Clay's Favorite Accessories

Clay's Corner: My Magnet Fishing Packing List

Hey, it's Clay here, Founder of Brute Magnetics.

Over the years, one of the most common questions I've gotten from new magnet fishers is: What do I really need to go magnet fishing? A magnet and a rope is the short answer, but for a great day out on the water, I tend to pack a little more than that.

When I head out for a day of magnet fishing I start by packing a Brute Box Kit. It's my go-to because it holds my magnet, rope, carabiner, and gloves...all essentials...and it keeps my magnet from getting stuck to my truck while I'm driving or setting up. As a bonus, once I'm ready to start casting, I throw my phone and keys in the Brute Box because it's airtight and watertight.

I always double check that I've got cut-resistant gloves in my kit, because you just never know what you're going to pull up. I can't tell you how many rusted fishing hooks I've found over the years.

I also like to pack an extra rope and my grappling hook to help pull up heavier or oddly shaped finds. Something like a bicycle has very little flat surface area for a magnet to adhere to and can slip off the magnet as it comes out of the water. A grappling hook makes pulling it out of the water much easier! Our grappling hook collapses down for easy storage and is made of stainless steel so it won't get stuck to your magnet.

As far as other equipment goes, I always throw in a bucket. The inexpensive ones you get from the hardware store are great. You can drop finds and trash in there and put your rope in it to get it home. (Don't put your rope in your Brute Box for storage until it's dry.)

Then I pack the usuals for an outdoor adventure:

• Drinks & snacks (extras if I'm bringing the kids, fresh air makes them hungrier than usual!)
• A towel or two to clean my magnet & gear (extras if I'm bringing the kids, they tend to splash.)
• Change of clothes if it's not very warm out.
• Hats & Sunscreen
• Chairs or Blankets to sit on.

How to Pick the Right Rope

This is a question I used to get asked a lot...especially before we bundled our kits together. I like to start with the pull force of the magnet. If you have a magnet rated to 1,000 pounds, that's the most weight it can pull under ideal circumstances.

In almost any kit, your magnet will be the most valuable or expensive item...and the easiest to lose. So you want to make sure that if anything breaks away, it's the magnet from the find (and not the rope or carabiner from the magnet).

That means if you have a magnet rated to 1,000 pounds, you'll want a rope rated for OVER 1,000 pounds of breaking strength. I like to double or even triple the breaking strength of my rope compared to my magnet. That's because every time you put a knot into a line of rope, you reduce the functional breaking strength.

We sell our ropes with one end sewn around a thimble to mitigate that break force reduction and make it easy & safe to connect to your magnet with a locking carabiner.

One of my favorite ropes is our double carabiner rope, because you can clip one side to your magnet and use the other carabiner to secure your rope to an anchor on land.

Happy Fishing!

Clay