Weedless Fish Structure Buoyancy and Snag Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fishing structures fail to effectively attract game fish in areas lacking underwater structures, and they often snag fishing hooks, reducing the effectiveness of fishing efforts.
Innovation Solution
A 'weedless' acrylic fish structure with a semi-circular shade fin and hollow tube system, featuring a waterproof vegetation image and adjustable weights and air for buoyancy, designed to float or anchor, providing a shaded area that mimics natural vegetation and reduces snagging risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional fishing structures are used to attract game fish, then fish attraction is improved, but hook snagging increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a thin film material (0.002 to 0.006 inches thick) to create the fishing structure surface. This thin film approach provides enough surface area for fish attraction while being smooth and flexible enough to prevent hook snagging, resolving the contradiction between providing sufficient structure for fish and maintaining smoothness to prevent snags.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the structure surface by controlling thickness (0.002 to 0.006 inches), smoothness, and curvature. These parameter modifications create a surface that is both visually appealing to fish and physically smooth to prevent hook snagging, simultaneously addressing both requirements.
2Productivity
If man-made structures are introduced to create shaded areas, then game fish attraction is improved, but natural appearance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes by using transparent or translucent materials that can be colored to match natural underwater vegetation. The structure can be colored green, brown, or other natural tones to blend with the surrounding environment, making man-made structures indistinguishable from natural features to fish.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent copies natural vegetation patterns and appearances by creating structures that mimic the look, feel, and movement of natural underwater plants and seaweed. This copying of natural features allows man-made structures to attract fish as effectively as natural structures without the snagging problems.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If smooth surfaces are used to prevent hook snagging, then weedless performance is improved, but structural effectiveness for fish attraction is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a thin film material that is inherently smooth to prevent hook snagging while maintaining sufficient surface area and visual appeal to attract fish. The thin film provides a continuous smooth surface without crevices or protrusions that would cause snags, while still being large enough to provide effective fish attraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs curved and rounded surfaces instead of flat or angular shapes. This curvature ensures that hooks slide along the smooth surface without catching, while the curved surfaces also create more appealing visual patterns for fish attraction, resolving the contradiction between smoothness and effectiveness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Attracts game fish by providing a shaded, natural-looking structure that minimizes hook snagging, allowing fishermen to anticipate fish location and increase catch rates while maintaining a realistic appearance and durability.
Implementation Method 1
adjustable weights and air for buoyancy
Data Source
AI summary
The Weedless Fish Structure is a simple, waterproof, hardened acrylic structure that is submerged in water to provide camouflage and shade cover for game and feeder fish in areas where the body of water does not provide adequate cover. The weights within the main tube allow the apparatus to rest on the bottom with little buoyancy. A small air tube edges around the semi-circular bifurcated shade fin and provides buoyancy to the top fin so it remains upright. Two stakes are provided to secure the apparatus to the bottom when desired to prevent currents from moving the device. If the structure is turned over to where the long tube is above the shade fin, the weights will slide down into the shade fin tube and the air will rise into the long main tube, and then by attaching two floats, the structure becomes a surface apparatus. A photo image of underwater vegetation, sandwiched between the acrylic sides of the shade fin provides additional concealment for fish and a more natural appearance to attract fish to hide on either side of the shade fin in sunny or shaded conditions.