You’re standing on a wooden dock next to a lake. It’s calm. Serene. The wind’s ruffling your hair, and you can’t help but think that, in this very moment, you’re completely at peace. That’s when you notice somebody standing by the muddy lakeside, dragging a massive suit of rusted armor from the water. There’s potentially treasure right under your very nose, and you weren’t even aware of it! Welcome to the cool world of magnet fishing—something that you probably weren’t aware was even a thing when you got up this morning.
Magnet fishing, also known as magnetic fishing, is exactly what it sounds like: it’s fishing for cool finds using incredibly strong magnets. Some of the most incredible magnet fishing finds end up being shared on the r/magnetfishing subreddit, an online community for enthusiasts from all around the world.
We’re sharing some of their very best pics to show you just how amazing the hobby can really be. Scroll down, upvote your fave treasures, and let us know what you think about the entire thing in the comments, dear Pandas. Are any of you magnet fishers in secret? Tell us all about what drew you to the hobby! We’d absolutely love to hear your tale.
The subreddit's one and only moderator, redditor u/Syberz, was kind enough to answer our question about the community, as well as their passion for magnet fishing. They also revealed to us what their biggest find was! "I'm a bit of a history nerd and I like 'old things.' Having moved to Germany in an area where there was some WW2 combat, I thought that it would be really fun to discover some relics. I initially looked into metal detecting, but a decent setup was above my budget, but while searching that I came across videos of people magnet fishing and I got hooked (pun intended). I was extremely lucky, the first time that I went out was at a bridge built in 1732 and I found a small .22 Beretta pistol that I handed into the police," they told Bored Panda.
Oh, and a slight warning before we start, Pandas: be sure to read up on your country’s laws when it comes to fishing with magnets. There are permits you might need to get! Meanwhile, the r/magnetfishing community has put together a great FAQ, so you should definitely check it out if the hobby has piqued your interest. You probably won't get rich with this hobby, but it's fun!
#1 Found A Safe! (And Then Found The Owner!)
Image credits: Robotoctopuss
#2 First Find Magnet Fishing! Found In The Charles River
Image credits: jwneil
#3 I Gotta Fever, And The Only Prescription, Is More Cowbell!
Image credits: Aggressive_Regret92
#4 My Sister Upcycled This Stove Top That I Caught Magnet Fishing A Few Months Back
Image credits: gaz_de_la_raz
#5 Hitching Post - Near Boiler Room
#6 After An Hour Magnet Fishing I Asked For A Sign And This Is What It Gives Me
Image credits: jayduhaus
#7 Found A Rusty Coin. After Cleaning It Turned Out To Be 10 Pfennig. Cleaned With Sandpaper, Vinegar, Toothpicks And Brush
Image credits: d3rFunk
#8 Found While "Magnet Fishing"
Image credits: youarean1di0t
#9 I Think I’ve Officially Peaked In My Magnet Fishing Career! The Only Reason Why I Caught It Was Because It Has A Magnetic Latch!
Image credits: Outdoors-weekly
#10 Here’s My New Favorite Find!
Image credits: Outdoors-weekly
#11 Apple Watch! The Owner Declined My Offer To Return It
Image credits: Matoogs
#12 Magnet Fishing
#13 Pulled In My First Phone!!
Image credits: Darnnit
#14 Pulled In My Biggest Catch To Date. The Last Thing I Expected To Surface
Image credits: FlameofAnor
#15 Got 2 Guns Today Magnet Fishing With My 1500lbs Magnet! I Have Caught A Total Of 3 Guns At This Spot Now
Image credits: Outdoors-weekly
#16 Found These The Other Day, Found The Owner Today
Image credits: mikemike5556
#17 Well Today Was Unbelievable... Took 8 Hours To Get Up!
Image credits: Outdoors-weekly
#18 My Catch Of The Day! 🧲🛹
Image credits: gaz_de_la_raz
#19 I Found A Freaking Mortar
Image credits: TheMagnetAngler
#20 Fck Yea!! Drift Trike!!! Best Find
Image credits: walter_simpson
#21 Found A Gun Safe Today!
Image credits: Outdoors-weekly
#22 Jackpot!
Image credits: yumyumgimmesome
#23 You Know The Can Is Old When It Sticks To The Magnet. This Is An Old One. Caught Out Of Lake Ontario, Toronto
Image credits: SludgePirates
#24 Caught This Beauty First Time Magnet Fishing!
Image credits: sojaminc
#25 My Aunt Pulled This Out Under Roebling Bridge On Ky Side
Image credits: Cardone0420
#26 My Buddy Don And I Went Fishing The Other Day....he Started The Day Off With A Practice Hand Grenade
Image credits: MotorCityMagnetFish
#27 Our First Outing And I Nabbed A Mailbox!
Image credits: MRHubrich
#28 My Wife Caught A Machete!
Image credits: reddit.com
#29 First Computer; North Shore, Ma
Image credits: Caninus-Surdis
#30 So Bad Stealing And Disposing If A Childs Bike! Imagine Gge Heartbreak
Image credits: magnetmansweden
#31 Just Cought An Entire PC!
Image credits: Xaixar
#32 I Went For The First Time This Week And Pulled A Chair And Two Bikes Out. Tons Of Fun, But Now I Need To Learn About How To Dispose Of So Much
Image credits: Always_Sunny_in_WI
#33 Magnet Fishing - Portland
Image credits: John E. smoke
