Igor Liba May 24, 2010:

My father used to use so called "policajt", which was a kind of special float or simple ball, cork or similar hanging on the line. Bite indicator is a general term, which might be used, but what about quiver tips, electronic indicators etc. which are bite indicators as well.

animations at http://www.pleasurefishing.com/html/bitealarms.htm

kamilw May 24, 2010:

Scott, I reckon you're right about bobber - you mean a synonym of a float?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Float_(fishing)
That's 'spławik' in PL and perhaps 'splávek' in CZ - the floating thingy.
'Bobbin' is something else, I think that's what Aleš is asking about. It may be indeed BrE cos I found it only on British pages, I've got no idea about an AmE equivalent. When I angled a bit in the past I've seen folks using a table tennis ball for this purpose, mounted on the line between the guides.
As I wrote, IMHO 'bite indicators' include floats, those 'bobbins', and several other devices that can be mounted anywhere on the line, floating or between the guides or elsewhere, whose common function is to indicate a bite.

Scott Evan Andrews May 24, 2010:

bobbin...I can guarantee you gentlemen that a bobber (never heard bobbin, but confess it may be Br. E....just don't know)...is that ball thing you'd buy, red on the bottom, white on the top...a kind of bite indicator...or drawn thin and tall, generally different colors to see activity from a distance, but the question refers to something mounted on the line but between the guides...this cannot and will not be a bobber, bobbin, etc. This is a special device that is indicated in the links I've provided, similar in concept but different technology.

kamilw May 21, 2010:

"Bite indicator" je velmi siroky pojem, obsahuje tez spławiki (fishing floats, nevim jak je v cestine). W Polsku jako cihatko (sygnalizator) casto se pouziva pingpongovu loptu zavesenou mezi ockami. Jeste hledam anglicke slovo...
P.S. Vyhledal jsem "bobbin".
P.P.S. Omlouvam se za spatnou cestinu :)