Bite Alarms & Receivers
Missing a take while angling can mean the difference between catching the fish of your dreams or going home blanking, never knowing the end of your mainline. Alarms evolved from the early 1950s to be hypersensitive devices that detect fish movement and take. Since the 1980s, technology has made bite alarms very accurate and created a situation where anglers trust them more than their judgment.
The days of anglers looking at monkey climbers or bottle tops are now down to history. The new alarms from both Delkim and Fox Alarms sold in their millions. However, new technologies emerge from newcomers such as Wolf, game-changers in the electronic bite alarm market.
Created by Richard Fox, the Wolf QI Bite alarms include a new sensing technology based on a roller wheel and magnetics that can be co-joined, making them the most sensitive Bite alarms on the market today. In the Wolf, QI launched in 2021; like your sky remote, you can change all the settings in the comfort of your bivvy and control various paired devices.
Cliff Fox led the market with his original Fox Micron Alarms, Wolf is the latest technology. They allow you to change LED colours from your bivvy with smart ports so that you can use the Delkim hanger or your Fox or Wolf hanger. The days of having a bite alarm that gave you no indication of what happens underwater have long gone. Bite alarms even moved to include LCDs into the receivers, providing options even if you miss a take, seeing if it was a forward or backward movement and even the time.
The days of not knowing what is happening while carp angling will soon become a thing of the past. Bite alarms in fishing are one of your most essential items of fishing tackle that allow you to know what is happening underwater. Your alarms give you your only visual representations of what is happening where your rig is on the lakebed. When you're sleeping at night in your fishing bivvy, your alarms are your watchdog, so you never miss a take.
What Technology Goes Into An Electronic Bite Alarm?
The basic working of a Bite alarm is that it holds the rod in place, and the fishing line runs through the centre of the alarm and measures the movement of the line in the future. This creates, in most cases, an audible sound and often has LED lights going off on the Bite alarm that has had movement or a full-blown take.
There are different methods of measuring line movement; the Fox alarm uses roller wheel movement link to magnets, and the Delkim uses the concept of a violin of a fishing line going over a wire to create the sound. The sound of the take is then linked to a piezo speaker to give you an audio sound. The LEDs give you a choice of colours and a range of sounds you can pick on your Bite alarm.
If you wish to explain it in Bite alarms, incorporate a slot through which the line goes, and the sensor in the ears of the alarm makes the bite alarm detect movement. In most instances, you need a constant screaming take rather than a few beeps of the alarm to be classed as a full-blown take where the fish is taking your hook bait and rig.
What Are The Features Available In An Electronic Bite Alarm?
Most bite alarms use a piezo speaker that makes an audible sound when fish are close to your fishing rig or your alarm screams off. Bite alarms in fishing allow you to change the volume so you do not disturb other anglers. Fisherman, if they are not, your friends want to be woken up if you have a take at night. This allows you to reduce the volume or switch the sound just to your receiver.
Sound or Tone:- Alarms from the various manufacturers allow the angler to set up different sounds between each bite alarm. This means the angler will know if the left centre or right bite alarm has gone off purely by the sound. Likewise, anglers that like their bite alarm LEDs to be all the same colour can know which one has gone off, as we've mentioned, just by the sound.
Sensitivity is a brilliant feature on calm days on the water. However, when the lakes or rivers are choppy, obtaining false warnings that you have a fish. Most Bite alarms in fishing allow you to desensitise the alarm to remove these false warnings. On the Wolf, Alarm has developed sea-saw elimination. You can specify the number of millimetres of movement before the alarm gives an audio sound that you have a take. This is very important and allows anglers to completely control their electronic bite alarms.
Light Indicators:- Alarms can often be purchased in a wide range of red, green, and yellow. Though the newer colours popularised in recent years include blue-white and purple. You can change the colour by hitting a button on the Bite alarm in the more expensive such as the Fox Bite Alarms, Delkim Bite Alarms, and Wolf Bite Alarms. With the Wolf Alarms, you can change the colour of your bite alarm and hanger to be the same or different colours in the comfort of your bivvy or shelter. For example, the standing colour of your bite alarm might be red. However, suppose you take and use an illuminated hanger. In that case, the colour can be set to blue or any colour in the Wolf LED colour range. The other reason why Wolf is one of the most expensive alarms on the market is it has a sensing technology built into the back of the alarm that lets the alarm know if it's been fished in the day or night. As a result, the alarm LED colour becomes brighter at night automatically.
Waterproofing:- Alarm manufacturers say their alarms are 100% waterproof though the reality is often very different. The Fox and Delkim alarm have holes in their cases where water might enter the device. This is the case with nearly all the alarms on the market. This is often overcome by encapsulating a rubberised coating to protect the alarm from water ingress or dampness.
The only alarm without a hole in the case is the Wolf IQ alarms that work on magnetics and a roller wheel and do not have a hole in the case. This is another major point of failure that has been eliminated in Wolf's update in bite alarm technology.
