CASPER-2
Gold Member
Some of the reasons why I'm having a pretty good year
I myself am surprised that Im doing so well in the gold dept. But then again - if you look at my finds on the whole for this year -
Im doing good and breaking personal records in all kinds of depts. - silver coins for instance - I had some real good years in the past
But I would say I have found the most silver I found this year in the water - But I have seen guys post from Jersey as much as I have this year - they have found close to that and more in a day or 2 after a good storm in the wet/dry sand
Sinkers - I will have to re-weigh at the end of the year - but I think I have over 100 lbs of lead - probably 3 times the amount I ever got any previous year
those old brass bathing suit buckles - before this year - I probabaly had about 50 from past yrs combined (and I been at it a long time)- I think I may have 50 from this yr alone.
Silver jewelry is actually one category that Im about average - if not a little low - but not complaining
Reasons for my good year
#1 - I hooked up with Whydah - I had slacked off in past years in the water and was doing more land the last couple of yrs - especially in the Spring & Fall months I was going relic hunting more - he invited me to do some cold water hunting this yr - so he got my butt into the water ealier than I had in the last couple of yrs
He also brought me to a few sights - that I actually had circled in an old map book - on my to do list - but I never did
those first few spots I hit with him - got me on my roll - and I have thanked him more than a few times for the hunts
It has not been all one sided - he was rewarded for his kindness - first I took him to one of my spots that he got a heavy Cladagh gold at - another was the beautiful 5 diamond ring he got at another spot I used to go to often and then the 1+ carat engagement ring at another of my past good spots - just to name a few - so I have done good because of him and he has done good because of me and once again I will thank him - "Hey Bud - thanks!!!"
#2 - I started hitting more areas that others shy away from or just dont think to hit - defunct beaches for one - whole beaches that they no longer swim at or only swim at a smaller part of the original beach that they swam at in the early 1900's. I do my research and I get help from others now and then in the know that pass info on to me. I been hitting a lot of fishing areas that once were swimming areas way back when - a lot of guys dont want to hit all those sinkers and many think there is a lot of trash around there - if I have to find 30 sinkers to get one gold - I think its worth it and if you look at a lot of my hunts - thats just what I have done at some spots. I really dont believe I have found any more trash in the fishing areas than in swimming ones - most smart fisherman know better than to trash their fishing spots. Also a lot of hunters dont believe there is any thing worth finding in a fishing area - but I have heard of people throwing their wedding bands off levies and piers and see people throwing rocks off of these spots and have heard of stories of rings going too with the throw. (m sure some jewelry is lost by the penny throwers too.)
#3 - I have been going farther and farther out at spots - either with my mask & snorkel or my snuba system.
I never ever see anyone out where I am when I am hunting - When I met Whydah - he was wearing waders and so were most of the others I ran into- so they had from 4 feet in to the shallows covered - so I hit from 4 feet out - then Whydah picked up a wet suit and started coming out a little farther and I know he got some gold out at the 5+ foot area - Im a little taller than him and go out where all you'll see sometimes is 2 inches of snorkel sticking out - so I can still get out farther at some spots. At one beach I have gotten 4 gold out at my limits at low tide there and I know there has got to be more out farther. One of these days I will go there with a tank and see if Im right. I would say at least 12 of my gold - were retrieved from out as far as i could go with my snorkel.
#4 - A few beaches I hit old gold at - I had been there in the past - I brought Whydah to one spot and when I went out with my mask - I told him the bottom was changed - in spots where there were massive sea grass beds - it was now a desert. So items that were held in that grass that either sank thru it or were in it - were now uncovered - I found 13 gold at this one spot over about a area the size of 3 football fields - Whydah has gotten I think 5 or 6 from here too. There have been a few other spots like this - a few of the past Winter storms moved some stuff around - but guys that hunt in waders and dont wear masks or even that wear wet suits but dont wear masks - never would see that these areas were blown out. Most of these spots were writen off as being worked out. A few of these spots - I know hunters that live 10- 15 minutes away from them and one there is a dealer down the street.
