Help for the new water/beach hunter

[nuggetshooter]

OK - Thanks to Saltwater_Max, I have my first water detector on its way! It is a basically new Fisher CZ-21. I am excited about this and I would like to learn how to hunt in shallow fresh water (mainly lakes and rivers) and in/on the ocean beaches as well. I do not want to hunt (at least for now) any deeper in the water than waist high. Can anybody suggest good books, videos, DVDs. etc., and web sites that will help me learn the basics of shallow water hunting and beach metal detecting? I have metal detected for gold nuggets, meteorites, and coins in AZ and CA for years, but never have tried water/beach hunting, and I always wanted to do so. I live part time in Sacramento, CA - not far from the San Francisco Bay area and places like Santa Cruz, Stinson Beach, Bodega Bay, etc., and part time in Golden Valley, AZ (close to Bullhead City, AZ and the Colorado River as well as Lake Mead - 180 miles of shoreline!). So, there is a variety of environs available to me, I just need help getting started and I do not want to develop any bad habits. Thanks to all.
Darryl

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

Start by reading the "Beach and Water Hunting" board on the Goldenolde, then when you have time read the rest of it.


After reading the Beach and Water section come back and ask any questions you may have.....

I have a meeting in 5 min so I can't write any more at the moment....

http://www.nmhra.netfirms.com/pulltab/

 

[wrecker]

This is just what I wanted to answer you http://www.nmhra.netfirms.com/pulltab/, treasure hunter already gave you the link. And you might watch surfdiggers tip clips here on the forum. Good luck!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

nuggetshooter,

Feel free to contact me via IM anytime if you have questions and can't find an answer, I am no expert, but I have learned a lot from many of the experienced members here and have done a lot of water hunting the last 4 years......

I received a lot of help from the fine members here when I first started and it is my pleasure to give it back to new hunters who ask....

 

[nuggetshooter]

Thanks for the help everyone, I am already busy reading. I already have some questions. Thanks.

Darryl

 

[Sandman]

Darn, I thought of suggesting the Golden Oldie site as soon as I read the threads post. I have experence with the Fisher CZ-20 and 21 along with many others.

Darryl if you have any questions someone here will help.

 

[erikk]

Good luck with the new CZ21

 

[drybones48]

Contrary to what a lot of water hunters say, if the CZ stays healthy,you wont find a better unit on the market. If you can discern the slightest variations in sound you will be able to discern gold rings from pull tabs. Only draw back, you wont find gold chains.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Contrary to what a lot of water hunters say, if the CZ stays healthy,you wont find a better unit on the market. If you can discern the slightest variations in sound you will be able to discern gold rings from pull tabs. Only draw back, you wont find gold chains.

Your saying you can discern a gold ring from a pull tab 100% of the time with the CZ? I have found gold rings with both my Excal and my Sovereign that have the low sweet growl of gold, and other gold rings that have the exact same sound as a pulltab..........

 

[erikk]

Contrary to what a lot of water hunters say, if the CZ stays healthy,you wont find a better unit on the market. If you can discern the slightest variations in sound you will be able to discern gold rings from pull tabs. Only draw back, you wont find gold chains.

Sometimes if it is real calm I can tell a Bud regular pull tab from a Bud lite pull tab with my Infinium LS.......

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Contrary to what a lot of water hunters say, if the CZ stays healthy,you wont find a better unit on the market. If you can discern the slightest variations in sound you will be able to discern gold rings from pull tabs. Only draw back, you wont find gold chains.

Sometimes if it is real calm I can tell a Bud regular pull tab from a Bud lite pull tab with my Infinium LS.......

Is that before or after you pop the can?

 

[nuggetshooter]

Contrary to what a lot of water hunters say, if the CZ stays healthy,you wont find a better unit on the market. If you can discern the slightest variations in sound you will be able to discern gold rings from pull tabs. Only draw back, you wont find gold chains.

