where to look for gold in texas

austin

Gold Member
Jul 9, 2012
5,360
3,501
San Antonio, Texas
Detector(s) used
Garrett 250
Primary Interest:
Other
Well, good luck to you. You live in a beautiful town. Spent some time at Long's, found a couple of points, played in the river and had a decent time. Course I was younger then. Used to fish Wirtz Dam too before the terrorists made them put up a guard shack. Caught a 5 lb. white bass in Feb. of 1964 and then caught pneumonia cause it was cold and rainy(the day, not the fish). Anyway, give me a holler when you'all get arrested for destroying the environment(dredging the river) and I'll come bail you out. And I still promise you that there ain't no gold(worth looking for) in Texas. BUT, I did have a student in a college class one time that told me he picked up quartz laced heavy with gold and some nuggets in a creek that fed the Llano west and north of the town itself. He never brought a piece in, but I believed him. I also knew a guy who knew a guy that swore that above Smoothingiron Mtn. near Lone Oak Mtn. on a tributary of Cold Creek there was a good sized deposit exposed. Never went looking, never will, but I pass it on. I don't believe in stories like that, but who knows. Maybe that's where the guy got his gold.
 

okbasspro

Hero Member
Jan 14, 2012
826
1,358
Chickasha,Oklahoma
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
New Mexico, YES, Arizona, YES, Texas, NOOOOOOOO!

they say no gold in oklahoma but I have found enough to pay for my equipment.Now that being said I am not making money at it I have hundreds of hours sucking gravel to get what I got.Fuel,food and lodging just the price to pay for enjoying myself in the outdoors I have met lots of nice people some from TNET while it is not the quality gold I got in Arizona it is still worth my time.It all boils down to why you are prospecting Money or Enjoyment with a bonus from time to time.
Good Luck And
Happy Hunting
 

gold4us

Jr. Member
Aug 6, 2012
54
37
Kingsland, TX
Detector(s) used
Excalibur II
Excalibur 800
Minelab SD2200
Minelab E-Trac
Garrett AT Gold
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I use to fish below all the dams before all the loonies messed that up. I had a friend that had a deer lease below smoothing iron Mt. and Cold creek ran right through it and yes there is better gold their than what you find in the Llano. The next creek down the road ain’t bad either. Another good creek is Coal creek, it dumps into the Big Sandy. If You can get to bed rock on the Big Sandy you can get some good gold. There was actually a bucket line dredge in Big Sandy back in the 30's. If you go to the library in Llano you can read the story in the old papers. I talked to one of the old timers that went out to watch it run. It was washed away by a 25'wall of water and is probably in the bottom of LBJ. I wont say which lake but one of the Highland lakes has good size flakes in it. One year when they lowered the lakes we went out and dredged for a few hours before we were run of by the LCRA. We found wire gold in Oxford and in Walnut creek. Tom Ashworth dredged a few ounces out of Crab apple creek back in the 80's. He has moved back to Texas and is probably secretly dredging somewhere right now. I took a couple of sample pans on Crab apple creek and I found a few colors but I didn’t get anything of size. We have dredged gold out of the San Saba river just west of town. The Gold was fine but it was there. Goldmine and Silver mine creek have some gold but I haven’t been able to spend more than a couple of hours panning so far. Honey creek is were I am trying to stick a dredge right now. I have panned some big colors out of that creek. Mason Co. has some good creeks. A few years ago I was on a friends place looking for Topaz in a creek and while I was washing gravel I got some color. The secret to finding Llano gold is finding the right color of Hickory Sandstone also finding Iron deposits. Also another good source of gold in the Hill country is around sources of rare earth minerals.
I went on a field trip with a geologist to the Badu Pegmatite. We found lots of hot rocks and we saw visible gold on decayed pyrite. The whole place is hot, his Geiger counter buzzed the whole time we were there. The big problem with Texas Gold is that we don’t have access to private property.
 

Jun 15, 2013
3
1
Weimar,Tx.
Detector(s) used
Mine Lab x-terra 705 and Bounty Hunter Lone Star
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
It sounds like if gold is what you seek then seek else where. I know that silver may be the best bet to find all around our great state I find it and Zinc,Copper and Flour Gold in Harwood,Tx. I have also found the old mines that the Spanish and the Mexicans used when they first came to Texas and what they pulled out was mostly silver but if you want big nuggets sounds like Arizona,or New Mexico and always remember that gold is where you find it.
 

iforgot

Newbie
Feb 20, 2015
3
3
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Im new to this as well, and i can understand what alot of people and sites say about gold in texas. Truth is, it is here, its just HARD as f&@k to find. Doing some amature geology, i found a spot within the city limits of austin. Yes, austin. While panning here (in just one spot, same spot all the time), i have found small amount of little tumbled peices of garnet, "1" little piece of copper, a nice amount of pyrite (which i dont want) a peice of siver, and 2 tiny specs of gold (so tiny). I also found this interesting peice of pyrite which coats a silverish metal in another location when i was scouting it out. Gonna see what that creek has to offer.

