Looking to get back into prospecting...

[idowa]

I discovered this web site when I lived in AZ and got into prospecting. Arizona is such a treasure(pun intended) when it comes to prospecting. I lived in Prescott Valley and loved exploring the wilderness and old mines.

I got a pan and the requisite tools and started panning on Lynx Creek. I even wrote an article on it for American Digger magazine that was published. I also bought a Keene 52 sluice and tried it out on the Agua Fria river. I also purchased a Tesora detector and used it extensively.

I loved it! Then, in 2013, my wife of 20 years announced she wanted a divorce. I sold the house in AZ and moved back home to Moscow, ID. I have since bought a home in Palouse, WA, about 15 miles away.

There was a lot of mining activity in the area around Potlatch and even a legend about a group of Chinese miners who were murdered by poisoning their water source. I went to that site to try and find artifacts, but the area had been logged at least twice in the past 100 years, so all I found were logging artifacts from the 1940's...

I set up my sluice and did some prospecting on the Palouse river and found one speck of gold in 2 buckets; nothing compared to what I'd get on Lynx Creek...

I last did any prospecting in the Summer of 2013 and am itching to try it again.

The state forum here is pretty bare when it comes to advice on areas to check. Does anybody know of other sources of info to look into for information on productive creeks in Northern Idaho to pan?

A buddy of mine owns some land on the Couer d`alene River about 125 miles from me and I went there last Summer and camped a few days to do some trout fishing. His dad is a retired mine engineer and said one of the creeks near there has some color. I'm planning on going up there this Spring with my sluice box, but was hoping to find something closer to home...

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[GoldpannerDave]

I discovered this web site when I lived in AZ and got into prospecting. Arizona is such a treasure(pun intended) when it comes to prospecting. I lived in Prescott Valley and loved exploring the wilderness and old mines.

I got a pan and the requisite tools and started panning on Lynx Creek. I even wrote an article on it for American Digger magazine that was published. I also bought a Keene 52 sluice and tried it out on the Agua Fria river. I also purchased a Tesora detector and used it extensively.

I loved it! Then, in 2013, my wife of 20 years announced she wanted a divorce. I sold the house in AZ and moved back home to Moscow, ID. I have since bought a home in Palouse, WA, about 15 miles away.

There was a lot of mining activity in the area around Potlatch and even a legend about a group of Chinese miners who were murdered by poisoning their water source. I went to that site to try and find artifacts, but the area had been logged at least twice in the past 100 years, so all I found were logging artifacts from the 1940's...

I set up my sluice and did some prospecting on the Palouse river and found one speck of gold in 2 buckets; nothing compared to what I'd get on Lynx Creek...

I last did any prospecting in the Summer of 2013 and am itching to try it again.

The state forum here is pretty bare when it comes to advice on areas to check. Does anybody know of other sources of info to look into for information on productive creeks in Northern Idaho to pan?

A buddy of mine owns some land on the Couer d`alene River about 125 miles from me and I went there last Summer and camped a few days to do some trout fishing. His dad is a retired mine engineer and said one of the creeks near there has some color. I'm planning on going up there this Spring with my sluice box, but was hoping to find something closer to home...

Wow, that is tough; sorry to hear about the divorce. Maybe some great days out fishing and looking for gold will help. Don't live in either of those states, so I cannot offer any local prospecting advice. I am sure others here will jump in and do so. Good luck and may your riffles be golden.

 

[BurntBear]

There are a few members here from your general area; I'm sure you'll find a spot to prospect much closer to home.

 

[Hoser John]

Make life easy in a new area. Just hit the yellow pages and find a local mining,detecting or rock shop and the locals will help you out. Might be a nice small local yokel club and always the best way to go for info and help. Your local Historical Society is a virtual treasure trove of information. I love new areas as like discovering life again...Enjoy the journey and err on the side a caution as giving away half your toys repeatedly is no fun.....John

 

[Vince in So.Cal]

Wish I had a boat load of info for you for that area but I do not. Quite some time ago I too was going through a "life change" and I moved to Idaho for awhile to have time to figure it all out. I lived in Cour d' alene, actually my grandparents had a house there on CDL lake. Lived right outside of Post Falls. I did a lot of walking around in the woods back then and found some very impressive rocks and geology. That was quite a long time ago. Hopefully not too much has changed up there. Beautiful country up there. Look around and ask questions. Find a local chapter of like minded prospecting folks, you will find some places closer to where you are located. My marriage of 25 years is finding itself on the rocks as I write this...who knows maybe we will bump into one another out on the stream some day... Good luck to you. Vince.

