Ice fishing device

Claim 2

An ice fishing rig comprising a rigid base plate member having transverse dimensions sufficient to cover a hole formed in the ice and to stably support the rig on the ice, a hole formed through the plate member from an upper surface above the ice to a lower surface adjacent the water, a support member attached to said plate member and upstanding therefrom at a position adjacent to one side of the hole, a reel mounted on the support member for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, a line carried on the reel for dispensing therefrom and winding thereon, the reel being arranged on the support member so as to allow dispensing of said line directly through said hole from the reel and a manually graspable handle on the reel for actuation to wind in the line, said base plate member and said upstanding support member being integrally molded from a synthetic plastics material, said upstanding support member comprising an elongate substantially planar portion integrally connected to the base portion along the full length of an underside thereof.

Claim 3

The invention according to claim 1 wherein the synthetic plastics material is black in colour so as to attract solar heat.

Claim 4

The invention according to claim 1 wherein the base plate member is hollow with the hole integrally molded therein so as to form a closed sleeve surrounding the hole to prevent ingress of water into the molding from the hole.

Claim 5

The invention according to claim 1 wherein said planar portion has an opening therethrough dimensioned to receive the fingers of a user as a handle hole.

Claim 6

The invention according to claim 1 wherein the base plate member includes a plug portion extending downwardly from an underside thereof which is circular in cross section and having a transverse dimension sufficient to cover the cross-sectional area of the hole such that the plug portion closes the hole and projects downwardly at least partly into the hole.

Claim 7

The invention according to claim 5 wherein the plug portion is tapered so as to increase in diameter from a lower most smallest diameter to an upper most largest diameter.

Claim 8

The invention according to claim 6 including an upper cylindrical surface of diameter larger than that of the largest diameter at the upper end of the tapered portion, said cylindrical surface extending downwardly from an underside of the base plate member.

Claim 9

The invention according to claim 5 wherein the plug portion is shaped to provide along its length from a lower most portion thereof to an upper most portion thereof a plurality of different diameters for engaging different diameters of hole.

Claim 10

The invention according to claim 1 wherein the hole through the base plate member is of a transverse dimension sufficient merely to receive the line and to allow threading of the line therethrough.

Claim 11

The invention according to claim 1 wherein the height of the support member and the position of the reel on the support member is such that the reel is arranged closely adjacent the base plate member.

Claim 12

The invention according to claim 1 including a signal member, means mounting the signal member for pivotal movement on said rig, means for biasing said signal member into a raised position and means for latching said signal member on said reel at a lowered position thereof such that movement of the reel releases the signal member for movement to said raised position.

Claim 13

The invention according to claim 11 wherein the signal member comprises a rod shaped and arranged to latch under the manually graspable handle of the reel when said handle is at an upper most position thereof so that movement of the handle away from the upper most position releases the rod for movement into said raised position.

Claim 14

An ice fishing rig comprising a rigid base plate member having transverse dimensions sufficient to cover a hole formed in the ice and to stably support the rig on the ice, a hole formed through the plate member from an upper surface above the ice to a lower surface adjacent the water, a support member attached to said plate member and upstanding therefrom at a position adjacent to one side of the hole, a reel mounted on the support member for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, a line carried on the reel for dispensing therefrom and winding thereon, the reel being arranged on the support member so as to allow dispensing of said line directly through said hole from the reel and a manually graspable handle on the reel for actuation to wind in the line, said base plate member being integrally molded from a synthetic plastics material and including a plate portion and a plug portion extending downwardly from an underside of the plate portion which is circular in cross section and has a transverse dimension defining a first plug portion thereof which has an outer surface tapered from an uppermost largest diameter thereof to a lowermost smallest diameter thereof, and a second plug portion between said first plug portion and said plate portion which has an outer cylindrical surface of diameter larger than said largest diameter of said first plug portion such that the plug portion closes the hole and projects downwardly at least partly into the hole.

Claim 15

An ice fishing rig comprising a rigid base plate member having transverse dimensions sufficient to cover a hole formed in the ice and to stably support the rig on the ice, a hole formed through the plate member from an upper surface above the ice to a lower surface adjacent the water, a support member attached to said plate member and upstanding therefrom at a position adjacent to one side of the hole, a reel mounted on the support member for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, a line carried on the reel for dispensing therefrom and winding thereon, the reel being arranged on the support member so as to allow dispensing of said line directly through said hole from the reel and a manually graspable handle on the reel for actuation to wind in the line, said base plate member being integrally molded from a synthetic plastics material and including a plate portion and a plug portion extending downwardly from an underside of the plate portion which is circular in cross section and has a transverse dimension defining a first plug portion thereof which has an outer surface tapered from an uppermost largest diameter thereof to a lowermost smallest diameter thereof, and a second plug portion between said first plug portion and said plate portion which has an outer cylindrical surface of diameter larger than said largest diameter of said first plug portion such that the plug portion closes the hole and projects downwardly at least partly into the hole.

Claim 16

The invention according to claim 13 including a signal member, means mounting the signal member for pivotal movement on said rig, means for biasing said signal member into a raised position and means for latching said signal member on said reel at a lowered position thereof such that movement of the reel releases the signal member for movement to said raised position.

Claim 17

The invention according to claim 14 wherein the signal member comprises a rod shaped and arranged to latch under the manually graspable handle of the reel when said handle is at an upper most position thereof so that movement of the handle away from the upper most position releases the rod for movement into said raised position.