3 Steps to Choose the Right Magnet Fishing Gear

Single Sided, Double Sided, Clamp Magnets, 360 Magnets, Cone Magnets, Bar Magnets, and the list goes on and on. There is no doubt many many options to choose from when it comes to magnet fishing magnets.

The key to all of this is understanding the differences between the magnets, and then also having an idea of where you want to go magnet fishing. Then from there the last variable to think about is price point. 

Each magnet has its pros and cons and we will go over those in this article. 

Step One: Understanding the Basics

When it comes to magnet fishing the standard is going to be Neodymium magnets. They are the top material for magnet fishing due to its incredible strength. However, you can of course get other magnets but they won’t perform nearly as well and will most likely leave you wanting more. 

Neodymium magnets are great for magnet fishing. For the sake of this article we will be exploring Single Sided, Double Sided, Clamp Magnets and 360 Magnets. All of these generally use Neodymium as their magnetic material. You can get them stand alone or in a magnet fishing kit.

The goal is to use the magnet like a metal detector for ferrous metallic objects. Its like treasure hunting, but instead of metal detecting its using a strong magnet with a big pull force to find objects in the water.

Now let’s look at the overview of each type of fishing magnet:

Single Sided Fishing Magnets

There are two more common magnets for magnet fishing and one of the two is single sided fishing magnets. 

These magnets have one disc shaped magnet that is generally encased in a steel case with an eyebolt on top. They range in size and pull strength from 100 to more than 2400 lbs. 

Single Sided Magnets are great for dipping. Meaning, they are great when you are dropping the magnets from bridges or docks. Because they have one side that is magnetized, it's directed downwards only. This makes these magnets ideal for dipping. 

Double Sided Fishing Magnets 

The second of the more common magnets is the double sided fishing magnet. These magnets are usually created with two disc style magnets that are encased on either side of a steel case. You usually have two options for attaching the eye bolt, on the side or on the top of the magnet (then allows you to treat it like a single sided magnet).

The double sided magnets are great for dragging and are helpful because of how they are designed. You will have at least one side facing the bottom so it will grab onto stuff. They also are great because you have two sides instead of only one to attract items.

One thing to note however is that because of the angle you're pulling items in with a double sided, you do not have as great a hold if you were to have a single sided attached to the object in the same place. However this is a small difference that won’t make a large difference.

It also should be noticed that many times the magnets are advertised as the “combined” weight. So if it’s 1200 lbs combined that means that each side pulls 600lbs. 

Clamp Fishing Magnets

Clamp style fishing magnets are newer to the US market but have been around globally for quite some time now. The name comes from the design of these magnets. There is a large single neodymium magnet that has steel clamped around it in order to hold it in place. 

These magnets are incredibly powerful because of the larger and thicker neodymium magnet. They have an increased magnetic field because of the size of the magnet itself and therefore attract objects from farther distances than the standard single and double sided magnets. 

Clamps are also great for dragging and tossing from shores into rivers and lakes. They do well also from bridges and in quicker currents. 

The largest downside to clamps would be the cost. Because of the larger magnet, they cost much more than standard double sided magnets. 

360 Fishing Magnets

These may look inconspicuous but in reality there is a lot happening with these magnets. 

The reason they are referred to as 360 magnets is because they provide 360 degrees of magnetism. They are magnetic on the sides, top and bottom. 

This feature makes these magnets have an advantage over the other magnets. They can pull from any direction of course giving them a higher chance of pulling something in. 

Magnet Fishing with a 360 is a treat, however it's not something that is for the faint of heart. These magnets are also made from a large single neodymium magnet that is then usually encased in a shell of sorts. Their pull is huge, and because of all sides being magnetic, they are much more prone to getting stuck on objects like bridges. 

One downside to 360 magnets is that the neodymium is much more exposed than the other magnets. Neodymium is actually a fairly brittle material and can crack or break easily with intense impact. This is the reason there is a shell usually to protect the neodymium from impact when being thrown. 

You should be careful not to hit any magnet against rocks or walls if you're able to avoid it. But it also should be mentioned that cracks and chips do not affect the overall magnetic properties or performance of the magnet. 

Step Two: Where Will You Go Magnet Fishing

Finding a magnet fishing location can be daunting to a new magnet fisher. But in reality it's as easy as looking around while you're driving, picking up your phone to look at google maps or using some recommended websites. You are looking for bodies of water.

Some ideas to think about are :

• Lakes (Double Sided, Clamps, 360)
• Rivers (Single Sided, Clamps, 360)
• Canals (Double Sided, Clamps, 360)
• Overpasses (Single Sided, Clamps, 360)
• Bridges (Single Sided, Clamps, 360)
• Docks (Single Sided, Double Sided, Clamps, 360)
• Boat Ramps (Double Sided, Clamps, 360)

Once you know where you want to magnet fish most often you can find the right magnet for the job. If you want to go more in depth with finding a location for magnet fishing you can read our article about Magnet Fishing Locations here.

Most people want to blame something when they don’t find anything. Usually the first to blame is the magnet, and for good reason. But second to blame is the location. Sometimes the location just isn’t great and you need to move on and find another. You always can come back again to check if something has been dropped after your first time fishing there. 

Step Three: Decide How Invested You Want To Be

It can get overwhelming the amount of gear thats out there for magnet fishing. Even in this article we just talked about 4 different styles of fishing magnets and didn't even mention the ropes, hooks, gloves, carabiners etc that also can be used as tools alongside the magnet. 

When it comes to hobbies theres endless possibilities usually of how you can go about spending your money. It really comes down to your personal preferences and how invested you want to become. 

When it comes to magnet fishing, we recommend starting off with a quality magnet from the beginning. Make sure it’s a trusted brand and that the magnet has a pull of at least 500lbs on each magnet. So a double sided would be at least 1000 lbs combined. 

From there it depends on if you already have tried the hobby and know you will like it, or if you're the kind of person to just go biggest and best from the beginning. 

Want to make sure magnet fishing is for you? Read this article about if magnet fishing is for you or not.

Some suggestions: 

• Beginner: Take a look at a starter kit like the Magnet Fishing Master Kit, or a 1200 lb Double Sided magnet. 
• Intermediate: The 1200 Single sided or 2400 Double sided are great magnets. But if you want to invest a bit more, then go after a 1400 Clamp style magnet. They are simply our favorite all around magnet thats great for anyone. 
• Pro: You cannot go wrong with a 2400 Clamp magnet or a 3800 Omega 360 magnet. They will require a bit more of an investment than the rest but rest assured they are “game changers” for your magnet fishing.
• Just want to start with the biggest and best: Go for the 360 magnet. 

Conclusion 

Whatever you do, just have fun out there. Remember we are there to help clean up the waters, find some awesome stuff and be outdoors. Always clean up after yourself and throw the items you find a way in proper locations, not back into the water.

There is always more you can purchase later on like grappling hooks, scrapers and other magnet fishing gear. But you don't need that stuff to start.

If you ever need more personal recommendations, just email us at hello@centurionmagnetics.com and we would be happy to help.