Abstract: Apparatus for detecting and measuring forces on a fishing rod due to pull on a fishing line associated with the rod or to a weight hanging on the rod, includes a transducer responsive to the deflection of the fishing rod to provide an output indicative of the amount of deflection of the fishing rod, and a timing circuit including a signal counter which counts signals during a time interval and provides a numerical display corresponding to the number of signals counted and thus the force being applied to the rod, the timing circuit being controlled by the transducer to vary the duration of the time interval during which signals are counted whereby the number of signals counted by the signal counter varies in correspondence with the amount of force being applied to the rod.

Abstract: A microprocessor controlled force detecting and measuring apparatus for use with a fishing rod, detects deflection of the rod caused by forces at the tip of the rod and computes and displays information such as when a fish bites, the time which elapsed in catching the fish, the maximum force or pull on the line, the force-time product over the time interval that the fish is being caught, and the weight of the fish caught, a keyset enabling selection of the information to be displayed and entry of commands to the microprocessor. The apparatus also detects the presence of slack line during a fishing operation, and aids in setting drag of the fishing reel.