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

Idowa, Not sure if it is any closer to venture my way than you driving to Couer d'Alene but you are welcome to work with me on my upper claim this Summer. If you want to work alone, I know of a few other streams that may interest you as well. Here are few pics taken recently while doing winter prospecting. This gold is similar to what you will possibly find in the area I speak of. Shoot me a PM if interested.

 

[rodoconnor]

Vince , one thing you can count on is that things don't change up here. Idowa , there are clubs in Washington you should check out that could be of help. G/L

 

[idowa]

Idowa, Not sure if it is any closer to venture my way than you driving to Couer d'Alene but you are welcome to work with me on my upper claim this Summer. If you want to work alone, I know of a few other streams that may interest you as well. Here are few pics taken recently while doing winter prospecting. This gold is similar to what you will possibly find in the area I speak of. Shoot me a PM if interested.

Thanks!

 

[idowa]

Duh! I talked to my brother today who is a county detective. He used to do woods patrol and knows every stream and road in the county. We also have a good friend who is a Forest Service LEO that patrols millions of acres of wilderness around here.

Although neither of them are into prospecting, they know where people have active claims... My brother agreed to show me on a map where all the locals are getting good enough results to file claims. I figure that should get me pointed in the right general area and I can do some exploratory panning in the area (and not claim jumping of course)...

I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner...

 

[GoldpannerDave]

Idowa, Not sure if it is any closer to venture my way than you driving to Couer d'Alene but you are welcome to work with me on my upper claim this Summer. If you want to work alone, I know of a few other streams that may interest you as well. Here are few pics taken recently while doing winter prospecting. This gold is similar to what you will possibly find in the area I speak of. Shoot me a PM if interested.

See, Idowa, I told you folks would help out. IdahoGoldGettR, that was super of you to offer to let him work on your claim. I think miners are some of the most thoughtful, helpful folks around, and you just proved it.

 

[GoldpannerDave]

BTW, IdahoGoldGettR, great looking gold, too! Thanks for sharing the pictures; it helps some of us who are not getting out to make it through the winter "gold-panning blues."

 

[ebuyc]

The spot you talking about the poisoning is actually called Strychnine Creek just past camp Grizzly. Pretty sure that actually happened - but hard to say if the gold was stolen or found... I was up there about a week ago checking the snow levels to my claim.

I have found decent gold on the Palouse in WA far away from the source (ID gold hill area and the North fork of the Palouse) my prospecting buddy at the time and I also found a nice sized light blue sapphire! The trick on the Palouse is finding a spot with expose basalt columns in the river... that is the kind of places to test. Look for GRAVEL bars also in the areas where there is lots of Basalt exposed.
In WA you can HighBank as long as you have the WA Gold and Fish hand book with you. Your sluice/HB has to have less than 3' of surface area is all.

Now we tested a spot BEFORE the exposed basalt with lots and lots of overburden and did not do very good - below this spot a week earlier we found lots of fine gold and some chunkier stuff the size of rice - blew my mind

I did take some videos of the over burdened spot - we did find some gold but the good stuff is where the gravel bars are only a foot or so deep on the exposed basalt...



I have a claim on the North Fork of the Palouse in ID about 1/4 of a mile past a Patented claim and where the dredge stopped in the 40s. Since the Palouse falls have not let any non native fish (a bunch of bull-trout) it is open to dredging year around! Just need the EPA permit and the ID water permit. I don't find the gold like Bob or Randy panning but the bedrock is only 4' so dredging is the only real option. I will be hosting a few get togethers this summer at the claim so anyone interested in coming out while I am there is welcome just drop me a PM. With proper planning you could dredge under my permits.

My 2 bits...

 

[GoldpannerDave]

The spot you talking about the poisoning is actually called Strychnine Creek just past camp Grizzly. Pretty sure that actually happened - but hard to say if the gold was stolen or found... I was up there about a week ago checking the snow levels to my claim.

