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For those who use bite alarms

I reckon some of our cyber brothers, and indeed sisters in angle, actually fish for bites from other posters on forum such as this , no need to wet a line , or reveal your favourite swim , no worries with questions of the ethics of angling , or predation from otters , just cast in to the ether and away you go , bites guaranteed :)
 
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Back to the heinous crime of using centre pins when barbel fishing . I recall the the very venerable John '' Whizzo '' Wilson fairly recently expounding the delights of using multipliers when barbel fishing . Appalling ,he should be thrashed with white hot piano wires ,or better still trussed up tightly in braid , the very thought of it ! :eek:
 
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Or anglers should just get on with doing what every they like Mike, so long as they are not bothering others or breaking the law....

I agree about the 'bite' theory tho.... but don't worry, their presentation is appalling and it is spotted a mile away.... ;)
 
Mike Hodgkiss said:
Back to the heinous crime of using centre pins when barbel fishing . I recall the the very venerable John '' Whizzo '' Wilson fairly recently expounding the delights of using multipliers when barbel fishing . Appalling ,he should be thrashed with white hot piano wires ,or better still trussed up tightly in braid , the very thought of it ! :eek:
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Brilliant, thrashed with white hot piano wire :D:D
 
Steve and Mike you may well be spot on with the bites and presentation comments but let’s face it the fish in this swim are had again and again with the same single maggot on a size 4 hook to 70 pound braid.
 
I'm blanking Steve but then again; a little like you I don't fish for wrenches these days, I prefer something a bite alarm is really needed for, a tinka, a big predator, you know!
There you go mate from a fellow mod, threads back on track now
 
When I do use alarms I like to use solar springers. They tension the line and put the equivalent of a quiver tip into the system converting those nervous twitches into full blown steady pulls.
 
I have never owned any sort of electronic bite indicator at all, so it might be unreasonable to condemn them. But for me it takes away the very essence of Angling, where just catching becomes the priority.

For John Bailey to use them in his series in the Footsteps of Crabtree was for me at that moment the loss of what the programme was, I guess supposed to portray, Angling with an innocence and a reflection into times gone by, and an escape from to-days electronic strangle hold that large corporate companies such as Apple Sony and others exploit in particular the 'Peters' of to-day.

So we have muddied the waters really, as to what the real gem of fishing really is, I discovered it as a kid, and so did most of you, and there was not a bite alarm, or bait boat to be seen anywhere. There was no cynical product placement in the only Angling paper at the time, the wonderful Angling Times where boyhood imaginations were further fueled by great stories that were penned by Walker and Co every week, and was simply unmissable, and was also an entry for many into English Literature, what a wonderful mixture :)

So at least I am grateful that I managed to pass on to my poor long suffering son's the real joy's of Angling before they were consumed by i pods and x box's, and to this day they tell me that there was nothing to touch trotting a red tipped float down a stream and having it dip and landing a greedy chub.
I think the mean it too:p


Bite alarms are just functional fish catchers.

Good luck.
 
My Dad told me there were similar reservations about the "new fangled technology" when fixed spools first came out :)
 
Its all about personal choice as far as I'm concerned.
Be that alarms, center pins, bivvies or anything else.....

I get a bit fed up of people 'telling' me I can't do this or I shouldn't do that....

I'll do what every I like....
I'm old enough and been fishing long enough to make my own mind up about how, where and when I fish.

:)

Steve
 
Neil Smart said:
........and to this day they tell me that there was nothing to touch trotting a red tipped float down a stream and having it dip and landing a greedy chub.


Good luck.
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Neil,

The red tipped float and the Delkin are the same thing......they are both bite indicators
 
I liked Neil's post and it is refreshing to be somewhat back on track in terms of people sharing their views and experiences without demonising, invalidating or crushing the thoughts of others.

I find with fishing there are two dynamics at play and in conflict with each other. The natural human desire to progress, evolve get better, improve etc and then the need to take myself away from all of that-stuff that is a common feature of the work place. And yet I am still looking out for those little advancements in tackle and rigs. One day I might learn.

Last weekend was a good barometer of all this. I fished a local lake. One rod out in the middle (2.75lb carp rod with bite alarm and zig rig). The other close in, simple runninv rig under a tree with corn (Hexagraph 1lb Avon and pin on a couple of bank sticks). It wasn't a deliberate test, it just felt like a good way to fish (the carp don't really go much over 15lb). It was great fun on the zig rig. But when the margin rod eventually went, and an angry 14lb carp came to the net, I did reflect on the different experiences and without doubt the margin carp brought the biggest smile to my face. I think it was because of its simplicity and to an extent, purity. It felt like a direct link to the fishing I enjoyed when I was young. It also felt like a genuine antidote to my otherwise, busy and complex life.

But, I have no problem at all with others using their alarms or whatever they choose to do. Respect for themselves, the surroundings, the fish and other anglers is what counts.
 
Neil the second angling book I ever owned Still Water Angling by the man himself talks about electronic alarms, Home brewed devices that he made himself. He also sent out drawings and a basic spec to any one (13 year old boys included) who took the time and trouble to write to him care of his column in angling times, I think. My dad helped me build mine, and I caught with it, nothing like Walkers fish but monsters by my standards at the time. That book was written in 1953, mine was a later revision but the chapter on carp was the same in mine as the original. So unless you are older than God alarms were about when you were a kid.
I hate having my peace and quiet disturbed by some knob with his alarms at ear bleed settings. A few years ago I would sneer at anyone using an alarm for a fish that will happily pull your rod, reel and pod in but as I have said before I aint as young as I was. I do nod off as the evening draws on and my remote set to vibrate only has brought me back from the arms of Betty Page.
To the guys who use them 24/7, each to their own, but don’t let your enjoyment impinge on and lessen another’s.
 
Steve Williams said:
Its all about personal choice as far as I'm concerned.
Be that alarms, center pins, bivvies or anything else.....

I get a bit fed up of people 'telling' me I can't do this or I shouldn't do that....

I'll do what every I like....
I'm old enough and been fishing long enough to make my own mind up about how, where and when I fish.

:)

Steve
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Hang on Steve, how the Hell could I tell you what you should do / use? It is my take on the modern technology world that has consumed us all. I may not have buzzers and boats for my fishing but I am as much a victim of everything else out there.

I was not condemning you or anyone else for what it's worth...Blimey Steve chill.:rolleyes:
 
Neil Smart said:
Hang on Steve, how the Hell could I tell you what you should do / use? It is my take on the modern technology world that has consumed us all. I may not have buzzers and boats for my fishing but I am as much a victim of everything else out there.

I was not condemning you or anyone else for what it's worth...Blimey Steve chill.:rolleyes:
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Sorry Neil, you've misinterpreted my post (and I can see how....)
It wasn't aimed at you or your post, just my own personal view...

My apologies for not making it clearer.

Steve
 
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