The present invention relates generally to the trolling method of fishing from a moving boat or other watercraft, and in particular, to trolling with known fishing lures or live bait. More particularly, this invention relates to trolling a lure or bait off the side or stern of a moving watercraft at a specified depth within the water, and at an appropriate predetermined distance from the watercraft.
Fishing with a lure or live bait using the trolling method involves casting the lure or bait into a lake or river connected to a moving watercraft by means of a thin fishing line which pulls the lure or bait through the water. This pulling motion of the lure through the water causes the lure to engage in commonly used oscillations intended to attract the attention of fish within the water. Trolling while fishing also allows a greater area of the lake or river to be covered than by employing multiple casts of a lure or bait from a stationary watercraft. It is well known that covering a greater area of a lake or river while fishing increases the likelihood of successfully catching a fish, and it can increase the number of fish caught during a given period of time fishing. Indeed, the increased success of fishing while trolling has created various restrictions on its use in state stocked, or smaller bodies of water where local agencies have an interest in closely regulating the fish population.
One known method of casting a fishing line while trolling is to simply extend, by hand, one or more commercially available fishing rods over the water from a moving watercraft. Another known method, used more frequently within the commercial fishing industry, is to use long fiberglass poles called outriggers which extend from various regions of the boat. Fixed outrigger poles are removably secured to the watercraft by placing one end of the pole into a matched aperture on the boat. The opposite end of the pole (extended away from the boat) is then used to hold the fishing line in a stable position away from the boat and above the surface of the water. Outriggers and fishing poles come in a variety of lengths and are composed of a variety of materials to provide different levels of flexibility and resistance to the lure or bait and any fish which are reeled into the boat.
Due to the forward motion of a watercraft while trolling, a fishing line cast from the watercraft will tend to migrate toward the back, or wake, of the watercraft and remain there. However, it is undesirable for a fishing line to remain directly behind the watercraft while trolling because a moving watercraft generally has some means of propeller propulsion, which, in addition to the exhaust from a driving engine, creates a wake or path behind the watercraft. This wake or path directly behind the watercraft is generally significantly turbulent and not conducive to the normal oscillating motion of a fishing lure or live bait. In addition, fish are known to avoid engine exhaust and propeller wakes. Because of this, one primary function of a fishing pole or fixed outrigger while trolling is to control the placement of a fishing line, and therefore the placement of the fishing lure or bait, away from the turbulent thrust of the moving watercraft. In addition, these fishing poles and fixed outriggers can also allow multiple lines to be cast from one watercraft simultaneously without becoming entangled.
Because it is known that different species of fish respond to different water temperatures and weather conditions by occupying different depths within a body of water, it is desirable to position a fishing lure or bait to match the depth for a chosen species of fish. In addition, commercially available electronic graphical "fish finders," employed by many in the sport, allow the depth of a spotted fish, or groupings of fish, to be preciously determined. Knowing the depth of the fish provides the ability to target the "found fish" by trolling a lure or bait at that depth. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to control the depth at which a fishing lure or bait passes through the water while trolling.
The fishing pole and fixed outrigger methods of controlling a fishing line from a trolling watercraft, while effective in removing the lines from the wake of the watercraft, do not allow the depth of the fishing lure or bait to be controlled. This is because as the lure and line travel through the water, the force of the water against the lure and fishing line, cause both to move toward the surface of the water. The faster a watercraft trolls, the greater the tendency of the lure and line to move toward the surface.
The present invention provides a way to obtain the benefits of troll fishing, while allowing control of both the placement of the line away from the wake of the watercraft, and the depth of the lure or bait within the water. The present invention comprises a sealed floating hull to which a fishing line is attached, and which guides itself at a determined distance alongside the trolling watercraft using a weighted device beneath the hull to regulate and maintain the lure depth.
In addition, the present invention also provides a means by which to fish from a stationary pier or dock over the moving waters of a river. The counter force applied by the steering rudder of the present invention provides a stationary platform from which a lure line can be attached without moving down river with the current. In this way, a the repetitive casting generally associated with river fishing can be avoided.