I have found decent gold on the Palouse in WA far away from the source (ID gold hill area and the North fork of the Palouse) my prospecting buddy at the time and I also found a nice sized light blue sapphire! The trick on the Palouse is finding a spot with expose basalt columns in the river... that is the kind of places to test. Look for GRAVEL bars also in the areas where there is lots of Basalt exposed.
In WA you can HighBank as long as you have the WA Gold and Fish hand book with you. Your sluice/HB has to have less than 3' of surface area is all.

Now we tested a spot BEFORE the exposed basalt with lots and lots of overburden and did not do very good - below this spot a week earlier we found lots of fine gold and some chunkier stuff the size of rice - blew my mind

I did take some videos of the over burdened spot - we did find some gold but the good stuff is where the gravel bars are only a foot or so deep on the exposed basalt...



I have a claim on the North Fork of the Palouse in ID about 1/4 of a mile past a Patented claim and where the dredge stopped in the 40s. Since the Palouse falls have not let any non native fish (a bunch of bull-trout) it is open to dredging year around! Just need the EPA permit and the ID water permit. I don't find the gold like Bob or Randy panning but the bedrock is only 4' so dredging is the only real option. I will be hosting a few get togethers this summer at the claim so anyone interested in coming out while I am there is welcome just drop me a PM. With proper planning you could dredge under my permits.

My 2 bits...

That looks really promising. Is that a Goodyguy style fluid bed at the end of the sluice? I would love to put my Bazooka in the river next to where you are shoveling and appreciate the invitation for a summer outing. Maybe I can arrange to get off and come...who knows, maybe several of us from Colorado could road trip up there. It is a long way without others to share the driving.

 

[russau]

come on Dave , when it comes to getting good gold , there aint no distance too far to drive! BUT I wish I could find a nice accessable stream close to me for my 4 inch dredge before I cant use it anymore!

 

[ebuyc]

Is that a Goodyguy style fluid bed at the end of the sluice?

Yep.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/s...fluid-bed-gold-trap-sluice-7.html#post2661722

 

[idowa]

Ebuyc,

That's some great info! I did some digging into the old dredge piles up there but didn't find any color. In AZ, those old dredge piles along Lynx creek are very productive... I also did some panning/sluicing in the river, just past the Laird Park campground; that wide pullover spot about 1/4 mile down the road. One tiny speck...

I used to camp up by the dredge pond with my family as a kid and have been all over that area on dirt bikes over 30 years ago...

Looks like I need to be a little more judicious in my search for gold...

Travis

Location of the Chinese camp:

 

[GoldpannerDave]

come on Dave , when it comes to getting good gold , there aint no distance too far to drive! BUT I wish I could find a nice accessable stream close to me for my 4 inch dredge before I cant use it anymore!

Sorry, russau, but I don't know any places close to St Louis. You could come to Clear Creek west of Denver, but that is a whale of a drive from St Louie.

You are right about "no distance too far to drive" but there is a time consideration when I am not retired. If the drive takes 2 and a half days each way on you only have a week, that leaves 2 days in the creek getting gold, two of which are half days. Sigh. With several folks driving, we have driven straight through the night before to give more time on the creek.

If you fly, you cannot take most of your equipment. Now if I catch a military hop to Fairchild AFB, maybe I can bring more equipment flying and time may not be that much of a constraint.

 

[GoldpannerDave]

Yep.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/s...fluid-bed-gold-trap-sluice-7.html#post2661722

So how do you like it? How much gold are you getting in it compared to the sluice itself?

 

[russau]

Dave I usually goto Douglas Creek in Wyoming to dredge. its a 16 hour drive for me and until a few years ago I did this by myself non-stop except for pee/fuel! Ill be out there again this summer to try out my dredges and to see if my back will work right for me or be the end of my dredgeing and sell it all! itll be up there for 2 weeks camping at the "flats" Im sure you know this location! comeon up if you can.the claim owner (my good friend) says I can invite anyone I want to dredge. plus theres always the gpaa claims there.were going to have a good group of people there if everyone comes!

 

[ebuyc]

Sorry for the late response

So how do you like it? How much gold are you getting in it compared to the sluice itself?

It caught super fine gold, I built it for my buddy Tim's GMS HB. I have not heard from Tim for over a year now.

I just use a secondary sluice if I am in an area with super fine gold I am worried about losing. I do love my Bazooka Prospector sluice so I think fluid bed traps can be great, but if not tuned right they can really suck too. A sluice is a little more forgiving...

My 2 bits...