Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Reeling device – With particular drive
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-12
2003-10-14
Rivera, William A. (Department: 3654)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Reeling device
With particular drive
Reexamination Certificate
active
06631866
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a device for fly fishing comprising a line reel for reeling in the fly line when utilizing preferably single-hand rods for fly fishing, and a reeling device cooperating with the line reel.
BACKGROUND ART
Fly fishing, a sport with very long history, differs from all other types of rod fishing since the imitations, the flies, provided with hooks lack the necessary weight to be cast out over the water. It is therefore the weight of the fly line that generates the requisite energy to carry the fly out through the casting movement.
The primary function of the conventional fly reel, provided with a reeling device and designed to be placed on the fly rod in a reel attachment so that the line spool in the direction of rotation and the extended fly line are aligned in the longitudial direction of the fly rod, is to store the fly line reeled onto the line spool. The length of the fly line does not normally exceed about 30 meter and a backing line is therefore placed on the line spool first so that a fish caught on the hook can pull out a sufficient length of line to prevent the thin leader with the fly at its end, from snapping. In certain cases, shooting-head, an even thinner running line is attached to the fly line, in that case shortened, which will also be termed the fly line in the following. Another function of the reel is that it may facilitate bringing in a fish that has been caught, since it is often provided with an adjustable brake acting in pull-out direction while the fisherman is reeling in the line and the fish in the other direction. Conventional fly reels are known with turning handles acting directly on the line spool, or with winders that act on the line spool via gears. One drawback with the directly acting handle is that the fisherman has little chance of reeling the line spool in high speed. It is more important in fly fishing than other forms of hook fishing to keep the line to the hooked fish taut since the fly hook is often small and is attached in the outer parts of the fish's mouth. It often happens, particularly with large fish, that after having pulled out the fly line and part of the backing line, the fish turns and rushes towards the fisherman. Since the circumference of the emptied line spool is then extremely small, it is impossible to reel in the loose line. The geared fly reel is preferable in such situations. However, it instead has the drawback of being larger, more difficult to wind and heavier. Despite its drawback, therefore, the fly reel with the winder acting directly on the line spool is usually preferred since it offers the last weight. Another drawback with the decreasing circumference, regardless of whether the fly reel is provided with directly acting winder or with gears, is that the braking force set in the fly line increases at it is pulled out from the line spool by a fish, which is extremely unfavourable since the resistance of the fly line in the water also increases as it is pulled out, resulting in the combined increased braking force, which is thus extremely undesirable, may cause the leader to break. It is also known to use so-called automatic fly reels, lacking any winder which, by means of a strong tension spring, reel in the fly line, by means of a control device operated by the fisherman, via gear transmission. The purpose of these reels is, in the event of movements, to be able to rapidly reel in the entire length of fly line cast out, which may be laying on or in the water and thus exerts considerable resistance. Or to reel in the loose line lying on the surface in order to achieve contact with a hooked fish quickly, after which the fish may work against the force in the tension spring while being drawn in. The drawbacks of such reels are that, due to the strong tension spring and the gear arrangement, they are considerably heavier than the geared fly reel, and that tightening of the tension spring which is usually achieved by means of a ratchet wheel arranged on the side of the reel, requires strength and several turns and should be done before the fly line is cast out. The tightening is otherwise performed when a suitable length is pulled of the line spool, which is hard work, before the fly line is cast out. Both these procedures are naturally extremely timeconsuming and troublesome.
In the case of extremely light fly rods, especially modern rods manufactured from carbon fiber material and the like, as is also emphasized in the marketing, due to its weight which often greatly exceeds that of the fly rod, the reel placed on the fly rod is often found disturbing to the rhythm of casting. It is known to unload the fly rod by placing the fly reel differently, for instance through US patent specifications U.S. Pat. No. 1, 013,347, U.S. Pat. No. 2,101,174, U.S. Pat. No. 2,361,189 where conventional fly reels are proposed with various arrangements for attaching them primarily to belt worn around the fisherman's waist. British patent specification GB 1 585 213 describes primarily a harness, with various arrangements for attaching the reel to the harness, designed to be carried an the chest of the fisherman. However, fly fishing as carried out through the centuries has another, considerably more troublesome drawback that has not been eliminated whether the conventional or so-called automatic fly reel is placed on the fly rods as intended, or anywhere else.
During casting of the fly line, usually accomplished by repeated casting movements to and fro to keep the line in the air as it is gradually fed out, the fly fisherman must use both hands. One hand is used to hold the rod and the other, the line control hand, releases, brakes and accelerates the line at the turn between casts. If the line is released before the intended cast is complete, it will lose its kinetic energy and drop straight down. This procedure enables cast lengths of approximately 20-25 meters, to be achieved with a single-hand rod, even more by skilled casters. When retrieving the fly line in the most usual type of fishing, i.e. wet-fly fishing, the fly is also retrieved directly through the fly line with one hand, which is necessary since different types of flies require smooth or jerky movements, often relatively slow, and the fisherman must sense the fish's bite directly in the hand to be able to raise the rod with the other hand and achieve firm hooking of the fish which often taking a cautious bite at the fly. Furthermore, the bite and contact with the fish felt directly through the hand is a satisfying moment for the fisherman and is one of the characteristics of traditional fly fishing.
Contrary to fishing with multiplier or spinning reels where the bait itself constitutes the casting weight, which can be cast out and then reeled in by means of the reel, the fly fisherman must pull out a sufficient length of the line from the spool for the intended cast every time he moves to a new casting position. In order to perform a fly cast of normal length, approximately 20-25 meters, a length of approximately 15-20 meters must be pulled cut from the spool before casting can commence, not counting the length already pulled out in the rod and leader. The fisherman may also choose to pull out the line from the line spool, however only by an arm's length since the spool has rotation resistance due to the brake being set to the strength of a hooked fish, at the same time as gradually feeding out the line through repeated casts, so called false casts, to keep the line in the air. However, this method is more time-consuming and limits the length of the cast. If the fisherman is an land or in a boat, for instance, the length of the line pulled out will fall on the ground or in the boat around the fisherman's feet. When fishing in running water, for salmon or sea trout, for instance, when the fisherman usually wades in the water so he can efficiently get the fly out into the main current, the line is quickly drawn down in an arc downstream of the fisherman. When the fisherman then fishes in the fly, o
Öbrink Kent O.
Öbrink Olov H.
Rivera William A.
Stanger Leo
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