Batteries:- In alarms, Battery life is essential to anglers. If the battery fails, the angler is in the dark about what is happening when fishing. The three leading alarms in the market say that the alarm will last at least 1 thousand hours on the alarm head. The receiver most manufacturers will last five hundred hours. Fox, Delkim and Wolf are the only brands you trust to claim this. Another critical factor in selecting a bite alarm is what type of batteries it uses and can be bought in a local supermarket in the UK or Europe. If not, the batteries will likely be very expensive as they will be a specialist type. Alarms are designed to have a flashing LED when the batteries are getting low so you can change them before the alarm dies while fishing.
Snag Ears:- Snag ears have become very popular over the last few years, especially in continental Europe. Due to the size of the fish, Anglers have experienced rods into the water if they do not have suitable bank ware. In other instances, anglers fish the rods at 45 degrees in the air and snag ears to help hold the rod in place in all situations.
How Do You Select The Best Bite Alarm?
Selecting the best Bite alarm for your needs is very personal. Your catch rate is dictated not just by your bite alarm but by all the tackle items you use when fishing. These include rods, reels and fishing lines and your fishing rig. Most basic alarms produce a sound and will give you an indication of the take. The most expensive ones, such as Fox, Delkim and Wolf, give you guaranteed extra functionality you can trust.
With alarms ranging from £220 each to £30 each, there are many choices, and at Carp.com, we believe in pay your money to make your choice. We have researched the leading electronic bite alarms on the market to help you make an informed decision. First, we have listed the features by scrolling through the bite alarms.
The alarms we stock change from simple alarms that allow you to turn them on and off to, as we've mentioned above, the latest alarms from Delkim, Fox and Wolf that lead the alarm market in terms of technology.
Delkim Alarms have developed a cult status over the last 30 years. Many consider them their number 1 bite alarm due to their reliability. Fox that works with a roller wheel is also considered a leading alarm, and the Delkim and Fox anglers think their alarm is best. The choice is personal, and Wolf, created by Richard Fox, will say their alarm is better due to technology. The Delkim alarm starts reasonably priced at around £80, and a Fox alarm begins as low as £20. These are just entry-level products, and Carp.com stocks bite alarms from many other manufacturers. These include Gardener, Steve Neville and Nash, to name just a few of the outstanding alarms on the market.
What Do You Have To Do To Set Up Your Bite Alarm?
To set up your Bite alarm, you'll need a range of accessories, from buzz bars to bank sticks. Some anglers who want to be organised use a rod pod, so everything is in line with their electronic bite alarms. Fishermen will even configure the drag systems on their fishing reels. So they can control the movement when the fish has taken the rig if they get a take. But, of course, the alarm would have already activated when the fish took the bait, and the angler should have struck the rod engaging in playing with the fish.
In setting up your bite alarms, it is often best to do this at home. Many anglers also take spare alarms in case of problems.
What Are The Best Bite Alarm Receivers?
Bite alarm receivers have only been in the market for thirty years. Each receiver can have slightly different features. They must work in conjunction with the bite alarm heads connected to the Fox Delkim and Wolf. They all have to be connected before use. The Wolf Alarm is the most complicated. It has an LCD built into the top-end receiver for their 2021 flag ship product, giving the angler more control over the bite alarm like their sky remote. The key is picking a bite alarm you're happy with and making your angling fun and enjoyable. Many bite alarms have the receiver's vibration built-in, so you do not have to have an audible sound on your bite alarm. This is called mute, and the only sign the bite alarm is working is via the LEDs on the bite alarms or your receiver. It is not uncommon to have a set of three-bite alarms and a receiver. In Europe, It's not unusual to have 4-5 fishing heads.
The angler has a choice of how to program the alarm, so it has a wide range of LED colours and options. This also includes sounds on the Bite alarm and the receiver. The most complex receiver on the market is the Wolf IQ, launched in 2021; that is a bi-directional receiver that talks both ways to the alarm heads. You can mute the alarm from the receiver, change LED colours, and even see if you've had a forward or backward takes from the LCD display on your receiver. There are loads of other features from the time of take, the ability to change the sound and language of the alarm for all European anglers.
Why Do Anglers Use Hangers With Their Electronic Bite Alarms?
Anglers use hangers as a visual representation of what is happening underwater. The fishing bobbin can tell the angler if they've had a liner or a full-blown take. It will also say to the angler what direction the fish is going along with the rod tip. The alarm also tells you if you had a drop back where the fish spits out the boilie without getting hooked.
Would You Like To Know More About Bite Alarms?
On Carp.com, we have included a questions and answers section on the various bite alarms giving an honest opinion of the multiple alarms on the market. Of course, alarms are personal, and what one person likes another person might not like is human nature. The critical thing is whatever bite alarm you use and your budget, you're happy with your purchase, and we're here to help.