“Saw a guy do it on YouTube,” Grotto said. “He was fishing out his river, he found a lot of cool stuff and figured we lived by a body of water, I wanted to see what was in our river.”

Magnet fishing doesn’t involve hooks or bait, but a huge magnet tied to a long rope. The fisherman throws the magnet into a body of water and drags in whatever metal it attracts.

Grotto said one of the most interesting things he’s found while fishing in the Thunder Bay River is a newer model stunt bike.

“I actually put it on my Facebook and I think somebody claimed it,” Grotto said. “It was a little stunt bike.”

News Photo by Alyssa Ochss A look at all the things Spencer Grotto fished out of the river on the day of the interview.

Grotto said he magnet fishes as a hobby and he doesn’t see other people magnet fishing in the area.

He has two types of magnets. One that he said is double sided so a fisherman can pull anything out of the water. The other magnet has a single magnet on the front with a rope attached to the top. He got his tools from eBay, but Grotto said magnets can be found online on Amazon.

He said fishermen can also buy hooks, but he doesn’t want one because of the possibility of it getting stuck on a rock.

Recently, he and his former coworker fished a planter out of the river. Other things he’s found over time include railroad spikes as well as other railroad pieces, an old door latch — the oldest thing he’s found — and a wrench.

“I found a huge, from the railroad, a really big piece of — like a big plate you shove four stakes into – I found that right on the other side of the 2nd Ave bridge straight down,” Grotto said. “Like right in the middle of the water.”

News Photo by Alyssa Ochss Spencer Grotto looks over the edge of the water as he carefully guides in his line.

Grotto said he sometimes cleans up the things he finds using products like CLR and vinegar.

You have to get a feel for magnet fishing, Grotto said, to know what’s a rock or a piece of metal.

During a recent fishing trip, Grotto walked over to a group of metal objects on the ground. There was a bike seat, a wrench he cleaned up, and another piece of metal.

“So that’s the one I soaked,” Grotto said, talking about the wrench. “It was so heavily caked. But I just soaked it in vinegar and I got it working again. It’s not the prettiest wrench, but it works.”

He doesn’t use the wrench, but instead keeps it as a trophy. He said if he ever had the chance he would give the things he finds to a museum.

News Photo by Alyssa Ochss Spencer Grotto shows off the small pieces of metal that he usually fishes out of the river.

Grotto said he encourages more people to try out magnet fishing.

“Just not while I’m doing it,” he said jokingly.

There are a few safety precautions a person should take before going magnet fishing, Grotto said.

“Mostly wear gloves,” Grotto said. “Tie it off to the end so you don’t lose it, mostly the gloves.”

Grotto’s recent fishing trip included finding a flashlight out of the river; a find that came as a surprise.

News Photo by Alyssa Ochss Spencer Grotto shows off a huge piece of metal he fished out of the water.

“Now that’s cool,” Grotto said.

News Photo by Alyssa Ochss Spencer Grotto casts his magnet over the edge of the rail into the water.

News Photo by Alyssa Ochss Spencer Grotto looks down at the water as he carefully pulls his line back in.

News Photo by Alyssa Ochss Spencer Grotto shows off the flashlight he fished out of the river.