5 Best Bite Alarms for Carp Fishing
Bite alarms have evolved a lot since the original 'Optonics' in the 1970s / 80s with many brands now available.
Bite alarms allow anglers to relax, take in their surroundings, play on their phone, read a book, or work on their next rig without ever missing a bite.
But what are the best bite alarms on the market? Does it actually matter what alarm you buy? After all, they only make a sound when you have a bite!
There are so many bite alarms on the market at the moment with all sorts of bells & whistles. It's really hard to know what to go for, especially if you are just starting out in the sport or have a set budget.
In this article, I will explain what to look for in the the best bite alarms for Carp fishing based on many years of experience using many different kinds.
I'll explain what features to look for and throw in some suggestions that will suit different circumstances and budgets.
Quick answer...
In a rush and don't have time to read the whole article? Then here are the top 2 bite alarms we recommend:
Best Overall: Delkim Txi
A Good Affordable Option: Fox Micron MX
A Classic & Great For Beginners: Fox Mini Micron
What to look for in the best bite alarms
Tone - Bite alarms often come with various tones and sounds to choose from. This is particularly helpful when fishing with multiple rods as it enables you to set different tones for each rod.
LED Lights - Many of the best bite alarms come with different colour LED light options. Light indicators are perfect for overnight fishing sessions as they allow anglers to differentiate between their rods in dark conditions.
Sensitivity Adjustments - The need to change sensitivity on a bite alarm depends on what type of weather you are likely to be fishing in.
If you’re fishing in windy weather, or on a water with a strong current, be sure to choose an alarm that allows you to adjust its sensitivity levels to ensure the alarm isn’t activated every time the wind moves your bobbins or swinger slightly.
Waterproofing - As Carp fishing is an all-year-round sport, anglers should expect to fish in wet weather, especially in the UK. Most bite alarm manufacturers will state that the alarm is 100% waterproof as a feature on the packaging or in the description. Be sure to keep an eye out for this as not all bite alarms are waterproof.
Snag Ears - Snag ears are a great tool for securing your rod in place in case of a big catch or a violent tug. It isn’t uncommon for rods to be pulled from the rod rest or pod in the likelihood of a side take, and in many cases, anglers have lost their rods.
Some bite alarm models come with retractable snag ears included but if not, they should certainly be considered if targeting big carp.
For information on bite alarms and how to set them up, check out our bite alarm set up guide.
The Best Bite Alarms for Carp fishing
1
Delkim Txi-D Digital Alarms
The Overall Best Bite Alarms For Carp Fishing
Key Features:
In the late 1970s, Carp anglers DEL Romang and KIM Donaldson put their names together to form DELKIM. Today the Delkim brand is world-famous within the Carp angling circuit particularly for producing some of the best bite alarms with quality, second to none.
This focus on quality continued into the development of the Delkim Txi Ds. The research and production of these alarms took approximately a decade to complete and in a way, I am not surprised as its predecessor was a fantastic alarm, and to improve it would have taken an age.
Improve it, they did, however, and the new version is more sleek and compact with a few modern upgrades thrown in.
Like most decent alarms there are three main settings; Volume, Tone & sensitivity. Delkim has changed the sensitivity setting and called it 'response'.
Delkim has explained that the response label better reflects the new speed control setting. With this setting, you can alter the alarm's 'beep' speed without altering the sensitivity.
On testing, we found this a great feature as when we set the alarm to high response but slow beep speed it enabled us to detect small movements e.g. a line bite without thinking it was a full-on run.
Also conversely you can fish a windy big pit with waves crashing in like the ocean and not have the alarms going off left, right & centre; but still, have a long run of screeching beeps when it matters.
A nice touch on the Txi-Ds is the LED brightness control and the ability to switch between nighttime and daytime mode. This doesn't sound much but when fishing the margins at night, it prevents a 'one beeper' turning your swim into the Blackpool illuminations and potentially spooking nearby fish.
The new Delkims also boast improved weatherproofing with many people reporting that there was no impact on performance with a heavy downpour or indeed by the odd full rod pod in the lake situation!
The RX-D receiver is built with as much quality as the alarm itself and is fully digital. The battery lasts an eternity and the range is by far better than any other bite alarm. The receiver also comes with a 'do not disturb' function which ignores minor indications and only sounds with a full-on take.
