Various types of hook setting devices are known. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,571,963; 4,212,125 and 4,627,186 disclose a hook setting fishing rod attachment which causes the fishing rod to tip upwardly in order to pull the fishing line thereby hooking the biting fish. U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,459 discloses an automatic fishing device adapted for ice fishing. It comprises a winding mechanism connected to the spool for automatically rotating the spool and winding the fishing line. The mechanism is connected to a mounting assembly which is connected to a platform when the apparatus is used for ice fishing. An adjustable trip mechanism is positioned between the spool and the platform. Stop members are positioned on the fishing line to halt the rotation of the spool. The device is complex in its construction and its operation.
The device of the present invention is adapted to pull up the fishing line a predetermined distance in response to a fish biting the bait. The line can be pulled up a given distance repeatedly in response to bites on the line. This is a feature which is absent from conventional fish setting devices which must be reset by the fisherman after each use. The present device resets automatically.