Magnet fishing

One video I saw, a guy cut a plastic bottle in half, (think plastic pop bottle) and then threaded the rope through the neck of the top then tied it to the magnet. This made a snag-resistant "shell" in front of the magnet, making the whole thing slide through things better without snagging.

That would be the Carolina rig. at least that's what I would call it. A variant of the Texas rig.
 
I went magnet fishing on Friday and all went well. I was throwing it out near a boat ramp on a river. I was able to retrieve a lure and a load of nails.

The only problem is the paranoid sometimes getting tangled but easy to get out.

I have a few other places to go and it's fun. I even got it snagged but was able to get out.

I'll send pictures soon of my setup.
 
Glad you enjoyed. I had plans for this morning but holiday plans got in the way. am going tomorrow morning before the heat gets to intense.
 
I use a 173 pound hold magnet and I don't have any trouble detaching it from large iron objects. The magnet I use is the MHNP-50RO from CMS Magnetics

I would recommend cutting the top of a plastic bottle off and attaching it to your magnet so it doesn't get caught on branches.

The Palomar knot is one of the best knots to for magnet fishing in my opinion. I have my rope set up with 2 strings so incase one slips from my hand I still have the other one.
 
I use a 173 pound hold magnet and I don't have any trouble detaching it from large iron objects. The magnet I use is the MHNP-50RO from CMS Magnetics

I would recommend cutting the top of a plastic bottle off and attaching it to your magnet so it doesn't get caught on branches.

The Palomar knot is one of the best knots to for magnet fishing in my opinion. I have my rope set up with 2 strings so incase one slips from my hand I still have the other one.

You can view my video above (6-27-17) and it shows the plastic bottle on the rope over the knot at the very first of the video. That system does help prevent snags and hang-ups. My choice in strength is in the 250 to 300 lb range. We brought up a small safe with it and was able to remove the magnet with moderate effort by sliding it to the edge.
 
new ideas needed in the magnet fishing design

For all of you potential new users and those who already are active in magnet fishing, I have a request. Many have googled "magnet fishing u tube" and seen a multitude of European users who have helped in bringing new ideas to the hobby. One of these is the multi magnet side by side with a empty soda bottle sealed as a float to insure that the unit lands business side down in the water. This idea I have tested with good results but I also have been testing yet another type of float. This is using short pieces of what is known as "a pool noodle" Which is a child's pool sponge float. You users and designers put your grey matter to work and give all of us some of your thoughts on how we can bring this new sport to more and make it even better than it already is
 
I went out today along a river and dragged in a golf club, iron, and a big Master Key lock.

The, I got my AT Pro and did my first water hunt. I actually found some money. However, luckily I have the carrot.
 
I tried this once when I was a kid. I bought a pretty hefty horseshoe magnet from Edmund Scientific and dragged the bottom of a 100 foot deep lake that had been frequented for about a hundred years. I remember hearing rumors at the time that the mob had dumped slot machines there. (Of course they wouldn't have left any cash in those machines anyway, if it was true). Didn't find anything. :no:
 
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I also started with the Home Depot version of the same magnet. Works well but the mew stuff seems to be a lot mor effective.
 
Used my double magnet with the whiskers this morning and brought up a $130 dive LED flashlight in great condition. That kinda helped pay the cost.
 
Trip over and time to clean up

We had a very successful day at the docks and headed home. It is time to do a little clean up. I use the braided nylon rope so it does not take on moisture it still holds a bit of water that needs to be hung out for a while to dry. Next comes the attention to the business end of the setup, the magnets. I used my back to back setup with the whiskers and even though I rinsed them off prior to leaving the hunting site I could see that there was still a lot of material stuck on and behind the magnets. Good shop grade paper towels worked well for the most part but that little fine magnetic dust just seems to want you to chase it all over the face of the magnets. Some one said use short strips of duc tape for this clean up. Well that worked but then I had adhesive residue from the tape to deal with. I then went to the wide blue masking tape and wow what a tool. The powder stuck to the tape and no residue. The magnets are back shining and the rope is dry. All wrapped up and in the bucket for the next trip. Hope this helps with your maintenance in the future.
 
Another couple trips out with the double back to back with the whiskers has proved to be a winner. In one of the early previous visits in a clear lake I could watch the action of the back to back unit and I noticed that my elevation above the water (dock) showed that the back to back tipped back the closer I got to the dock. This gave me the idea of adding yet another magnet to act as a tail light and when the rope angle got real sharp and caused the magnets to tip back then the rear magnet had its business end on the ground. This also made it a good unit for bobbing around the dock edge. This setup with its improvements has again proven to be first class. Our supply of pliers, screwdrivers, multi tools, forceps, knifes, and padlocks along with a large array of other items has increased.
 
Sweeping the dock edge

Being very active in magnet fishing my old bean is always thinking of new ways of accomplishing the task in another way. I started off this new adventure in the pool cleaning area of Home Depot and found that they carry a selection of aluminum pool cleaning poles that are extendable. The sizes available range from 12 feet to 20 feet. Being that we have many docks that only have water is only 6 to 7 feet deep, I chose to buy the 12 foot extendable pole. I fashioned a T bracket on the end so I could mount two down facing 300 range cup magnets side by side. Now instead of the bobbing method with the rope and magnet I just probe and sweep the area that is in reach of the pole's length, With the rope method you have a marginal amount of control of the area covered but with the pole it is fairly accurate and works great. Younger stronger individuals may want to go with a longer pole, but the sweeping action in the deeper water is much more difficult but the probing still works well. The longer pole also becomes a problem when you bring up the find. The lite 12 ft pole can be taken strait up and is still very manageable. Yesterday in clear lake water I observed the bottom as I used this new tool and I determined that I was not missing much of the bottom area during my hunt. I then covered a like area with the rope and magnet setup and found the areas missed because of the lack of control was substantial. The first 4 to 5 foot of area from the docks edge is the prime area for targets. The 4 and 5 ft area becomes very difficult to cover with the rope method but the pole will get it all. I was able to effectively cover about an area that would take the rope method a long time in just a matter of minutes without missing a whole lot of places. Just a thought I wanted to pass on.
 
I have a fairly strong magnet off of a CB antenna. Would that work until I can get something better?

I had the same thought some time back, but I could not figure a way to connect to the magnet and leave the business end (face) open. The magnet takes a beating and the epoxy on those magnets will break loose. They are somewhat strong but nothing like a 250 to 300 from a supplier like magnets4less. They cost around $15 and I usually have mine delivered in about 5 days. During the time prior to the ones I built I used a harbor freight and a home depot recovery magnet.
 
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