Another great feature of the receiver is the light-up mode. The idea is that you turn this feature on at night and when your alarms have sounded for over 4 seconds, all the LEDs light up, affectively illuminating your surrounding area. This allows you to see your way to the rods safely without taking your bivvy and all its contents with you!
The mute function is another nice touch that allows you to set your carp rods up without announcing it to the whole lake! There are also 64 different tone settings which should be ample to ensure you can differentiate your alarms from everyone else.
The TXi-D, ticks every box needed to cover every eventuality in modern-day Carp fishing. These alarms are absolutely top-notch and are a clear and worthy winner when judging the best bite alarms for Carp fishing.
Check out this video to see these alarms in action:
Here is what we liked and disliked about the Delkim Txi-D:
Pros
Cons
Alternative Delkim Bite Alarm:
2
Fox Micron MX
Key Features:
- High visibility 4mm multi-coloured LED
- LED colour changed by pushing rubber touch button on rear of alarm (as per RX+)
- Dual step sensitivity
- Indexed volume adjustment dial
- Indexed tone adjustment dial
- Top quality cone speaker
- Built in I-Com transmitter technology for use with MX Receiver
- Rubber ear inlays
- Tru-run roller wheel
- Three position toggle switch
- D-Tech Sensing System
- Silent start up
- 1 x power out socket for use with illuminated bite indicators
- Supplied with hard case
If the Delkims are out of your price range or you prefer a different brand then you can't go far wrong with Fox.
Fox International are a reputable brand within the carp angling world and is renowned for producing good quality gear.
The Fox Micron MX alarms definitely fall into that 'quality' category.
One of the key features that the Micron MX possesses that the Delkim's do not is the ability to change the LED colour. Whereas the Delkim's are fixed to the one colour per alarm, you can flip between Red, Orange, Green, Blue, Purple, and White on the Fox MXs.
Another simple, yet well-received, feature on the MX alarms is the silent start-up. We've all been there either on our own alarms or from other anglers where they are needlessly 'beeping' away, potentially spooking any nearby fish. This feature eradicates this annoying trait and is a nice touch.
Another feature on the MX that puts the alarm in the 'premium' category is the well-built roller wheel and the D-Tech Sensing System. Together, these features aim at limiting false bites but at the same time detecting sensitive bites.
Check out the following video showcasing, visually, the Fox MX features:
In summary, the Fox MX Alarms are packed full of features and exude the quality that absolutely cements its place as one the best carp fishing bite alarms on the market today.
Here is what we liked and disliked about the Fox Micron MX:
Pros
Cons
3
Fox Mini Micron
Great For Beginners
Key Features:
- Volume control button with four settings
- Tone control button with four settings
- Sensitivity control button with two different settings
- Two 5mm High Vis LEDs positioned at the top of the ears
- LED intensity adjustability
- D-Tec Sensing System/Roller wheel technology for clear, consistent bite detection
- Power out socket 2.5mm for use with sounder boxes
- Piezo Speaker for crisp sound
So, for those of you that have been carp fishing for many years, you have no doubt heard of the Fox Mini Micron.
You may also, like me, possibly have started out with these gems as your first bite alarms.
The reason why they are so perfect for beginners is that they are so simple and easy to use, yet so effective with what they do.
Okay, so they haven't got the features with all the bells and whistles like the Delkims or their older siblings, but what you do get is a quality bite alarm at an affordable price.
You get volume, tone, and sensitivity settings on these alarms with an additional option of adjusting the brightness and intensity of the LED. This last feature can be particularly useful when fishing at close quarters.
The D-Tec sensing system helps with clear and positive bite detection, whilst the Piezo speakers ensure the sounds omitted are crisp and clear.
All in all, this is a classic bite alarm that has been around for a very long time, and justly so.
