Magnet Fishing

Are you looking for something inexpensive and fun you can do on ANY body of water?  If so, have I got a deal/activity for you!  About a year ago, my buddy Pat introduced me to a little activity called “magnet fishing”.  It’s a pretty simple activity that is full of simplicity and surprise.  The premise is as self-explanatory as it sounds.  You tie a long rope to a strong magnet and drag it along the bottom of a body of water.  You can purchase magnets online or at hardware stores and most times they run about 10 bucks.  I prefer to use 100 feet of paracord to attach to the magnet on one end and to something that floats on the other end.  I have accidentally thrown a magnet too hard in the past and would have lost my set-up if it wasn’t attached to a float.  I also prefer this flotation device to double as a winding device for the cord and that’s why I use a piece of wood.  That’s all you really need!

I cannot claim these fiinds as my own.  This picture was found during a Google image search.

Sometimes items will get attached to your magnet and other times they won’t.  You can “fish” around boat ramps, docks, bridges, or any other high traffic areas.  I have seen a lot of different videos where folks find lures, keys, and even guns.  Folks in Europe even find different types of explosives/ordinance that did not detonate during one of the many different wars that took place in that area and specifically WWI and WWII.  I’ve even seen guys find safes and shopping carts.  So if you’re look for something to do, especially with kids, get out there and see what you can find while cleaning up a little of the environment at the same time.