#5 - I gave up going for the recent drops or hitting the popular places I used to hit where I used to get many drops every Summer. Reason being - the last few yrs I have seen more and more dry sanders jumping in the water. Forums are to blame for that - I'm guilty. Posting of finds and writing magazine stories I know have turned many land lubbers into wet butts. I used to have a hot spot that I always could count on a small handful of gold and pouch full of coins every year. There was a married couple that started hitting the beach about 5-6 yrs ago. They hit all the dry sand - I hit all the water and life was good. They started finding out that I was getting 10 gold to their 1 and a few yrs ago - the husband got into the water and my numbers were affected and I was getting like half of what I used to average there. Now the wife hits the water too and I have not been getting much nor has anyone else. They live in town and can hit there every day if they wish - I live 2 hrs away. I have done good where they wont and cant go there though - I just changed my strategy. I also have gotten goodies out deep there and knows theres alot more out there - just have to hope they both dont get dive training.
#6 - I hunt in all metal - at least 95% of the time if not more. I take out all the trash I can. Many times I find gold or coins next to or under trash. Trash that others discriminate, go around and in some cases have thrown back. I have mentioned a beach where at least one guy digs up deep can parts and throws them back - "they take up too much room in my pouch" his words. I have gone behind him and picked up the trash and have found gold under it - sometimes I find more trash under it. By hitting in all metal - I know that the only way I miss something is from sloppy swinging, the stuff is deeper than my machines reach (I know spots that if I had a machine that went 3 feet deep-Id clean up at them too - the old stuff is down at them), the waters were too rough to hit properly or the place was sanded in at the time. If I take out all the old trash - the only thing to worry about is the new trash. If I hit older areas and take out the trash and no one goes to this spot anymore - then eventually there's no trash. Im a big John Lennon fan - Imagine - imagine if all the people that hunted the water used PI's - how clean the waters would be?
#7 - I been working a bunch of rocky areas too. Most hunters (Lorraine excluded) dont like the rocks - whether on the wet sand or in the water. That is why she makes finds in her rocks and I make finds in mine. Either they dont like the wear and tear it takes on their coil( I need to post a pic of mine-wore thru the coil cover this yr) or they dont have the proper scoop or dont like the work it takes to dig in them. I try for it all, but I'll tell you there were targets I gave up on cause I just could not move the rocks, but I dont give up on many. I will drop down and move the rocks by hand if I can not with the scoop. Fanning helps a lot sometimes too. You can dislodge them sometimes with some powerful fanning. Some just dont want to put that much energy on the chance that they might have gold - odds are usually that it will be a sinker - depends on how committed you are - sometimes people think I should be committed when they see how hard I work sometimes for a target, but I have gotten gold doing it - sooo... #8 - Going deep - How many places had floating rafts or slides at your ponds, lakes or saltwater spots - I know of 100's in New England - and all but a few private ones up here are gone - most of these were out 6 feet or deeper at fresh water spots and even deeper at salt waters ones depending on the tides in that area. I have gotten gold out deep at some of these spots - I got many more to try. I have a lurker friend that after talking with me a few yrs ago - bought a hookah system to hit some old fresh water spots with - he practically has given up all other sorts of detecting - he has been making a killing detecting with it. He averages about 20-30 silver coins and always gets silver relig.medals along with other silver jewelry and gets a few nice gold now and then. i think he got like 20 gold at one pond - all out where there once was a raft. Going deep can be risky and price of unit or dive equipment can cost a few bucks - but with todays prices - he told me he had his unit paid off after about his 3rd trip out. I paid for mine just about as easy.
Im in it for the hobby - not to make a profit. I have fun most times I get out. I meet new people over the yrs, find some cool objects now and then, and yeah I get gold now and then (this year I got a lot of gold now and then). I would say I put the time in this year - some spots were real work. The only easy soft sand beach I hit was one or two in Mex. this year. Some of the first beaches me & Whydah hit this year - we needed sifters because of muck, shells or rocks. He can attest to how hard we worked sometimes and how far I go out to go where no man has gone before. Im sure he has seen me many times go under and wonder if I'll resurface. All I can say is its still out there - sometimes you need a kick in the pants (which is kind of what Whydah did for me) to get out there - sometimes you have to change things up - where you hit - how you hit - who you hit it with. Think out side the box now and then - you might be surprised. Hopefully I covered it all and maybe my words will help some.
May you all have good luck - hunt often and hunt safe.
