Flexible fishing lure tails and appendages

• US 20020194770A1
• Filed: 06/18/2002
• Published: 12/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cowboy Outdoors Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bobby D. King
• Inventors: King, Bobby D.
• Granted Patent: US 6,857,220 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 43/42.24
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 85/00 Artificial bait for fishing

Abstract

Flexible fishing lure tails and appendages having extending or projecting shoulder surfaces to facilitate a simulated swimming action by the drag and eddy principle of water flow. One or more shoulders are provided in the surfaces of the flexible fishing lure tails to facilitate the swimming action as the lure to which the tail or appendage is attached is retrieved through a water body. This swimming action due to the vibration of the tail and appendage segment and the body of the fishing lure is unique and simulates live lizards, worms, crawfish, grubs, minnows and the like, a primary characteristic that attracts fish. The tail and appendage segments can be removably or permanently fixed to both hard and soft body lures or molded in combination with a lure body of selected length, size, color and plastic composition characteristics to facilitate the desired swimming action and vibration and thus the attraction to game fish of every variety.

Claims

1. A fishing lure comprising a lure body;

a flexible tail portion provided on said lure body, said flexible tail portion having opposite tail portion surfaces; and

a tail shoulder provided in each of said opposite tail portion surfaces of said flexible tail portion for imparting vibration to said flexible tail portion and said lure body responsive to retrieval of said fishing lure through a water body.

2. The fishing lure of claim 1 wherein said flexible tail portion is forked.

3. The fishing lure of claim 1 comprising a caudal fin having opposite caudal fin surfaces extending from said lure body and an anal fin having opposite anal fin surfaces extending from said lure body.

4. The fishing lure of claim 3 wherein said tail portion is forked and said lure body, said tail portion, said caudal fin and said anal fin are constructed of flexible, resilient plastic.

5. The fishing lure of claim 3 comprising a block tail shoulder provided on each of said caudal fin surfaces and said anal fin surfaces for imparting vibration to said caudal fin, said anal fin and said lure body responsive to said retrieval of said fishing lure through the water body.

6. The fishing lure of claim 5 wherein said flexible tail portion is forked.

7. The fishing lure of claim 6 comprising a pair of streamer fins extending from said lure body.

8. The fishing lure of claim 7 wherein said flexible tail portion is forked and said lure body, said caudal fin, said anal fin, said streamer fins and said flexible tail portion are constructed of flexible, resilient plastic.

9. The fishing lure of claim 1 wherein said tail shoulder comprises a block tail shoulder and said flexible tail portion comprises a flexible block tail portion.

10. The fishing lure of claim 9 wherein said lure body and said flexible block tail portion are constructed of flexible, resilient plastic.

11. The fishing lure of claim 9 comprising a caudal fin having opposite caudal fin surfaces extending from said lure body and an anal fin having opposite anal fin surfaces extending from said lure body.

12. The fishing lure of claim 11 comprising a block tail shoulder provided on each of said caudal fin surfaces and said anal fin surfaces for imparting vibration to said caudal fin, said anal fin and said lure body responsive to said retrieval of said fishing lure through the water body.

13. The fishing lure of claim 12 comprising a pair of streamer fins extending from said lure body and wherein said lure body, said tail portion, said caudal fin, said anal fin and said streamer fins are constructed of flexible, resilient plastic.

14. The fishing lure of claim 1 wherein said flexible tail portion comprises a multiple shoulder tail portion and said tail shoulder comprises a plurality of multiple shoulder tail portion shoulders.

15. The fishing lure of claim 1 wherein said flexible tail portion comprises a slotted tail portion having a pair of slot extensions extending from said flexible tail portion and a tail slot between said pair of slot extensions.

16. The fishing lure of claim 1 wherein said flexible tail portion comprises a grooved tail portion having a tail groove in each of said opposite tail portion surfaces.

18. The fishing lure of claim 17 wherein at least one of said pair of flexible tail portions is forked.

19. The fishing lure of claim 18 wherein said lure body and said pair of flexible tail portions are constructed of flexible, resilient plastic.

20. The fishing lure of claim 17 comprising a flexible caudal fin extending from said lure body and a flexible anal fin extending from said lure body.

21. The fishing lure of claim 20 comprising a block tail shoulder provided on said flexible caudal fin and a block tail shoulder provided on said flexible anal fin for imparting vibration to said flexible caudal fin, said flexible anal fin and said lure body responsive to said retrieval of said fishing lure through the water body.

22. The fishing lure of claim 17 wherein at least one of said pair of flexible tail portions comprises a block tail portion and said tail shoulder in said block tail portion is a substantially linear block tail shoulder.

