The bite indicator has a housing (20, fig 1), a wheel 12 mounted on the housing 20 to rotate freely about an axle 14 and a sensor 18 for producing an electrical signal with rotation of the wheel 12. The wheel 12 is mounted in the housing 20 for rotation about an axis that extends horizontally and transverse to the line of the fishing rod when the bite indicator is in use. A magnet 16 is mounted to rotate with the wheel 12 and a tunnel magnetoresistance sensor 18 is provided in the housing to continually monitor and detect the movement of the wheel 12, and hence the line, very accurately and with a high resolution. The axle may have a counterbalance 70 to match the weight of the magnet. The polarity of the magnet may divided along a diameter of the magnet.
