Appeal No. 2003-1981 Page 5
Application No. 09/715,684
person with a muscular disorder in the arm and hand is able to insert his hand between
the resilient portions of the apparatus so as to hold the rod with or without wrapping the
hand around the rod, thereby making it possible to control the rod with the one hand
while the other hand is used to crank the handle for retrieving the line, the bait and any
fish that may have been caught. The holding apparatus makes it possible for the user
to cast a bait manipulating the brake button during the cast. In this way it is possible to
hold the fishing rod and reel, cast the bait using the rod and reel and retrieve the bait,
even with severely handicapped hands and arms.
Figures 1 and 2 depict a fishing rod 11 and reel 12 with the holding apparatus 30
of Batick's invention secured thereto. The fishing rod 11 (only one end of which is
shown) includes a handle 10 to which is removably attached the fishing reel 12 with a
fishing line 14 extending from a line guide 16 at the front of the reel. The fishing line 14
extends along the length of the rod through eyelets or line guides and has attached at
the end of the line appropriate hooks, bobbers and sinkers (not shown). The fishing
reel 12 has a body portion 18 with a rotatable handle 20 operatively associated with the
parts of the reel for winding the line onto a spool (not shown) carried on the body
portion of the reel and shielded by a tapered front cover 22. A rear cover 24 is attached
to the body portion 18 and has an exposed rearwardly facing thumb button 26 pivotally
affixed thereto and extending rearwardly from the rear cover 24. In normal use, by
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