the times | Monday August 3 2020 1GM 21
News
It is a typical scene at any pond or river:
anglers flocking to the banks to enjoy
the serenity of their surroundings and
the chance of a bite on the line.
For a growing band of fishing
enthusiasts, however, the catch of the
day is not a silvery carp or trout but a
rusty fencepost or discarded knife.
Magnet fishing, the art of tossing a
powerful magnet on a rope into a body
of water to collect lost or discarded
objects, has exploded in popularity.
One Facebook group has gained 19,000
members in a couple of years. Fans say
cent of canals in Britain are polluted,
making them a poor habitat for fresh-
water animals and fish.
Nigel Lamford, 49, is a member of
Northamptonshire Magnet Fishing,
whose members fish together and
upload videos of their finds online. “It’s
absolutely shocking to think what’s
down there,” he said. “[Waterways] can
be absolutely filthy, with thousands of
beer cans. We might pull out three ton-
nes of metal in a day.” He used to find
lots of shopping trolleys but today com-
mon finds include old safes, pieces of
scrap, cutlery and weapons. “I’ve had
20 [guns] now in the last 17 or 18months,” he said. Any plastic tangled in
it is thrown away and the metal given
free to scrap dealers for recycling. His
favourite new finds are parking meters
from the 1970s and 1980s. Searching
London’s canals has brought up a dozen
this year, including some full of cash.
“It’s something different. I want to get
them painted up in Camden green col-
ours, like the council would have used.”
Another magnet fisher, Brett Mac-
farlane, goes with his son who has
ADHD and autism. He says it has
helped them bond and brought his son
out of his shell. “We love finding old rel-
ics,” he said. They’ve previously foundanti-tank rounds and a samurai sword,
and post their best finds on YouTube.
The Canal & River Trust has warned
of unscrupulous magnet fishers leaving
piles of metal on towpaths. The organi-
sation encourages people to take part in
organised litter-picking events instead
and warns that bylaws can make mag-
net fishing illegal.
Mr Lamford is critical of the rogue
element. “We call them trophy hunters.
They pull things out and if they don’t
want them, they chuck them on the
footpath, whereas we clean up and take
everything away. You can’t leave sharp
metal where people might walk.”Magnet fishing’s
strange attraction
pulls in enthusiasts
they are cleaning up polluted water-
ways, pulling out tonnes of scrap metal
and sometimes weapons tossed away
by criminals. However, the Canal &
River Trust, police and bomb-disposal
units have warned of the risks of
stumbling upon guns and grenades and
other unexploded devices.
The hobby has celebrity fans too. The
England rugby star James Haskell
prefers it to real fishing because you are
guaranteed a catch. “You pull out some
weird stuff,” he says in an online guide,
“knives, a hammer. I’ve pulled out tools
used to break into someone’s house.”
One charity estimates that 95 perEmma Yeomans
ALAMY; NORTHANTS MAGNET FISHINGNigel Lamford, who often finds weapons, and fellow devotee James Haskell. Regent’s Canal in London is one hunting ground