Brothers bond over magnet fishing in Tempe Town Lake
TEMPE, Ariz. - Two Arizona brothers unearthed crime scene evidence at Tempe Town Lake, and they think they've also uncovered quite a bit of history, too, by magnet fishing in the lake.
The murky water makes it nearly impossible to see the treasures they've found until they're reeled in, but let's be honest, most items are usually nowhere close to treasure.
They've found a can of corn, a handle to a fishing pole, a fishing hook, and even Mexican and Russian currencies.
That's magnet fishing for you.
What they're saying:
On a weekday afternoon, brothers Ryan and Shane Musgrove load up their wagon and roll down to the beachfront of Tempe Town Lake.
The sun is shinning and the possibilities in the water are endless – as long as you share Shane's optimism.
"I mean, if there's a safe with a hundred thousand dollars in it, let's catch it," Shane said.
Magnet fishers simply get a big magnet and search for metal under the water.
"3,600-pound pulling force. 360. So, the bottom is magnetic. The sides are magnetic. The top is magnetic. No matter how it's sitting in the water, if you come across anything that's magnetic, you're going to catch it," Ryan explained.
"It would be pretty cool to find some old history'
"You know, you never know what you're going to catch. You never know what got away, so I'm OK with the ones that got away, but imagine pulling up something from the 1700s. Something from the gold rush, something from the mining mills out here. It would be pretty cool to find some old history," Shane said.
He begins to reel something else in.
"Yeah, there's something right, right there," Shane said.
The mind wonders – what could it be?
It's an electric scooter.
"That's about what, the 12th scooter out of here?" Ryan said.
They actually find them a lot. No wonder, since many ride scooters up and down the Salt River each day.
Give it a few minutes and they're locked onto something else.
It felt heavier than a scooter. Much heavier.
"It's a picnic table," Shane said, laughing.
"I mean, if we have it right here, we'd rather get it out than just leave it in the lake to kill the fish. Rot and rust ruin the water even more than it is," Ryan said.
You might call this a win.
"City of Tempe, you're welcome," the brothers said. "Here's your table."
But, it's not always trash they find.
Shane keeps his favorite finds close by.
"You get a lot of old railroad equipment. These old railroad spikes, which I think is really cool," Shane said.
Map of where Tempe Town Lake is:
Expert Weighs In:
They also believe they found a cannonball.
"I would think from the Civil War era, maybe practicing. Maybe crossing the Salt River at the time. Tempe Town Lake has only been here 20 years. Salt River has been here forever. Maybe somebody dropped it off the back of the wagon," Shane said.
We got an expert opinion.
"The first thought that came to mind was a mill ball, because there were thousands of mines in Arizona and mill balls are common," said Deni Seymour, a research archaeologist.
She's tracking the Coronado Expedition in Arizona, and recently unearthed the earliest known firearm in the U.S.
"The most likely explanation is that it's a mill ball. The most exciting explanation for the person who found it, is it's a cannonball," Seymour said.
She says she can't definitively say what it is or where it came from.
"People brought cannons in to protect their mines. They might have brought them in to protect settlements and so on. So there's a variety of other explanations," she said.
Shane says, "Until we definitively know, we like to assume it's a cannonball."
Treasure Turns Criminal:
On the same day in March that they found the cannonball, they also caught something criminal.
"They sent two officers down and did retain it for evidence," Shane said.
Tempe Police confirmed the brothers found the slide to a handgun that matched the serial number of a murder weapon. Records indicate it's connected to a 2023 murder case in Mesa.
You never know what somebody drove to the bridge and threw in. That's what draws them in – never knowing what they'll catch.
"I think we both know we're not going to get rich off of magnet fishing," Shane said.
A Bond Between Brothers:
Shane and Ryan weren't always close, and this hobby brought them together.
"About three years ago, we came back together, right around the time I was losing my wife to metastatic breast cancer. My brother was getting out of rehab and a stint in prison, and I wanted my best friend and I wanted my brother," Shane said. "Get to spend some time with him. Get to reconnect a little bit. Get to feel like he's not only my brother, but my best friend, and get to hang out here."
Ryan and Shane Musgrove
It's not just them sharing the hobby. There are online groups of magnet fishers all across the state and country sharing their hunts and finds.
"It's neat to belong to this community of other dorks that like to do dorky things. So when I'm not golfing, working, or hanging out with my family, girlfriend and my granddaughter, I magnet fish with my brother," Shane said.
Sometimes two magnets are better than one.