Check out the following video showcasing the features on the Fox Mini Micron:
Here is what we liked and disliked about the Fox Micron MX:
Pros
Cons
Alternative Option For The Fox Mini Microns:
4
Sonik Gizmo Bite Alarms
Great Value Bite Alarm Set
Key Features:
- Twin illuminated snag ears and line roller
- 8 Sensitivity Levels
- 8 Volume and Tone settings (including silent mode)
- One-touch intelligent mute function
- Silent start up
- 2.5mm power out socket
- Forward and backward drop back indication
- Night glow LED function
- Silent Low battery warning
- Up to 150m range
- Supplied with clip on protective cover
Those in the carp angling game, probably don't associate Sonik and quality bite alarms. You will be pleased to hear however you would be wrong in that thinking as the Sonik Gizmos have made a welcome addition to the feature-packed alarms on the market.
Okay before we start, the Sonik Gizmo is lacking in the quality exuded by the Delkims and Fox MXs. By quality, I mean the parts used in the build of the alarms.
That said the Sonik Gizmo has some amazing features that are both gimmicky and useful at the same time.
The built-in snag ears, illuminate on activation and you can tell if your line has been taken out or dropped back by which snag ear has illuminated. The left lights up on a run and the right illuminates on a drop back.
There are 8 different sensitivity, volume, and tone settings on the Gizmos which gives the alarm great versatility for a number of different fishing circumstances.
One addition I really love about these alarms is the ability to link them up with the bivvy light which comes with the whole set. The light can be adjusted with various options and will illuminate your bivvy on a take, which can be really handy.
The receiver that comes with the set has some nice touches too, with varying settings for audio and vibration on alarm activation. It also comes with a built-in torch!
All in all, Sonik has produced a bite alarm absolutely packed full of features and the Gizmo nametag really lives up to its name with the gadget-like feel of this product.
Check out the following video explaining the features on the Sonik Gizmo Bite Alarms:
Here is what we liked and disliked about the Sonik Gizmos:
Pros
Cons
5
NGT Carp Fishing VX2 Alarms
The Best Budget Carp Bite Alarms
Key Features:
- Volume Control
- Tone Control
- Latching 20 Second LED
- Waterproof
- Includes LRV08 Battery
If you are just starting out with Carp fishing or indeed are on a budget but still want some decent alarms, then look no further than the VX2s by Next Generation Tackle.
This great budget bite alarm offers quality and affordability alongside the usual features of some of the best bite alarms. Tone and volume controls are both present on these alarms which is rare at this price point.
The VX2s has a solid look and feel about them and you can tell the design has been well thought out.
Overall, these alarms absolutely do the job they were intended for and as a budget alarm, they offer great value to an established, casual angler or beginner learning the trade.
Here is what we liked and disliked about the NGT VX2s:
Pros
Cons
FAQs - Frequently asked questions on carp fishing bite alarms
Still have some burning questions about bite alarms? Hopefully, this will help, the following are answers to the most common questions I get asked about carp bite alarms...
How do Fishing Bite Alarms Work?
Bite alarms are available in many different shapes and sizes with a variety of specifications and features to choose from. Bite alarms operate via a magnetic roller wheel or a sensor that detects movement of the fishing line and triggers a sound to alert the angler.
Anglers simply attach the bite alarm to a rod holder and slot the fishing line through the sensors on the bite alarm. When a fish begins to take interest in the angler’s bait and the line is disturbed, the bite alarm will detect movement and emit an alarm.
Anglers are able to distinguish between a fish moving the hook bait and a hooked fish due to the continuous beeping as the fish takes the line, often referred to as a 'run'. You can check out our guide on how to set up a fishing bite alarm here.
What are the most reliable bite alarms?
The most reliable bite alarms are those made by Delkim, with the Txi-D Digital Alarms being the top pick.
Do you need a receiver for bite alarms?
No you don't need a receiver for bite alarms. A receiver is, however, a useful addition to be able to hear and identify a specific bite alarm sounding when you are away from your rods or in your bivvy.
Final Thoughts
The best bite alarms for carp fishing are those that easily tell you if you have a carp that has taken your bait every time.
When I say every time I mean whether it is still, swimming away or swimming towards you, the alarm should tell you!
The best alarms should also have adjustments for tone, volume, and sensitivity to allow for the optimum user experience no matter what the conditions.
Hopefully, this article has provided you with the required information to pick the best carp bite alarm for your specific circumstances and has provided you with some decent suggestions to consider.
Whatever you choose I hope that your alarms see plenty of action and are sounding often.
Thanks for reading
Tight Lines!
All of the fishing tackle featured in this article can be found at one of the following online shops...
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