I myself am surprised that Im doing so well in the gold dept. But then again - if you look at my finds on the whole for this year -
Im doing good and breaking personal records in all kinds of depts. - silver coins for instance - I had some real good years in the past
But I would say I have found the most silver I found this year in the water - But I have seen guys post from Jersey as much as I have this year - they have found close to that and more in a day or 2 after a good storm in the wet/dry sand
Sinkers - I will have to re-weigh at the end of the year - but I think I have over 100 lbs of lead - probably 3 times the amount I ever got any previous year
those old brass bathing suit buckles - before this year - I probabaly had about 50 from past yrs combined (and I been at it a long time)- I think I may have 50 from this yr alone.
Silver jewelry is actually one category that Im about average - if not a little low - but not complaining
Reasons for my good year
#1 - I hooked up with Whydah - I had slacked off in past years in the water and was doing more land the last couple of yrs - especially in the Spring & Fall months I was going relic hunting more - he invited me to do some cold water hunting this yr - so he got my butt into the water ealier than I had in the last couple of yrs
He also brought me to a few sights - that I actually had circled in an old map book - on my to do list - but I never did
those first few spots I hit with him - got me on my roll - and I have thanked him more than a few times for the hunts
It has not been all one sided - he was rewarded for his kindness - first I took him to one of my spots that he got a heavy Cladagh gold at - another was the beautiful 5 diamond ring he got at another spot I used to go to often and then the 1+ carat engagement ring at another of my past good spots - just to name a few - so I have done good because of him and he has done good because of me and once again I will thank him - "Hey Bud - thanks!!!"
#2 - I started hitting more areas that others shy away from or just dont think to hit - defunct beaches for one - whole beaches that they no longer swim at or only swim at a smaller part of the original beach that they swam at in the early 1900's. I do my research and I get help from others now and then in the know that pass info on to me. I been hitting a lot of fishing areas that once were swimming areas way back when - a lot of guys dont want to hit all those sinkers and many think there is a lot of trash around there - if I have to find 30 sinkers to get one gold - I think its worth it and if you look at a lot of my hunts - thats just what I have done at some spots. I really dont believe I have found any more trash in the fishing areas than in swimming ones - most smart fisherman know better than to trash their fishing spots. Also a lot of hunters dont believe there is any thing worth finding in a fishing area - but I have heard of people throwing their wedding bands off levies and piers and see people throwing rocks off of these spots and have heard of stories of rings going too with the throw. (m sure some jewelry is lost by the penny throwers too.)
#3 - I have been going farther and farther out at spots - either with my mask & snorkel or my snuba system.
I never ever see anyone out where I am when I am hunting - When I met Whydah - he was wearing waders and so were most of the others I ran into- so they had from 4 feet in to the shallows covered - so I hit from 4 feet out - then Whydah picked up a wet suit and started coming out a little farther and I know he got some gold out at the 5+ foot area - Im a little taller than him and go out where all you'll see sometimes is 2 inches of snorkel sticking out - so I can still get out farther at some spots. At one beach I have gotten 4 gold out at my limits at low tide there and I know there has got to be more out farther. One of these days I will go there with a tank and see if Im right. I would say at least 12 of my gold - were retrieved from out as far as i could go with my snorkel.
#4 - A few beaches I hit old gold at - I had been there in the past - I brought Whydah to one spot and when I went out with my mask - I told him the bottom was changed - in spots where there were massive sea grass beds - it was now a desert. So items that were held in that grass that either sank thru it or were in it - were now uncovered - I found 13 gold at this one spot over about a area the size of 3 football fields - Whydah has gotten I think 5 or 6 from here too. There have been a few other spots like this - a few of the past Winter storms moved some stuff around - but guys that hunt in waders and dont wear masks or even that wear wet suits but dont wear masks - never would see that these areas were blown out. Most of these spots were writen off as being worked out. A few of these spots - I know hunters that live 10- 15 minutes away from them and one there is a dealer down the street.
