We tend to think of litter as trash left out on the street, painfully close to the garbage can, but not quite inside of it. But what about the metal items lost or thrown into streams, canals, and oceans? One family from Hall Lane in Tipton, U.K. has made a hobby of “magnet fishing” for underwater litter. As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and you never know just what you’ll find at the depths of your local canal. The Ins and Outs of Magnet Fishing as a Hobby The merry clan of magnet fishermen includes brothers Finley and Mckenzie Hargood (nine and 12), their dad, and their uncle. They’ve been posting videos of their magnetic finds for the past four months on Youtube, inviting an audience to view their impressive and ever-growing collection of random items, including jewelry and keys. But they’ve also come across some more mysterious paraphernalia such as a sword, shotgun, four mountain bikes, and recently, a stolen motorized scooter, which they turned over to police. Magnet fishing consists of throwing a small but powerful magnet (something like our own Apex neodymium magnets which cost ~32 USD each) far into the canal and pulling it slowly across the bed toward the wall. Mr. Hargood makes sure his children are closely supervised and always wearing gloves. Local police are happy to have a helping hand from the Hargood’s, and the community has responded positively as well – after all, the family is providing a public service in cleaning up the canal. Have you ever thought of magnet fishing for fun or to do your part in cleaning up the waterways near you? Check out our previous post on how to go magnet fishing yourself! MORE MAGNET FUN For more information on break-through magnetic discoveries and how people are using magnets in everyday life, browse through the magnet in the news and neodymium magnet information section of our blog or contact us today with your questions.