Your Guide to Understanding Magnet Fishing
Magnetic fishing – it’s one of the more popular hobbies that is sweeping the world right now. What is it, though? Well, contrary to the name, it does not involve catching any fish. Rather, it is more in the line of treasure hunting! If that sounds like fun to you, be sure to continue reading for more details on how it works.
Along with the treasure hunting aspect to it, there is also an environmentalist motivation! You see, a lot of the times you will end up pulling trash out of the water that you are doing it in, which is definitely a good thing. So, while you can read about it on this page, I will be offering some tips on how you can get started!
The Basics: What is Magnetic Fishing?
Well, as I briefly touched upon above, it is a hobby that combines naturism with treasure hunting and collecting. Recently, several celebrities have started to do it, bringing a lot more attention to it than previously. Naturally, this means that a lot more people are wanting to try it as well!
As you can likely guess from the name, it involves using strong magnets to fish items out of bodies of water. Funny enough, we think it probably originated from fishermen using magnets to get their keys out of the water after dropping them in accidentally. It’s crazy that such a popular hobby spawned from that – talk about a happy accident!
What is the Appeal – What Can You Find?
Of course, this list will not be all-encompassing. Rather, I just want to share some of the highlights that people have found. You can see some of the items discovered in France if you look at this article: https://news.yahoo.com/magnet-fishing-explosive-hobby-cleaning-french-rivers-030336469.html.
Keep in mind that most of the things that people have found are considered “junk.” Old bicycle parts, destroyed tires, and pieces of scrap metal. In some cases, they have even found parts of bombs or grenades. Those incidents have incited some concern on the part of governments, who do caution any magnetic fishers to be careful around any potentially volatile explosive devices.
That being said, those sorts of discoveries are quite rare. More often, you will find coins or even safes, sometimes! The hope is to find rare treasures, but removing trash from our lakes, streams, and oceans is a great side effect of this hobby.
How Does it Work?
The biggest obstacle people seem to face when they are thinking of getting involved with magnetic fishing is that they do not know where to get the equipment. After all, the magnets that are involved are not just any plain one. Rather, they need to be extremely strong to be able to pull bigger items out and attract the metal that we want to remove from the water.
The exact specs that you will need will vary depending on what you want to fish out. Generally speaking, though, a magnet that is at least five-hundred pounds is what to strive for. You can find some examples of this at Brute Magnetics, if you are uncertain on where to start.
Now, that is not all you might want to think about as you are selecting a magnet. For example, the one you pick should have some sort of eyelet. This will allow you to thread a rope through it, which you will need in order to keep yourself safer. It is a bit risky to delve into the water in this hobby, both due to wildlife and the potential for unexploded firearms.
What else should you invest in, though? Some other things to consider are gloves and boots or waders. While you should not be looking to delve or wade into the water, it is still good to have them to protect your feet. And of course, gloves can help protect your hands against the potential rope burn and if the metal you extract is sharp!
So – Why is it So Popular?
Well, this is a question that is slightly more complicated to answer. To some extent, we can thank some celebrities for bringing it into the spotlight. After all, the large social media presence of many of them means that any posts that they make enthusing about this hobby will get a lot of attention. Of course, fans will flock to participate in this activity, as it lets them feel connected to the celebrity in question!
Beyond that, though, what makes it so interesting to people? Well, there is something undeniably appealing about going treasure hunting while also helping the environment, while at a beautiful location to boot. It is a great way to experience the outdoors and enjoy some time around a lake, river, or even ocean.
Personally, I was rather skeptical of trying this for quite a long time. I hate actual fishing. It gets boring, and I do not like harming animals, even if I let the fish go after. Something about it just bothers me.
Doing this though is certainly nothing like regular fishing. Sure, there will still be cases where you do not find anything at all, not even junk. However, it is easy to pick up and move on to another part of the body of water without needing to worry about keeping your distance from other fishers or worrying about all of the animals being scared away.
Just Stay Safe
The thing I would like to conclude with today is just another emphasis on how important it is to be cautious. I recommend doing some research on the place where you are exploring. If it is a historical battlefield, you may not want to magnet fish there.
You see, if you find unexploded rounds of ammunition or even guns, it could be very dangerous. Particularly if you are intending to bring children along, make sure that you are prioritizing their safety and well-being over the potential treasure. I promise you; that you will be thankful you did that!