1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bracket for holding a fishing reel and more particularly is concerned with an adjustable bracket for securely holding game fishing reels of different widths.
2. Background of the Invention
Sport fishing for large game fish, such as tuna, sail fish and the like, requires rods and reels designed and engineered specifically for this purpose. The reels are made with internal gear transmissions comprised of precisely machined gears. The gears and other components of the transmissions are machined to specifications that often exceed those of mechanical clocks. The fishing reels also include adjustable internal clutches for controlling "drag" to prevent surges on the fishing lines from breaking the line.
The controls for the reels are located on the exterior for use by a fisherman. These controls include a handle for the fisherman to grip and turn to cause the spool of the reel to rotate and let out or bring in fishing line. There are also levers for engaging and releasing the spool from the drive train. There are controls for adjusting the drag, which typically is star wheel also located on the exterior of the reel. Depending on the particular design of the reel there may also be other controls. All of the controls are fully exposed and unprotected from damage.
Most large game fishing reels haves lugs for attaching a harness to the reel. The harness is secured to the reel and to a fisherman using the rod and reel to assist the fisherman in holding and working the rod and reel.
Game fishing reels, besides being fine mechanical equipment, are often finished so as to be almost works of art. Most of the exposed parts are highly polished. The metal parts may be made of polished stainless steel or chrome plated marine grade brass. Many reels have exposed metal parts plated with gold to both give exceptional corrosion protection and to improve the physical appearance of the reels.
Sport fisherman take great pride in the working condition and appearance of their equipment. They take special care to maintain the mechanical condition and like new appearance of their reels. A long standing and heretofore unresolved problem encountered by fishermen is how to protect their equipment and particularly reels from being damaged when not in use. This is especially true if the rod and reels are stored on a boat. Game fishing reels can readily be damaged if allowed to be banged around in storage. The internal mechanism can have the gear trains jammed and individual gears bent so the reel will not operate properly. The exterior controls can similarly be damaged if the reel is not protected. The problems of protecting game fishing reels on board a boat are especially difficult to overcome. The rolling and pitching of a boat in rough water can result in substantial damage as the reels contact other reels, the bulk head, the deck and other equipment on board. Even if the reels are not mechanically damaged, the contact with other reels and the like can cause very undesirable damage to the appearance of the reels.
To protect reels from damage when not in use some fishermen remove the reels from their fishing rod and repackage them in the boxes received from the manufacturer or in special boxes made for this purpose. Some fishermen even go to the length of initially placing their reel in protective bags such as soft velvet bags before placing the reel in the boxes. This method does protect reels between use but is impractical in actual practice. Fishermen often use different rods and reel combination in a given day of fishing. Several types of reels may be used and the required change of reels can take place on short notice. Accordingly, the repackaging reels between uses is highly impractical. In fact the rod and reel may be left on the deck when not in use where they can readily be damaged. There is also the problem that despite the best intention, most fisherman quickly get out of the practice of removing and repackaging the reels after a short while.
A more common practice is to place the rod and reel combinations in rod holders. This however is not particularly effective. The rod and reel combination is typically held by the rod handle and the tip of the rod. When the boat rocks, the rod with reel attached will rotate in the rod holder. The weight of the reel can then cause reels to smash into adjacent reels or into the mounting surface causing to damage the reel. An additional problem encountered when storing the rods and reels in the horizontal position is that the rod can slide in the rod holder with the weight of reel causing the tip of the rod to be driven forward into a bulkhead and being broken. A further problem of storing rod and reel combinations in a rod holder mounted horizontally is that the rod is held at the tip and end of the handle. The weight of the reel between the tip and the handle can cause the tip portion to be bent out of shape and take a permanent set.
A further method suggested was to use special brackets having fixed widths to fit snugly between the harness lugs of the reels. The brackets had spring loaded studs that engaged the apertures in the lugs. This initially appeared to have considerable promise but in actual practice was generally impractical. The distance between the harness lugs of reels is different for different models from the same manufacturer and for similar models of reels from different manufacturers. It was therefore necessary to have a bracket specifically sized to fit a particular reel. This was expensive in that a given sport fishing boat might carry a number of different reels and different brackets were required for each type of reel. In addition the particular combination of rods and reels carried on a boat often changed from fishing trip to fishing trip depending on the particular type of game fishing. A further problem was that if a guest brought his own rod and reel there would be no suitable bracket to hold his reel. Last but no least the fixed sized brackets were difficult to use. The opposing spring loaded studs had to be compressed simultaneously into the bracket to install or remove the reel from the bracket. This was difficult if the boat was rolling and pitching in rough seas. For the above noted reason the prior art fixed sized brackets have not found wide spread acceptance.
Accordingly, what is required is a mounting bracket which can securely hold a rod and reel between uses to protect the reel from damage; be easy to use; and which can be adjusted to accommodated different widths of reels. A further desirable property is that the selected rod and reel combinations can be quickly removed or installed in the bracket even under rough sea conditions.