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So, with the amount of rain combined with this cold snap we’ve had recently, I’ve decide to pursue another new hobby. Magnet fishing. Anyone else tried this yet? Got my first magnet in the mail the other day, and lost it 3 hours later lol. Got my new magnet in today and will be trying it tomorrow. Anyone got any tips or advice or fun stories to tell about magnet fishing?
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I got introduced to Magnet Fishing when I went to my local FINS lake (Mike Miller Park in Marshall County) to avail myself of some of the stocked trout. On the fishing pier was a fellow MFing pulling all sorts of stuff from around the pier.
I went to Harbor Freight and bought the biggest magnet they had:
Harbor Freight retrieving-magnet-250-lb-pull
Rule #1 - You want a braided rope, not a twisted one. A twisted rope will try to un-twist if you hang something heavy. In this case bigger is better - to a point.
Rule #2 - You want a bucket to store your rope. Braided ropes take forever to dry, and you don't want that nasty rope in your car or truck.
Rule #3 - You want heavy waterproof gloves. You will drag up some really nasty stuff. Harbor Freight has some inexpensive ones (buy two pair).
Hint #1 - For docks and piers ask the owner if you can MF off the dock. Tell him/her you will remove any old rusted metal under the dock.
Hint #2 - The area adjacent to a bridge over a river or creek belongs to the County or City. If you should try that area, expect to be told by the local constabulary that MFing is not allowed there.
Hint #3 - Check YouTube which has a gazillion videos of MFing.
Request #1 - Bring and use a small digital camera (or use your phone if you trust you won't drop it in the water) and photograph everything you bring up. Showing the dock owner a picture of the 20 feet of barbed-wire makes them very appreciative, and more likely to let you try again.
Share your pictures.
One more thing: You do not want a clip on the end of your rope to attach to the magnet. It WILL break if you hang something big enough. I use a bowline knot to tie the magnet to the rope.
Wow. This is a lot of great information. Thank you!
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Some of it was learned the hard way, and some by observation.
Any tips on what to do if your magnet gets stuck on something and you can’t get it?
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I've only gotten stuck once, and that is when I found out that adding a hook to the end of the rope is a bad idea. I have hooked onto some items that would not come up. I walked up the dock and pulled in a different direction and pulled the magnet off whatever it was stuck to. I've seen guys using paracord for the rope, and that is too small. My rope is about 3/8ths inch, and as I said, braided.
I got a 3/8 rope that’s 50 ft long. Says it has a break strength of 230 pounds.
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My second attempt only went slightly better. I didn’t find anything at my first spot, not even a nail or bottle cap... second spot It latched on to a steel beam that was supporting the dock and would not come off. Worked for 3 hours and finally had to hook it to the truck and pull it off didn’t lose the magnet tho. So that’s a big plus. Then I went back to the lake where I lost my other magnet, didn’t find anything around those docks either.... still haven’t had any real success with it
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Jman , I bought a fishing 225 lb magnet on Amazon after reading about it on Treasurenet.com . I have fished along the sides of public boat launches during the cold months here in S.C. . So far 1 rod and reel ,2 sets of car keys, 4 or 5 folding knifes , screwdrivers , pliers, wrenches ,spark plugs , folding chair , lots of junk . But it's fun and you never know that your going to get.