Best Magnet Fishing Magnets

If you're trying to figure out which magnet to buy for magnet fishing, you've probably already spent 45 minutes on Amazon getting absolutely nowhere. There are hundreds of options, the pull force numbers seem made up, and nobody explains what any of it actually means for dragging stuff off a muddy riverbed. That's what this page is for.

I've been magnet fishing long enough to have strong opinions about pull force, coating types, and whether double-sided magnets are actually worth the extra hassle (spoiler: sometimes, not always). The picks on this page are sorted by how they actually sell — a combination of popularity and value — not by who paid for placement. If you're brand new to this, check out magnet fishing for beginners first. If you already know the basics and just want to know what to buy, keep reading.

I've broken things into pull force tiers — under 500 lbs for beginners, 500–1000 lbs for people who've done this a few times, and 1000+ lbs for the folks who are out there every weekend pulling up anchors and manhole covers. Each tier has a pick, and I explain why.

The short answer, since it's the question I get asked most: 500 lbs is enough. It's enough for your first magnet, and it stays enough until you're specifically going after thick chain, cast iron, or fishing water with real current. Stepping up to 1000 lbs is the right move once you've already lost something you wanted to keep — not a place to start.

Why Your Magnet Is the Most Important Thing in Your Setup

Look, you can get away with a mediocre rope for a while. You can duct-tape a carabiner. But if your magnet is weak, you're just dragging a hockey puck through mud and wondering why you're not finding anything. The magnet is the whole point. Everything else is just support.

I remember the first time I switched from a cheap 200 lb pull magnet to a proper 500 lb neodymium — same river, same spot, same technique. Within twenty minutes I pulled up a bike frame I'd probably dragged right over a dozen times before. The difference was immediate and kind of embarrassing, honestly. I'd been wasting Saturday mornings with a magnet that wasn't doing the job.

The other thing people underestimate is coating. A magnet that corrodes fast is a magnet that loses strength fast. Nickel-coated magnets look shiny out of the box but chip and rust when they slam into rocks and rebar. Epoxy-coated magnets are tougher, less flashy, and hold up better over time in wet environments — which, if you're magnet fishing, is basically always your environment. Neither is perfect, but it matters more than most beginner guides will tell you.

What to Actually Look For in a Magnet Fishing Magnet

Pull Force (and What the Numbers Mean)

Pull force is rated in pounds or kilograms and tells you how much weight the magnet can hold under ideal conditions — meaning flat, clean steel, perfect contact. In real water, with muddy surfaces and weird angles, you're getting maybe 30–50% of that rated number. So a 500 lb magnet might realistically lift 150–200 lbs off a sketchy riverbed surface. That's still plenty for most finds. For beginners, 500 lbs is a solid starting point. For people who've been doing this a while, 1000 lbs gets you into more interesting territory. And if you're hunting seriously or in deep water with strong current, 2000 lbs and up starts to make sense.

Neodymium Grade: N42 vs N52

Neodymium is the material that makes these magnets so strong compared to their size. The grade number — N42, N52 — tells you how strong the magnetic material itself is. N52 is stronger than N42, full stop. But the difference in real-world pull force depends a lot on the size and design of the magnet, not just the grade. An N52 magnet that's tiny can still get outpulled by a larger N42. That said, if two magnets are the same size and shape, N52 wins. Most serious magnet fishing magnets are N52.

Single-Sided vs Double-Sided vs 360-Degree

Single-sided magnets have one flat magnetic face — you drag them along the bottom and pick up whatever sticks. Simple, reliable, easy to control. Double-sided magnets have two faces (top and bottom), which sounds great but means you have to be more careful about the magnet flipping and sticking to your boat or bridge railing. 360-degree magnets are cylindrical and attract from all sides — good for dragging through water where targets could be at any angle, but they're harder to detach finds from and generally cost more. I think double-sided magnets are honestly a bit overrated for beginners — the single-sided version is easier to manage and still catches plenty.

Coating: Nickel vs Epoxy

Nickel coating is shiny, smooth, and pretty common on budget magnets. It's not bad, but it chips. Once it chips, moisture gets in and the magnet starts to corrode, which weakens it over time. Epoxy coating is more durable for outdoor use — it's the stuff that actually holds up after dozens of concrete bridge scrapes and weeks of wet storage. If you're buying a budget magnet and the coating isn't listed, assume nickel and be a little rougher on your expectations for longevity.

Eye Bolt Thread Depth

This one sounds boring but it matters. The eye bolt is where you attach your rope. If it's shallow or cheaply threaded, it can strip or pull out when you're fighting a heavy find. Always check that the eye bolt screws deep into the magnet and feels solid. A magnet that comes with a locking mechanism or a countersunk bolt design is worth a few extra dollars over one where the bolt wobbles.

So Which One Should You Actually Buy?

For most people reading this, the answer is the DIYMAG 500LB. It's $14.99, it's got enough pull force to find real things, and you're not going to outgrow it until you've already decided this hobby is worth a bigger investment. Start there, get a solid rope, hit some best places to magnet fish near you, and see if you're actually into this before spending $75 on a 360-degree magnet.

If you're already past the beginner stage and want to step up, the FINDMAG 1000LB is the honest next move — it's not dramatically more expensive and the difference in what you'll pull up is real. And if you want everything else that goes with it, the magnet fishing accessories page has what you need to round out the kit.