When you are magnet fishing, however, that is exactly what you want to happen. It’s a completely different type of fishing that doesn’t involve fish at all!

What is Magnet Fishing?

Magnet fishing gives you many of the perks of regular fishing -– you get to hang out in some lovely peaceful and picturesque waterside locations. Unlike regular fishing, however, you need very little in the way of equipment or expertise. All you really need is a rope, a strong magnet, and a suitable location. Instead of hauling out a trout or a bass, you could retrieve some metal objects from the bottom of the water. Any ferromagnetic objects will be attracted to the magnet and you can pull most of them out of the water. It is not a new hobby but it has increased in popularity over the last couple of years. This is largely down to people sharing their findings on YouTube, which has encouraged other people to give it a go.

What Can Magnet Fishers Find?

In this video, the magnet fishers have an interesting haul. They have retrieved bullets, a gun, and a cannon ball from the civil war -– followed by a selection of rifles! They alerted the police who alerted the bomb squad. This demonstrates how things can go wrong! Some things that you retrieve from lakes and rivers are potentially dangerous. It turns out that there is a lot of military equipment underwater. Scooters, bicycles, and grocery carts are other popular finds. If they have serial numbers on them, it may be worth informing law enforcement because they are likely to be stolen.

Magnet Fishing Tips

As well as needing to select a strong rope and a strong magnet, there are a few things that you can do to make your fishing trip more successful. Don’t forget that you need permission from the landowner. Never tie the end of the rope to yourself – you could end up being at the bottom of the water yourself. Also, wear a life jacket because you are near open water which may not be safe if you fall in. Whatever you haul out will probably be rusty and could have very sharp edges, so wear strong protective gloves. Finally, if you decide to magnet fish off a boat, be very careful. If the magnet attracts something very heavy, you could easily be dragged off the side!

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