Alarms and indicators?!

[Ducktape Corkfeet]

I am in need of a good bite alarm, mostly for Tench, Bream, Perch and Eel fishing. The way I see it, I have two choices, Fox or Delkim. Now I know everyone loves Delkims, but I want to know if they will be suitable for me.

The Delkims, I'm told are extremely sensitive, and they go off at the slightest movement, but do I want to listen to bleeps and wailing sirens all the time? I also understand they are the only option for fishing slack lines(?) Will I need to fish slack lines much? Are there situations where the vibration function is a hindrance?

The Fox alarms work on Roller wheels, and I'd like to know what the pros and cons of this system are. The Alarms I have been looking at so far, are the Delkim Plus, and the Fox Eos-X.

As for bite indication, well I'm lost. The amount of indicators you can get seems insane. Basically what is the best system for the species mentioned? I've been told, light bobbins with Solar line clips, but do I want illuminated or not? Will the illuminated option add weight, and therefore resistance to the rig?

[chesters1]

i have a pair of boxed mint BJ alarms so you can go retro and avoid having the incorrect decal or coloured LED of the month.

the mmx's were given a good write up a few years ago .being a bit stingy i still use my old ones which the name for the life of me is missing from my head at the moment ,all i remember is they filled with water untill diawa drilled holes in the bottom on returning them

as for indicators i still use the original fox lifty bar dooda with clippy thing,with its slidey weighty thing it goes from - weight to heavier ,ps - weight isnt a lot of use

Edited February 28, 2007 by chesters1

[Enter Sandman]

Last year i had two Delkim Plus bite alarms and Solar bite indicators.

 

Sold the lot and went really basic with Fox Warrior alarms £16 and Fox Swingers £8 each

 

I have actually caught more fish (Bream, carp etc ) than i did with the Delkims etc.

 

Save your money and spend it on things that matter like a decent rod and reel !!

 

The Warrior is basic yet works, and works well

 

The Delkim is very nice and far too sensitive which i had mine adjusted to make less sensitive.

 

Delikim back battery cover comes off when you slide the cover over it ( something Delkim are aware of ) so its a lot of

 

money for what it does.

Edited February 28, 2007 by Enter Sandman

[Ducktape Corkfeet]

Save your money and spend it on things that matter like a decent rod and reel !!

 

 

Have always had decent rods and reels, but alarms are something I know nothing about. I just want to make sure I buy the right thing first time.

[Enter Sandman]

Well Delkim and Fox are both fine alarms but when you consider that Fox at £16 will do most the jobs that the Delks will do and they cost £70 i know which route i would go every time.

 

OK if you want Transmitters and receivers then they cannot be beaten but again you are into serious money.

 

The Fox Swingers are very good and work well in most conditions.

 

OK The Warrior alarms will not detect the very tiny movements of line 1 to 5mm etc but a decent run is a decent run and they both detect it so you could argue that the Delks are well overpriced for the job they do.

[Guest tigger]

I use Fox SX' s and they're spot on. Get them second hand off ebay and save your cash. I got mine for £25 each and there as good as new. Great quality alarms 5 sensitivity settings, volume and tone for the price of brand new lesser models.

Edited March 1, 2007 by tigger

[tincatinca]

I am in need of a good bite alarm, mostly for Tench, Bream, Perch and Eel fishing. The way I see it, I have two choices, Fox or Delkim. Now I know everyone loves Delkims, but I want to know if they will be suitable for me.

The Delkims, I'm told are extremely sensitive, and they go off at the slightest movement, but do I want to listen to bleeps and wailing sirens all the time? I also understand they are the only option for fishing slack lines(?) Will I need to fish slack lines much? Are there situations where the vibration function is a hindrance?

The Fox alarms work on Roller wheels, and I'd like to know what the pros and cons of this system are. The Alarms I have been looking at so far, are the Delkim Plus, and the Fox Eos-X.

As for bite indication, well I'm lost. The amount of indicators you can get seems insane. Basically what is the best system for the species mentioned? I've been told, light bobbins with Solar line clips, but do I want illuminated or not? Will the illuminated option add weight, and therefore resistance to the rig?

 

If you want an alarm that is ultra reliable which does not cost the earth I would reccomend that you check out the offerings on the attached site.

http://www.goodfishing.i12.com/indext/bitealarms.html

These are superb alarms and will do the job you want. They have 2 sensitivity settings and easily adjustable tone and volume controls. As for bobbins it depends on what you are doing and the distance you are fishing. For fishing close in with a slackline, a coil of kitchen foil or the top of a fairy liquid bottle is still a cheap and very effective method or you can use a propriety lightweight bobbin to which additional weights can be attached. Swingers with a sliding weight on the arm are also very good as you can set them to suit most conditions. The only problem using a bobbin with minimal weight is that it may not register drop back bites efficiently. For Bream fishing at distance, you might want something a little heavier particularly if there is any undertow. THere is no single answer as it depends on the fishing situation. As far as illuminated bobbins are concerned what is the point apart from creating a light show. The LEDs on the alarms in the link above are more than bright enough especially the blue ones.

Trust this helps

Regards

tincatinca

[DavyR]

or the top of a fairy liquid bottle is still a cheap and very effective method

 

Unfortunately, none of the washing up liquid bottles currently on the market (Fairy or otherwise) use the type of top that used to do such a good job as a bite indicator in the 60s and 70s. So unless you know somebody who has hoarded a load of the old ones...

[chesters1]

the old bottle tops have had a rebirth ,i saw our local tackle shop had a card with one remaining ,its the same old top but with an isotope up its bum so someone is selling them.

[Anderoo]

Save your money and spend it on things that matter like a decent rod and reel !!

 

My thoughts exactly. I have a couple of the basic Fox buzzers (Micron M, I think they're called). Had them about 4 years and they're still on their first battery. You can spend the earth on buzzers and it really depends what you want them to do. If you think being able to adjust the tone and sensitivity is important, you'll need to look elsewhere. I see buzzers as ancillary to the actual fishing gear - it's a failsafe in case I'm not paying attention. If you see them as integral to your setup you'll probably want something more fancy.

 

As for the advantages of roller or Delkim's 'V' thingie, they both go beep when the line is pulled through them and I personally don't want endless beeps whenever the line trembles!

 

It's worth remembering that it's not the alarm that gets you the bite - it just needs to beep when you have one. I can see the advantages of a supersensitive alarm in certain circumstances but if I'm in a situation where I'm looking for very small indications I wouldn't be relying on an alarm to alert me. I just use them in set-ups when I'm expecting screamers!