BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A Burlington couple uses their unique hobby to help clean up lake Champlain.
“Tossing the magnet, you never know what you’re going to get. Could be a mysterious object, you never know,” Michael Jerome said.
Seaweed. Lots and lots of seaweed. The piles are a sure sign Michael and Rose Jerome were at Perkins Pier, magnet fishing.
A magnet, a hook and a rope, often sold in kits, is all it takes. Sometimes even a friend to help you.
“If it’s really really really heavy, yeah, it usually takes probably two people,” Michael Jerome said.
In their two years magnet fishing, they’ve caught five bikes, a shopping cart, a pellet gun, something fossil-like, and even more.
The bulk of their catch aside from seaweed, includes bottle caps, fish hooks and nails. The scraps get trashed or picked up by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.
Michael and Rose are curious to see what’s in the lake, but they also like giving back to the community.
“Obviously, it’s polluting the lake, you know, the fish, and I figured I’d help clean up the lake and that’s what I like to do,” Michael Jerome said. “I’m not looking to get money out of it. I’m just looking to clean up the lake and make it a lot better.”
“Just making sure that nature’s happy,” Rose Jerome said.
They say the hobby is also a small workout and great way to get outside. Both hope to see more people take up magnet fishing.