A bite indicator is a mechanical or electronic device which indicates to an angler that something is happening at the

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

end of the

fishing line A fishing line is a flexible, high-tensile cord used in angling to tether and pull in fish, in conjunction with at least one hook. Fishing lines are usually pulled by and stored in a reel, but can also be retrieved by hand, with a fixed attach ...

Types

There are many types of bite indicators. Which ones work best depends on the type of fishing. * Fishing floats: widely used as bite indicators. Fishing floats are usually "cocked" by different split shot weights so that just the brightly coloured tip of the float is showing above the water surface. * Fishing bells: a bulldog clip attached to a pair of small

jingle bell A jingle bell or sleigh bell is a type of bell which produces a distinctive 'jingle' sound, especially in large numbers. They find use in many areas as a percussion instrument, including the classic sleigh bell sound and morris dancing. T ...

s. When clipped onto the fishing rod, any vibrations transmitted from the fishing line will cause the bell to rattle, giving off alerting sounds that the angler can hear. *

Quiver tip A quiver tip is a flexible extension to a fishing rod which is designed to vibrate, or quiver, when a fish takes the bait. The main characteristic of its design is its sensitivity. It is a popular and very effective method of bite indication both ...

s: attached onto the end of the

fishing rod A fishing rod is a long, thin rod used by anglers to catch fish by manipulating a line ending in a hook (formerly known as an ''angle'', hence the term "angling"). At its most basic form, a fishing rod is a straight rigid stick/pole with ...

. These can be screw in or push in and come in different weights of test curve for sensitivity and application, such as river and stillwater use. * Swing Tip: similar to quiver tips but hang off the tip of the rod and pull up into a horizontal position during a bite. These are usually screw in and are not as common as quiver tips. * Bite alarms: electronic devices which bleep when a fish tugs a fishing line. The fishing line is wound on a running roller which makes a noise when the fishing line moves, thus alerting the angler that a fish might be hooked.Bite indicators
/ref> They are attached to the fishing rod between the reel and the first eye on the rod, and give an audible alert when there is a simple movement of the line. Bite alarms can range from simple devices with an on/off switch that do no more than indicate when the line moves over the roller, to more sophisticated devices with volume, tone and sensitivity controls. They are useful when fishing with more than one rod, and are commonly used when

coarse fishing In Britain and Ireland, coarse fishing (, ) refers to angling for rough fish, which are fish species traditionally considered undesirable as a food or game fish. Freshwater game fish are all salmonids — most particularly salmon, trout and ...

for

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

. Whereas floats can be used as visual bite detectors, bite alarms are audible bite detectors. Although more expensive than visual devices, audible devices are popular as they do not require constant monitoring. They were invented by Richard Walker.

Notes

External links

Fishing Bite Alarms
{{fisheries and fishing Fishing equipment