the lure body 24 Jacket body 42 Cup-shaped tip portion

Claims

1. In a popper having a cup-shaped tip with a concave spherical front surface at the head, at least the head is composed of a hard material and is a lure body having a predetermined buoyancy, and a jacket body made of a substantially cylindrical soft material formed outside the lure body, and a cup-shaped tip with a concave spherical front surface is formed at the tip of the jacket body.

2. The popper according to claim 1, wherein the rear surface of the cup-shaped tip of the jacket body abuts against the front end surface of the lure body, and the front end surface is configured to receive the rear surface of the cup-shaped tip of the jacket body.

3. The popper according to claim 2, wherein the entire lure body from the head to the tail is made of a hard material and has a predetermined buoyancy, and a jacket body is formed outside the lure body from the head to the tail.

4. The popper according to claim 3, wherein the jacket body is fitted over the lure body.

5. The popper according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lure body is hollow.

6. The popper according to claim 5, wherein the lure body is composed of a plurality of compartments.

7. The popper according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lure body is made of a foaming material.

8. A substantially disc-shaped weight member having an outer diameter larger than that of this part is detachably attached to the tail of the lure body by a screw, a step portion is formed at the head side end of the weight member, and the tail side end of the jacket body is abutted against the step portion, so that the tail side portion of the jacket body and the weight member are flush with each other. The popper according to claim 3 or claim 4.

9. The popper according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lure body is made of a hard synthetic resin and the jacket body is made of a soft synthetic resin.

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