Carp Fishing

In the good old days at the beginning of carp fishing, bite indication was no more complicated than the movement of a piece of silver paper, a twig, or a washing-up bottle top on the line near the reel. There is nothing to say that these methods will not work today, but as with everything else, technology advances and there have been a number of improvements which the angler today would be stupid not to take advantage of. The main breakthrough is that of the electronic bite alarm or buzzer, which, in its youth, was no more than an antenna around which the line was placed and which buzzed when a fish pulled the line. Nowadays, most electronic bite alarms work on a roller/sensor principle: the line is placed across a roller/sensor, which, when moved, breaks an electric circuit and bleeps when the line is pulled. Some of the more traditional anglers refuse to accept electronic buzzers as part of their kit, but we believe buzzers serve an important dual purpose for the modern carp angler. Not only do they let you know when a fish has picked up your bait, they also allow you to watch the water instead of your indicator.

Here's a look at some of the different types of alarms on the market today (roughly in order of price).

Bitech Viper: An economy alarm with tone, volume and on/off switch. In our opinion this model can be too sensitive in wind and gives plenty of false indications.

Bitech Micro: Another alarm from Bitech with volume, tone and sensitivity controls. Very small and effective, and our favorite of the two models from Bitech. Works on a roller principle. Highly recommended.

Optonic XL: A very good roller wheel alarm which is moderately priced. It is equipped with an on/off button, both a run and delay LED, as well as a tone and volume control. The only problem with this alarm is that you need to take it apart to change the battery as well as the sensitivity, which is a bit awkward. Although it is reasonably priced, it requires extra additions to upgrade it to those below.

Fox Micron SX: One of the new wave of alarms, with volume, tone and sensitivity controls. Although we haven't used this alarm ourselves we have heard plenty of good reports about it. It is another of the many roller-wheel types. There is a mini version of this alarm available which is proving to be very popular due to its budget price.

Fox Micron RX: Digital The top of the range from the Fox stable, and certainly an alarm that comes well recommended. It works on the same principle as the Micron SX, but has the added advantage of a remote receiver facility (not to be abused by wandering too far away from your rods). This alarm also distinguishes between lifts and drop-backs, which can be very useful in some situations.

Delkim: The new alarm from Delkim has the same features as the other modern alarms above as well as a line diameter control for when you use thick or thin lines. It can be used with a remote if necessary as well as adjusted to suit both windy and calm conditions. It possesses a sensor board which indicates both line movement and vibration. Another excellent choice.