23. The fishing lure of claim 22 wherein said lure body and said pair of flexible tail portions are constructed of flexible, resilient plastic.

24. The fishing lure of claim 17 wherein said dual tail portion comprises a dual horizontal forked tail portion.

26. The fishing lure of claim 25 comprising a flexible caudal fin extending from said lure body and a flexible anal fin extending from said lure body.

27. The fishing lure of claim 26 comprising a block tail shoulder provided on said flexible caudal fin and a block tail shoulder provided on said flexible anal fin for imparting vibration to said flexible caudal fin, said flexible anal fin and said lure body responsive to said retrieval of said fishing lure through the water body.

28. The fishing lure of claim 27 wherein said lure body and said block tail portions are constructed of flexible, resilient plastic.

29. The fishing lure of claim 25 wherein said block tail shoulder comprises a block tail shoulder taper.

17. A fishing lure comprising a lure body;

a dual tail portion provided on said lure body, said dual tail portion having a pair of flexible tail portions and said pair of flexible tail portions each having opposite surfaces; and

a tail shoulder provided in said opposite surfaces of said pair of flexible tail portions, respectively, for imparting vibration to said pair of flexible tail portions and said lure body responsive to retrieval of said fishing lure through a water body.

25. A fishing lure comprising a lure body;

a dual block tail portion provided on said lure body, said dual block tail portion having a pair of block tail portions each having opposite surfaces; and

a block tail shoulder having a pair of block tail extensions extending from said opposite surfaces of said pair of block tail portions, respectively, said block tail shoulder disposed perpendicular to an axis of lure retrieval through a water body.

30. A fishing lure comprising a lure body;

a forked tail neck extending from said lure body;

a forked tail portion extending from said forked tail neck, said forked tail portion having opposite surfaces and a forked tail shoulder provided in each of said opposite surfaces of said forked tail portion for imparting vibration to said forked tail portion and said lure body responsive to retrieval of said fishing lure through a water body.

31. The fishing lure of claim 30 wherein said forked tail portion comprises a pair of fork extensions and comprising a fork extension curvature defined by said forked tail shoulder.

32. A fishing lure comprising a lure body;

a block tail portion provided on said lure body, said block tail portion having opposite surfaces; and

a linear block tail shoulder provided on each of said opposite surfaces of said block tail portion for imparting vibration to said block tail portion and said lure body responsive to retrieval of said fishing lure through a water body.

33. The fishing lure of claim 32 wherein said block tail shoulder comprises a block tail shoulder taper.

36. The segmented worm lure of claim 35 wherein said plurality of adjacent worm segments comprises a plurality of adjacent body beads.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the body is flexible.

39. The method of claim 37 comprising providing opposite tail surfaces on the tail and wherein the shoulder extends from both of the opposite tail surfaces.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the body is flexible.

34. A crawfish lure comprising a crawfish lure body;

a crawfish lure tail extending from said crawfish lure body;

a pair of forked claws extending from said crawfish lure body, each of said pair of forked claws having opposite surfaces; and

a claw fork shoulder provided in each of said opposite surfaces for imparting vibration to said forked claws, said crawfish lure body and said crawfish lure tail responsive to retrieval of said crawfish lure through a water body.

35. A segmented worm lure comprising a plurality of adjacent, connected worm segments;

a forked tail portion provided at one end of said plurality of adjacent worm segments, said forked tail portion having opposite surfaces and a tail shoulder provided in each of said opposite surfaces; and

a pair of fork extensions provided on said forked tail portion for imparting vibration to said forked tail portion and said worm segments responsive to retrieval of said segmented worm lure through a water body.

37. A method for vibrating the tail and body of a fishing lure having at least a flexible tail extending from the body, comprising the step of providing a shoulder on the tail for vibrating the tail and the body responsive to retrieval of the fishing lure through a water body.

41. A method for inducing vibration in a flexible body portion of a fishing lure having a flexible tail portion with opposite tail surfaces extending from said body portion, comprising the step of providing a shoulder on each of said opposite tail surfaces of said flexible tail portion for vibrating said tail portion and said body portion responsive to retrieval of said fishing lure through a water body.

42. The method of claim 41 wherein said flexible body portion comprises a flexible caudal fin and a flexible anal fin and further comprising the step of inducing vibration in at least one of said caudal fin and said anal fin by providing a shoulder in said at least one of said caudal fin and said anal fin.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein said step of inducing vibration in at least one of said caudal fin and said anal fin comprises the step of inducing vibration in both of said caudal fin and said anal fin by providing said shoulder in each of said caudal fin and said anal fin.