All magnet fishers dream of finding an awesome catch, one that others will talk about for ages, a catch that is both legendary and lucrative! This could be lost treasure from a pirate ship, or even coins from an ill fated vessel dating back to the historic Spanish Armada or the mother of all finds, rivers of gold! Whilst a gold find would be amazing, is magnet fishing for gold possible?
For thousands of years gold has been one of the most popular (and valuable) metals on the planet. A good size gold nugget find could be life changing. The only problem (at least for a magnet fisher) is that gold is not magnetic and no magnet will be able to attract gold, no matter how strong it is. So whilst it’s highly unlikely you will find a gold nugget or pieces of gold during your next magnet fishing trip, you might come across a metallic object with gold in it or a chest or metallic holder that has gold in it.
Physical characteristics of gold
- Aside from being one of the most valuable metals on the planet, gold is also one of the densest metals.
- Gold is also quite ductile (able to be drawn into thin wire) and malleable (able to be flattened into sheets).
- Gold is also quite reflective and conducts heat and electricity.
- The chemical symbol for gold is Au (short for aurum which is Latin for gold).
- And importantly for magnet fishers, gold isn’t magnetic (well not in normal circumstances).
So is gold magnetic?
Under normal circumstances gold is normally not magnetic however recent discoveries have shown that under a certain amount of heat gold can show some magnetic tendencies. So unless you have an unusually hot environment such as a kiln or a device that can generate significant heat then gold won’t be magnetic. One positive out of this is if you quickly want to check if your gold is real, hold it near a magnet and if it is really gold it won’t be attracted to the magnet. Another way to test your gold is to put it in water. If its gold it will sink to the bottom of the container whereas other materials may float when put in water.
How to find gold while magnet fishing?
So now that we know it will be a struggle to find some gold during our next magnet fishing expedition, how can we find gold when we are out magnet fishing next time? Unless the gold is part of a metallic chamber, box or safe you won’t find gold with your magnet fishing equipment.
If you are going magnet fishing to a watery location that has had gold finds in the past then it is worth your while to take a gold pan with you or even your gold panning kit with you on your magnet fishing trip. That way you are covering your bases should you wish to try your luck with gold.
Better yet when planning your next expedition do your research on nearby areas that have had previous gold discoveries or if you live in a country that has various gold mines or has been the site of various gold rushes such as the USA, Canada and Australia and these locations aren’t too far away or you can travel there at a reasonable cost look to visit one of these places.
While magnet fishing for gold isn’t like to reap much of a reward (unless you were magnet fishing at a location at a location where there have treasure from wrecked ships or boats found close to shore previously) taking your gold panning gear with you on your next magnet fishing trip may help you find an unexpected golden bonus.