GB2317094A - A bait holding trap - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a bait system 1 suitable for use in lobster pots and the like. The bait system 1 comprises substantially closed robust vessel 2 containing a body of comminuted bait 14 and having an inlet aperture 10 with a releasable closure 8, such as a screw cap, formed and arranged to permit the introduction of bait 14 into the vessel 2. The vessel 2 has a multiplicity of small apertures 16 in its walls 12 which are formed and arranged to allow the slow release from the vessel 2 of compounds leached from the bait material 14 such that said compounds are sensible by an aquatic creature to be attracted to the bait 14. The vessel 2 is arranged to retain the body of bait 14 in the vessel 2 whilst and the same time the vessel 2 is formed and arranged to resist attack by aquatic creatures attracted thereto and by aquatic conditions in use thereof.

Description

BAITING SYSTEM The present invention relates to a baiting system and bait container for use in the baiting of shellfish, prawns and in particular for use in lobster pots.

Conventionally the bait used in a lobster pot is a fish or a piece of a fish. Fish bait such as this has become very expensive though and difficult to get and its use is becoming less economically feasible. Furthermore such bait allows the lobster pot to "fish" for only a day or so as the baiting effect of the fish bait wears off. Yet a further problem in using such bait is that seals can remove the fish from the pot resulting in a damaged pot that contains no bait.

One known method of baiting lobster pots is to use -full cans of cat food, usually a fish based cat food and to puncture the can with several holes to allow the cat food to act as a bait. This practice is one the one hand expensive and on the other hand has doubtful effects on the colouring of lobster flesh.

In recent years it has become known to use fish offal or to use those parts of a fish not generally used e.g. the head, tail etc. to make a fish bait. It will be'appreciated though that such a bait cannot be placed directly into a lobster pot and that some form of container is required which on the one hand more or less securely contains the fish bait but on the other hand allows the "smell" of the bait to be released so as to act as a bait to lobsters. One known method of doing this is to use a mesh net. This method is, however, not particularly effective and the mesh net can break releasing all the bait at the one time rendering the lobster pot ineffective.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid or minimise one or more of the foregoing disadvantages.

The present invention provides a bait system suitable for use in lobster pots and the like, which comprises a substantially closed robust vessel containing a body of preferably comminuted bait and having an inlet means with a releasable closure means formed and arranged to permit the introduction of a said body of bait therethrough, said vessel having a multiplicity of small apertures in wall means thereof formed and arranged to allow the slow release from said vessel of compounds leached from said bait sensible by an aquatic creature to be attracted to said bait whilst substantially retaining said body of bait in said vessel, said container being formed and arranged to resist attack by a said aquatic creature attracted thereby and by aquatic conditions, in use thereof.

Thus with a bait system according to the present invention lobster pots and the like may be baited more or less quickly and more efficiently than with existing baiting systems and by using cheaper bait, more economically than with existing baiting systems.

Preferably said vessel is provided with ballast means so as to prevent the baiting system contained therein from floating out of, for example, a lobster pot, in use of the system. Advantageously the ballast means provided on the vessel also acts to weigh down a lobster pot or the like in use of the bait system.

The vessel is preferably constructed from an inert, environmentally and aquatically acceptable material such as e a polyamide, polyalkene eg polyxthylene or polypropylene, or polyvinylchloride (PVC) plastics. Desirably there is used plastics tubing having a diameter of from 25mm to 100mm desirably 60mm, which tubing is cut into sections, conveniently of from 100 to 300mm, desirably of around 200mm, in length. The open ends of said sections of tubing are conveniently provided with blanks so as to close said vessel. Preferably though one or more of said open ends is filled with a ballast means member. Most preferably said tubing is in the form of land drainage pipe tubing which includes in its walls a multiplicity of small apertures.

Suitable drainage tubing is made by the Norflex company.

Various types and forms of said ballast means may be used.

Conveniently it is in the form of an inert, environmentally and aquatically acceptable material such as cement or concrete or plastics coated metal such as steel.