I just find it had to believe that gold doesn't exist in this area when 1) if found traces and all signs are right, and 2) there were, at one point, mines in towns that surround austin. Anywho, its fun to do and pass time, but finding that amount that changes it from a hobby to money in your pocket is a perk.

In 2000-ish, they were building a new sky rise down downtown. In digging the foundation, the found a nice amount of dinosuar bones. This had everybody thinking what else might the city be sitting on that we dont know about? You never know until you look, but im sticking to the creeks... Good luck
 

rodoconnor

Bronze Member
Mar 4, 2012
1,419
1,638
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The food, the music, the beautiful women and you want gold too?
 

iforgot

Newbie
Feb 20, 2015
3
3
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Lol. I need somethin to do when im not eatin jammin out or talkin to the lovely ladies... :)
 

Jun 15, 2013
3
1
Weimar,Tx.
Detector(s) used
Mine Lab x-terra 705 and Bounty Hunter Lone Star
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
just keep at it you are on to something I am not saying there is not gold in Texas just not big nuggets. I am sure they have to be out there maybe the Devil's Backbone or around Round Rock I was just told today that in Harwood,Texas they are going to drill some core samples out of where an old mine shaft once was they came upon it by accident drilling for oil when gold was found on there drill not a lot of it but the company wants to drill more they told this farmer guy in Harwood.
 

Kentuck

Jr. Member
Mar 16, 2017
29
15
Ellinger, TX
Detector(s) used
Whites DFX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Gold does exist in Texas. A few miles northeast of Brady Texas is a rock-walled creek where I found 3 small nuggets in the flowing water. I have been wanting to return with my metal detector but am getting too old to make the trip. Also, I was stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso for many years, in my spare time I would hike in the Franklin mountains. I found an old man-dug 'cave', albeit small, but it too has small gold nuggets mixed in with other rock, maybe quartz? Anyway, you go in from the west side on the Trans-mountain highway, and walk from the park there to a saddle in the ridge, walking eastward. From the saddle, looking down toward the east, you can see the place I am talking about, but it is hidden and I covered it back as I found it, with rocks and brush. I'm sure if I were to dig there I would find large amounts of gold, seeing how I found small amounts just laying all around when I first uncovered the site. I don't think gold exists in Texas like it does in Arizona or Utah, but it is definitely there.
 

Kentuck

Jr. Member
Mar 16, 2017
29
15
Ellinger, TX
Detector(s) used
Whites DFX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
TexasGoldHunter, Do you still do a lot of metal detecting? I see you are from Weimar. I was wondering if you ever metal detected around the old New Bielau dance hall that burned down a few years ago. That dance hall was there since at least the early 1900's if not longer and would be a great place to find old coins. Also, on the Strunk place outside of Oakland, Butch found an old Mexican saber back in the 70's, supposedly from Santa Anna's men lost as they were traveling back to Mexico. Gold was supposedly also lost in the mud along the creek there to be recovered later, but since Santa Anna was defeated, the gold was never recovered.
 

okbasspro

Hero Member
Jan 14, 2012
826
1,358
Chickasha,Oklahoma
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
2.9 grams of Texas shine it's not easy to find a good spot but it can be done. ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1491772296.917207.jpg ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1491772322.518756.jpg
 

Kentuck

Jr. Member
Mar 16, 2017
29
15
Ellinger, TX
Detector(s) used
Whites DFX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I assume that is from the Llano area? Nice strike! There is gold outside of Smithville also.
 

Kentuck

Jr. Member
Mar 16, 2017
29
15
Ellinger, TX
Detector(s) used
Whites DFX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Well, you must have hit on an unknown gold area. It could be a great find, so keep it secret. I found gold when I worked at a gravel pit back when I was in high school. We had it tested and they said it was gold, but one other guy and I never told anyone about where we got it from. I always planned to return one day and pan some, but never did. It is in Colorado County. Texas.
 

Pro-Diver360

Newbie
Jan 10, 2018
3
2
Spring, Texas
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hey Dan,
I have been researching this as well. I have found a few places where it is possible, and it maybe 2hour three hour drive away. I have been reading about a few people that has found Gold in Texas. Not sure if any one has responded to you are if your still on. Send me an e-mail ill help you with what research that I’ve found. [email protected].

Let chat.
 

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