SUFFOLK, Va. — Magnet fishing is gaining popularity in the U.S. It's a global sport that helps the environment and brings a chance to reveal unexpected surprises.
"I got something big, I think," said Jacob Parr on Friday while magnet fishing, or magnet throwing.
On a bridge above the Nansemond River in Suffolk, Virginia, Parr and his friends were ready to attract.
"How are ya doing today, Dan?" Parr asked as he reeled in his rope. "You never know what's down there."
Each toss is full of anticipation.
"I just stuck to something. OK, let's see," Parr said.
The activity is part environmentalism, part hobby.
"It's really a COVID-19-friendly activity, and it's inexpensive to start. You just need a magnet, a five-gallon bucket, gloves, rope, and some water," he said.
"It's awesome. It's a huge community on YouTube, and we all support each other," Parr said.
Next to Parr was Michael Smith, a magnet thrower who flew 4,000 miles from Alaska to test the waters.
"You throw your magnet out, no clue what you will pull up. My craziest find was a parking meter from the 1970s," Smith said.
For the past four months, Parr has been making a name for himself on his YouTube channel, showing off his sunken treasures.
"I have found knives, DVDs, bikes, shopping carts," Parr said. "My first time out, I pulled up a scooter and was on cloud nine."
Two weeks ago, he pulled up something big in Suffolk: a massive iron anchor from a ship that experts he spoke with believe is from the late 1700s.
"I was like, 'Oh my, this is a pirate ship anchor.' I was shocked," he said.
Relics from the past revealing themselves, serving as confirmation that one man's trash is another man's treasure.
This story was originally published by Chelsea Donovan at WTKR.