The size of vessel used will be determined largely by the size of aquatic creature that the system is to be used for baiting. Thus for example in use in a prawn, shrimp or whelk pot there might be used a more or less small preferably cylindrical vessel having a diameter of approximately 50mm and a length of approximately 160mm. In use in a lobster pot it is desirable, though, that there is used a larger diameter and more substantial vessel. Thus for use in a lobster pot said vessel, preferably in the form of a cylindrical vessel, has a diameter of at least 60 to 90mm desirably about 75 mm. Such a vessel has not only increased strength over a smaller vessel but it is also of a diameter sufficiently too great for a lobster claw to grip and possibly destroy the vessel. Various cross sectional shapes of vessel may be used including polygonal, octagonal, square or rectangular.

Thus in another respect the present invention provides a bait container for use in lobster pots, which container comprises a substantially closed, lobster resistant, vessel having a minimum dimension of 60 mm, said vessel having an inlet means with a releasable closure means formed and arranged to permit the introduction of a body of bait therethrough, said vessel having a multiplicity of small apertures in wall means thereof formed and arranged to allow the release from said vessel of compounds leached from said bait sensible by a lobster to be attracted to said bait whilst retaining said body of bait in said vessel.

Said small apertures in said wall means of said vessel have a diameter of from preferably lmm to 5mm, desirably 1 to 2mm advantageously 1.75mm. Rectangular apertures having dimensions of lx5mm or 2x5mm may be used also. Preferably the area of said apertures comprises not more than 8% preferably not more than 5% desirably 1 to 2% of the total surface area of the wall means of said vessel.

Said releasable closure means is preferably formed and arranged with said inlet means so that it may be more or less quickly opened and closed. This is particularly important as in practical use perhaps several hundred vessels will require to be filled with bait. Any suitable form of closure means may be used such as for example a screw on top; a flap provided with securing/retaining means; or preferably a cover plate. Preferably said closure means has an interference fit or snap fit around said inlet means.

Most preferably said closure means is in the form of an arcuate cover panel or plate formed and arranged to vFrap around a cylindrical vessel having an inlet aperture in its side wall.

Any suitable form of bait may be used with the system though different types of bait may be used to attract different types of aquatic creature. For use in lobster pots, for example the bait used in the system according to the present invention comprises comminuted or minced fish offal, or minced fish heads, tails, fins etc. and those parts of a fish not otherwise used for commercial purposes. Desirably there is provided a sponge or other like inert carrier material which can soak up liquid fish bait, and which can be placed inside the vessel of the bait system of the invention.

In yet another respect the present invention provides a method of baiting suitable for use with a lobster pot or the like which comprises the steps of providing a bait system according to the present invention and inserting said bait system into the pot.

In yet a further respect the present invention provides a method of baiting a lobster pot which comprises the steps of providing a bait container according to the invention; introducing a body of comminuted bait into said container through said inlet means; closing said releasable closure means; and inserting said container into the lobster pot.

Further preferred features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following detailed description given by way of example of a preferred embodiment illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a baiting system according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a side view of the baiting system shown in Fig. 1 with a closure means removed; and Fig. 3 is a sectional side view of the baiting system shown in Fig. 2.

A bait system, generally indicated by reference number 1, is shown in the accompanying drawings. The bait system is used to "bait" a lobster pot by placing the system inside a lobster pot of generally known type and construction (not shown here).

The bait system 1 used and described here with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 for baiting a lobster pot comprises a lobster resistant cylindrical vessel 2 having end caps 3 at each end 4,6. A releasable snap-fit flap 8 covers an inlet aperture 10 (shown in broken line in Fig. 1)in the side wall 12 of the vessel 2. The vessel 2 contains minced up fish to form a bait 14 (see Fig 3)which is introduced into the vessel through the inlet aperture 10. The side walls 12 of the vessel 2 have a multiplicity of small holes 16 which are arranged to allow the slow release from inside the vessel of compounds leached from the bait 14 which can be sensed or smelt by a lobster. The holes 16 are of such a size so as permit the release of the fish bait "smell" whilst being small enough not to allow all the minced up bait from being simply washed away by water when a lobster pot containing the bait system is put into the water. According to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings the rectangular holes 16 have a size of 2mm x 5mm and the vessel has a diameter of 80mm and a length of 160mm. (In a second embodiment (not shown) holes having a size of lmm x 5mm are used on a vessel having a diameter of 60mm.) In the embodiment shown there are approximately 60-70 holes of having an area of approximately 650mm2 which accounts for 1.75% of the total surface area of the vessel. The holes are spaced apart by approximately 15mm.

