Something Old Something New

I've often wondered what gains a modern bite alarm the 'digital' tag and how they are improved over my 20 year old Optonics so I've dusted my old units off and put them back into service. The main difference I can see is that the V that the rod sits in is a lot more shallow on my Optonics which can result in the rod being easily pulled sideways off the alarm. back in the day mods could be bought or made to keep the rods in place but I settled on a set of Fox snag bars. Other than that I the only other problem is the lack of a remote sounder box. To go with my resurrected alarms I splashed out on a new set of bobbins. I've been using Fox Swingers Mk 2 for years but they do have a couple of drawbacks. Unless you lift the rod vertically off the rests the line clip sometimes doesn't release also they're quite heavy even on the lightest setting. I splashed out on some ESP Barrel Bobbins. They come with small weights that can be moved to make the bobbin weight either 3, 6 or 9g and have clips that can be changed to grip the line rather than just hang. At £9.99 per bobbin the price is quite reasonable but the isotope that clips into the bobbin is a little more eye watering at £10.99 each. I used the set up on Tuesday night fishing into a stiff breeze. By pushing a bait spoon around a bush I was able to drop the lead into it and pull it around then slide it tight into the margin under the next bush along. It was a major faff on but as it resulted in a 12lb 12oz mirror it was definitely worth the effort.