Waterfall Swimming Holes?

swizzle

Sr. Member
May 3, 2003
457
94
upstate ny
I know of several waterfalls within a reasonable drive that I've been wondering about. One that I did detect in I found about a $1 in clad. All newer stuff. This waterfall has obviously been here for a few years and I got to thinking about where I would find older stuff in a waterfall swimming hole. Right below the falls its probably about 4 feet deep or so. About 15 feet out from the waterfall is a gravel bar. All obviously pushed up by the force of the water. Most of this gravel is quarter to half dollar sized and where I found most of the clad. Now in this situation we have the deep pool below the falls which I'm wondering about. Is it possible that the falls can pull items back in and down deeper or would it take items such as rings and coins and force them downstream over time. I was thinking that maybe I should have been detecting all the way down the stream for at least a 100 feet or so. Where do you guys think the oldest loot would be? In that pool, under 2 to 3 feet of gravel or down the creek a bit farther? Swiz
 

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Sandman

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Aug 6, 2005
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I would think the older stuff would be buried in the sand bar and in the bottom material downstream. People would want to get under the waterfall and jewelry can come off there and get washed up the sandbar till it finds a rock to stop its drift.
 

Chug And Red

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Feb 18, 2010
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Vancouver WA
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don't forget flooding which will move items farther down stream!!! HH chug!!

also your profile says upstate NY ice just before winter ends will push up items then the spring floods will move them!!!
 

D

digum smacks

Guest
i posted on this but dont know where it went mabie a pm?my vote is at the lowest point of the hole not anywhere else,not down stream,not on a bank or sandbar. in the deepest section of the washout .water would move rocks and such out but gold rings would do the exact opposite they would move in,unless its a dink of a ring where water might move it around
 

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swizzle

swizzle

Sr. Member
May 3, 2003
457
94
upstate ny
I was thinking that myself. The coins will travel farther because they tend to be lighter and have more surface area to be pushed down stream. where gold and silver rings would lack the extra surface area they should drop to the deepest hole over time. I'm just wondering about what others have found around waterfalls and where are their best finds. Swiz
 

Prober

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Apr 11, 2007
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West Michigan
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Hey Swiz, haven't seen you in a while. I was in Broadalbin last September but didn't have time to detect. Kinda wondered what you were up to.

Bob
 

bigscoop

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Jun 4, 2010
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I've hunted quite a bit under dams and my experience is this;

It depends greatly on the force of the water, the depth of the digout, and the angle of the falling water during high water periods. But generally speaking, the down stream upward slope of the hole is usually where I find most of my jewelry items. This is also where I'll usually start finding an over abundance of heavy fishing sinkers too. Coins can get easily scattered about because of their light weight and flat surface areas, but heavy sinkers and most gold and silver jewelry items such as rings and bracelets are harder to move around because of their weight and design, (more mass or less surface area for the current to push against). For this reason I always start my hunting on these down stream upward slopes, then gradually working my way deeper into the hole. These down stream slopes are usually made up of uneven layers of river stone and fist sized rock, the perfect traps for the heavier items being forced across the bottom by the pounding high water force. I'd say 75% of the old jewelry items I have found under these dams have come from the downstream upward slope of these digouts when hunting the rockier river bottoms. The remainder coming from the bottom of the digout and the first 50 yards or so of river bottom just down stream from the digout. Smooth bedrock bottoms are a whole different beast and I usually try to find crevices and holes in the bedrock just down stream of the swimming area or digout, or I'll hunt right in the digout when possible.

A word of caution if you're not use to this type of hunting, fishing line and hooks can sometimes be "everywhere". Also, some of the digouts can be quite deep and the rock on these slopes can be extremely slick and they can also give way under your weight rather easily. I wear felt sole wading shoes when I'm hunting these areas as they really help with the footing on these slick rocks. And take my word for this, a black water snake can bite you on the right butt cheek when it's entire body and head is completely underwater! And they can strike just as fast underwater! Still don't know what I did to deserve that? :dontknow:
 

bigscoop

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Jun 4, 2010
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MT Pockets said:
You were using a "Cobra" that's why... :tongue3: :laughing9:

No kidding! I like a challenge, but this thing.......
I got it through the KellyCo Bogo deal as another backup or extra machine for friends, thought I'd try to master it a bit so I would at least be able instruct someone on how to use it to its best potential, but Geeezzzz...........talk about a huge step backwards! I've had it for a while now but only have a few hours actual hunting time in with it and I'm still seldom sure what the thing is trying to tell me? :tongue3:
 

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