Why will you not find gold chains? Thanks.
Darryl

 

[WishfulThinker]

Model Metal Detectors, 1995 Ram Publishing, Charles Garrett, ISBN 0-915920-75-1

Chapter 30 Hunting Under Water And On The Beach

The water's edge...and beyond has been called the new frontier of treasure hunting. Coins
in the sands of popular beaches and gold in mountain streams have long lured both the casual
hobbyist and professional treasure hunter alike. As the number of treasure hunters in parks
and playgounds has multiplied...and as restrictions on land have increased...more and more
treasure hunters are heading to the oceans, lakes and streams for what is already proving to
be a never-ending source of coins, jewelry and countless other valuable items.
----
Only one type of metal detector is now being commercially manufactured for underwater use.
It is the pulse induction type, which can be used in both fresh and salt water.
----
...I urge you to read ... Treasure Recovery from Sand and Sea...
---
Modern beach hunting detectors are designed with automatic ground balance because of the
difficulty of eliminating from simultaneous detection both iron mineral (black sand or magnetite) and salt water. The automatic ground balance permits excellent discrimination of wetted ocean beach sand and salt water, while the automatic circuitry ground balances the detector against iron minerals and black sand.
Modern beach hunting detectors give excellent detection depth on coins, rings, and other
metals with good discrimination available against such normal beach pests as poptops and
bottlecaps.
----
** End **
Dig Everything That Generates A Signal.

 

[nuggetshooter]

I ordered Garretts book yesterday - but I still do not understand why no gold chains. The CZ-21 does not have auto ground balance/tracking capability, so it should not balance out/eliminate small chains. Is the circuitry of the CZ-21 not sensitive enough to pick up a small gold chain?

 

[Sandman]

The CZ-20 and 21 along with a lot of other detectors have a real hard time responding to thin gold chains because they only "see" in individual links and don't add them together. They can however sound off on the clasp or a charm that is there too. Many hunters get ticked off when you tell them their pride an joy detector can't find gold chains since they say they just found one yesterday. They fail to note that it had a big clasp or pendant or was even near a coin. My Excal and CZ20 has a very rough time with the tiny chains but can sound off on an earring back which is pretty small.

The Tiger Shark is sensitive enough for finding these small chains, but again they can find bird shot. These small chains have no weight to them and the time spent sifting the sands for them can better be spent listening for the BOOG of larger targets.

I once put a bread wrapper wire on my brother in laws coil and it took him quite a while to figure out what all the tiny noises were from.

 

[nuggetshooter]

Thanks for the explanation Sandman - I am mainly interested in find gold rings, so, although I will not pass up a thing gold chain (with a big clasp!), that is not my main goal. I have found thousands of clad coins, a few silvers, some gold rings and some silver ones, but not a whole lot just hunting the public parks. I hope to increase my ring intake. I chose the CZ over the Excal because I had an Explorer and did not like the tones etc. I listened to an Excal and it reminded me to much of my Explorer. The CZ-21 reminded me more of my old CZ-5 - easy to use, built strong, and I had a good time with it. I like my Minelab GPX 4000, but had it sounded of like my old Explorer, I never would have purchased it. Just a matter of personal taste, I know they are both good machines.

Darryl

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I would not lose any sleep at all on not seeing the thin gold chains if I were you, I'm not at all. Most times the links are hollow, and are not worth much in gold value. If the chain has large links, a large clasp, settles to bottom in a ball, or has a pendant on it then you will see them. big honking gold and platinum rings, nice watches,

As Sandman said they are seen as individual links not linked together. A PI (pulseinduction) detector (Like the Sand Shark) will see them, but a PI will also see tiny pieces of iron and bobbypins at 30 inches, I am not into digging deep holes for tiny pieces of iron. PI has little to no discrimination....

Auto ground balance/tracking has nothing to do with it at all.....

I once put a bread wrapper wire on my brother in laws coil and it took him quite a while to figure out what all the tiny noises were from.

LOL, you sound like me.........

 

[stevefisher7767]

If the CZ 21 is any thing like the Old CZ 20 (that i dont know)then i think you will not have a problem keeping up with the others here on your finds.I dont want to make anyone mad here but i still love to fing gold, coins and relics.I have a 10 yr old son that hunts on the beach with a Fisher 1212X and always finds something,(not the Wet Sand)= for the (pros out there)............ GOOD LUCK