The end caps 3 are of cement which has been allowed to set in each end 4,6 of the cylindrical vessel 2. The cement end caps 3 act as ballast for the bait system 1 and a lobster pot in use of the system and the weight of the bait system inside a lobster pot prevents the bait system from floating out of the lobster pot.

The flap 8 which covers the inlet aperture 10 is in the form of an arcuate panel 18 shown in end view in Fig. 2a which itself includes a plurality of holes similar to those in the walls 12 of the vessel 2. The arcuate generally 'C' shaped panel 18 has a radius the same as the cylindrical vessel and in fact comprises a section of the same piping used or the construction of the cylindrical vessel. The arcuate panel 18 is arranged so that it wraps partially around the circumference of the vessel so as to cover the inlet aperture. The flexibility of the PVC material used allows the panel to be removed and replaced readily by an operator filling the vessel with bait whilst retaining the lobster resistant characteristics required of the vessel.

In the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings the cylindrical tubing used in the construction of the bait system is of corrugated drainage piping. It will be appreciated though that various other types of tubing or vessel provided with holes may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Various modifications may be made to the above described embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thus for example one of end caps may have a screwthreaded portion formed and arranged for engagement with a correspondingly screwthreaded portion on the vessel so that an end cap may be screwed on and off to facilitate the introduction of bait into the vessel.

Claims (15)

1. A bait system suitable for use in lobster pots and the like, which comprises a substantially closed robust vessel containing a body of bait and having an inlet means with releasable closure means formed and arranged to permit the introduction of a said body of bait therethrough, said vessel having a multiplicity of small apertures in wall means thereof formed and arranged to allow the slow release from said vessel of compounds leached from said bait whilst substantially retaining said body of bait in said vessel, said container being formed and arranged to resist attack by a said aquatic creature attracted thereby and by aquatic conditions, in use thereof.

2. A bait system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said body of bait is comminuted.

3. A bait system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said vessel is provided with ballast means.

4. A bait system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said vessel is constructed from an inert, environmentally and aquatically acceptable material selected from the group including a polyamide, polyalkene, polyethylene, polypropylene and polyvinylchloride plastics material.

5. A bait system according to anyone of claims 1 to 4 wherein said vessel comprises plastics tubing of a diameter in the range of from 25 to 100mm and having a length in the range of from 100 to 300mm.

6. A bait system according to claim 5 wherein the open ends of said sections of plastics tubing are provided with blanks so as to close said vessel.

7. A bait system according to claim 6 wherein one or more of said open ends is filled with a ballast means.

8. A bait system according to any one of claims 2 to 7 wherein said ballast means is in the form of an inert, environmentally and aquatically acceptable material selected from the group including cement, concrete and plastics coated metals.

9. A bait system according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein said vessel has a cross sectional shape selected from the group including polygonal, octagonal, square or rectangular.

10. A bait container for use in lobster pots, which container comprises a substantially closed, lobster resistant, vessel having a minimum dimension of 60mm, said vessel having an inlet means with a releasable closure means formed and arranged to permit the introduction of a body of bait therethrough, said vessel having a multiplicity of small apertures in wall means thereof formed and arranged to allow the release from said vessel of compounds leached from said bait sensible by a lobster to be attracted to said bait whilst retaining said body of bait in vessel.

11. A bait system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein said small apertures in said wall means of said vessel comprise not more than 5% of the total surface area of the wall means of said vessel.

12. A bait system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or a bait container according to claims 10 or 11 wherein said closure means has a readily releasable interference fit or snap fit around said inlet means.

13. A bait system according to any one of the proceeding claims provided with an inert carrier material formed and arranged to soak up liquid fish bait and formed and arranged to be placed inside the vessel of the bait system.

14. A method of baiting suitable for use with a lobster pot or the like which method comprises the steps of providing a bait system according to claim 1 and inserting said bait system into said lobster pot.

15. A method of baiting a lobster pot which comprises the steps of providing a bait container according to claim 1; introducing a body of comminuted bait into said container through said inlet means; closing said releasable closure means; and inserting said container into said lobster pot.