#5 - I gave up going for the recent drops or hitting the popular places I used to hit where I used to get many drops every Summer. Reason being - the last few yrs I have seen more and more dry sanders jumping in the water. Forums are to blame for that - I'm guilty. Posting of finds and writing magazine stories I know have turned many land lubbers into wet butts. I used to have a hot spot that I always could count on a small handful of gold and pouch full of coins every year. There was a married couple that started hitting the beach about 5-6 yrs ago. They hit all the dry sand - I hit all the water and life was good. They started finding out that I was getting 10 gold to their 1 and a few yrs ago - the husband got into the water and my numbers were affected and I was getting like half of what I used to average there. Now the wife hits the water too and I have not been getting much nor has anyone else. They live in town and can hit there every day if they wish - I live 2 hrs away. I have done good where they wont and cant go there though - I just changed my strategy. I also have gotten goodies out deep there and knows theres alot more out there - just have to hope they both dont get dive training.
#6 - I hunt in all metal - at least 95% of the time if not more. I take out all the trash I can. Many times I find gold or coins next to or under trash. Trash that others discriminate, go around and in some cases have thrown back. I have mentioned a beach where at least one guy digs up deep can parts and throws them back - "they take up too much room in my pouch" his words. I have gone behind him and picked up the trash and have found gold under it - sometimes I find more trash under it. By hitting in all metal - I know that the only way I miss something is from sloppy swinging, the stuff is deeper than my machines reach (I know spots that if I had a machine that went 3 feet deep-Id clean up at them too - the old stuff is down at them), the waters were too rough to hit properly or the place was sanded in at the time. If I take out all the old trash - the only thing to worry about is the new trash. If I hit older areas and take out the trash and no one goes to this spot anymore - then eventually there's no trash. Im a big John Lennon fan - Imagine - imagine if all the people that hunted the water used PI's - how clean the waters would be?
#7 - I been working a bunch of rocky areas too. Most hunters (Lorraine excluded) dont like the rocks - whether on the wet sand or in the water. That is why she makes finds in her rocks and I make finds in mine. Either they dont like the wear and tear it takes on their coil( I need to post a pic of mine-wore thru the coil cover this yr) or they dont have the proper scoop or dont like the work it takes to dig in them. I try for it all, but I'll tell you there were targets I gave up on cause I just could not move the rocks, but I dont give up on many. I will drop down and move the rocks by hand if I can not with the scoop. Fanning helps a lot sometimes too. You can dislodge them sometimes with some powerful fanning. Some just dont want to put that much energy on the chance that they might have gold - odds are usually that it will be a sinker - depends on how committed you are - sometimes people think I should be committed when they see how hard I work sometimes for a target, but I have gotten gold doing it - sooo... #8 - Going deep - How many places had floating rafts or slides at your ponds, lakes or saltwater spots - I know of 100's in New England - and all but a few private ones up here are gone - most of these were out 6 feet or deeper at fresh water spots and even deeper at salt waters ones depending on the tides in that area. I have gotten gold out deep at some of these spots - I got many more to try. I have a lurker friend that after talking with me a few yrs ago - bought a hookah system to hit some old fresh water spots with - he practically has given up all other sorts of detecting - he has been making a killing detecting with it. He averages about 20-30 silver coins and always gets silver relig.medals along with other silver jewelry and gets a few nice gold now and then. i think he got like 20 gold at one pond - all out where there once was a raft. Going deep can be risky and price of unit or dive equipment can cost a few bucks - but with todays prices - he told me he had his unit paid off after about his 3rd trip out. I paid for mine just about as easy.
Im in it for the hobby - not to make a profit. I have fun most times I get out. I meet new people over the yrs, find some cool objects now and then, and yeah I get gold now and then (this year I got a lot of gold now and then). I would say I put the time in this year - some spots were real work. The only easy soft sand beach I hit was one or two in Mex. this year. Some of the first beaches me & Whydah hit this year - we needed sifters because of muck, shells or rocks. He can attest to how hard we worked sometimes and how far I go out to go where no man has gone before. Im sure he has seen me many times go under and wonder if I'll resurface. All I can say is its still out there - sometimes you need a kick in the pants (which is kind of what Whydah did for me) to get out there - sometimes you have to change things up - where you hit - how you hit - who you hit it with. Think out side the box now and then - you might be surprised. Hopefully I covered it all and maybe my words will help some.
May you all have good luck - hunt often and hunt safe.
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& hope to think outside my realm,,HH
,,HH
