Magnetic Fishing?

[icechip]

I dove yesterday afternoon at Lake Megunticook and found wedged between rocks (and a nearby tire) this pretty heavy and powerful magnet on a rope. My dive buddy said that they were fishing magnets used by people who throw them in to see what they might attract and haul in. Huh. Anyone else heard of magnetic fishing?

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

Yup. It gets discussed from time to time.

 

[TuckerIdaho]

Lots of videos on youtube of folks pulling up all kinds of crazy stuff.

 

[kelemvor]

Yep, something I've always wanted to try. You can do a pier clean-up without having to wait for cleanup day. The magnet you show in that pic looks kind of smallish compared to the ones you see on the you tube.

If you haven't already guessed or looked it up, you're after junk rather than fish when you go "magnet fishing."

 

[Damselfish]

I recently learned of it when they banned it on a stretch of a local river that runs by an old military installation - after unexploded ordinance was found and they had to call in the state bomb squad.

 

[kelemvor]

I recently learned of it when they banned it on a stretch of a local river that runs by an old military installation - after unexploded ordinance was found and they had to call in the state bomb squad.

Seems a bit short sighted. If they think there's unexploded ordinance down there then why not put a team together and clean up the river rather than require people to be IN the water to find the ordinance.

Having recently dealt with some oddball laws in Massachusetts I have to say I'm not entirely surprised.

 

[barth]

At some places it’s not allowed anymore to do magnet fishing.

A lot of ww2 stuff was found in the Netherlands and Belgium. It was getting very popular in The Netherlands and Belgium.


I did also do magnetfishing but no cool finds for me

 

[Snoweman]

I would be much more interested in it if gold, silver, and platinum were magnetic.

 

[lowviz]

Anyone else heard of magnetic fishing?

Yeah. it is a kinda fun diversion unless you are on a NE wreck. EVERYTHING is ferromagnetic.

So the trick is that you drag a ferociously magnetic "goodie collector" across the sand. Kinda fun, never know. Costs next to nothing because mechanical hard drives (computers) are losing ground to semiconductor storage devices.

So you go online and find a bunch of monster didymium magnets from old hard drives. Get a T8 (Torx) drive to dis-assemble them and then re-assemble your own magnetic snare.

 

[coldwaterglutton]

I have that exact same magnet, including the rope. Was on sale for $24 at Amazon.

My kids have used it and so far have found nothing except a few bottlecaps.