An apparatus and method for providing an electronic alarm to alert of a fish bite or nibble when using a fishing bobber or other weighted mass as a hanging bite indicator. A sensor comprising a transmitter and receiver functions to detect changes in fishing line tension. The transmitter is attached to and moves in concert with the hanging bite indicator while the receiver is placed beneath the hanging bite indicator in a fixed position relative to the fishing rod. To set the alarm, slack is released in the baited fishing line, allowing the hanging bite indicator to sag downward on the line until the transmitter is lowered into contact with the receiver. The alarm activates when tension produced in the fishing line by a fish bite causes the hanging bite indicator to lift, thereby separating the transmitter from the receiver. The displaced bite indicator remains hanging on the fishing line for further use by the angler to set the hook and retrieve the fish.
