How to set up a bite alarm when angling. A few tips.

It goes without saying that a fishing bite alarm can be one of the most essential tools at an angler’s disposal. This is especially true if we’re talking about catching bigger, trickier specimens, such as carp, which requires careful precision and technique to do so.

Such a gadget acts as an extra means of giving you a heads up on your fishing trip via beeping and of course, following the movement of the bobbin.

However, sometimes setting up your bite alarm to its maximum effect can be quite challenging, especially, if you don’t have much experience doing so.

In this article we will share some essential tips on how to set up your bite alarm as well as additional preparation steps.

Preparing your bite alarm

Before you move on to setting up your bite alarm, here’s a shortlist of the things you need to take care of beforehand in order to properly prepare yourself.

• A pod to fix the alarm to
• Batteries for the alarm
• Bobbins to use as the alarm thread
• Make sure that all of these items are compatible to reach optimal results.

Bite alarm setup steps

Below we discuss the main setup steps for your bite alarm, which are as follows:

1. Attach the bobbin to be used as the thread for your alarm
2. Make sure that the thread is screwed in properly into your rod pod
3. Set up the alarm that it is facing away from the water, this may need extra bolting to ensure it’s fixed in place
4. Once your fishing line is running through the alarm, you can make adjustments to your settings that are optimal to you.
5. Don’t overexert the line as you might damage it.

Alarm settings for volume

As we all know, every bite alarm uses sound to alert the angler about a possible bite as well signaling movements of the fish.

This is true to all bite alarms, even the cheapest ones, however, most newer models also give you the ability to control the volume of the alarm signal itself.

For this, we recommend setting the volume just loud enough for you to hear when you get a bite. If you’re not fishing alone in your area, but with other anglers, it may cause confusion or annoyance if they are also using bite alarms themselves.

If you’re set up further away from your fishing spot, you might want to consider investing in a receiver for a better signal transmission.

Choosing the appropriate tone

Some models not only have the option to control volume, but to choose different tones as well. 

This may be a great option if:

• You want to separate yourself from other anglers in the area - again if you aren’t fishing alone, this may be a great way to distinguish when your set up is biting and not to confuse it with others.
• You want to individualize each of your setups - if you’re using more than one rod for a fishing journey, this is a great way to see who’s biting and who isn’t.

Other things to keep in mind

• Fishing line - some fishing lines react to wind and water movement in a different way. You may want to use stronger fishing lines to use with a higher sensitivity rating in order to receive the correct biting signal.
• Heavier tackles - on a similar note, choosing a stronger line allows you to use heavier tackle with a higher sensitivity rating to see when the fish are biting. Likewise, for lighter tackles, you will want a lower sensitivity rating to distinguish fish bites from other factors moving your line.
• Taller range - if you’re fishing from a longer distance, fish bites will make less of an impact which means a higher sensitivity setting might be necessary.
• Wind and water movement - these environmental factors are arguably the most influential ones when setting up your bite alarm, so evaluate them in order to find the best possible balance.

All in all

Today, we’ve talked about how to properly set up your bite alarm when angling. This tool can be of immense help when going for a difficult catch so it’s very important to find the right one that best suits your fishing needs.