whats an average day net a couple of newbees in CA?

[steveh2112]

what's an average day net a couple of newbees in CA?

me an my wife are new to prospecting but i've read a lot and watch a lot of videos so i think i have a good starting point. i'm sure proper sluice and panning technique and finding good locations will take us a bit of time to get dialed in perfect, but we are both very keen to learn.

plus we'll be living in a van on the side of a river so we have 7 days a week, 8 hrs/day (ok, i guess we need to go shopping sometime) but anyhow, a lot of time to put into it.

so assuming we don't completely suck, what realistically could we expect to pull out of CA gold country rivers per day on average?

in weight and/or dollars?

i realize it impossible to say exactly, depends if i find a good spot, know what i'm doing, move a lot of dirt, etc, but what's a ball park figure? $5 a day, $20, $100?

any thoughts please?

thanks

 

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[Hamfist]

what's an average day net a couple of newbees in CA?

Drywashing in southern Ca, working for about 4-5 hours and then processing concentrates for another hour or two at home, a good average for me has been about .5 gram per day. So $25-30 per day on average. Some days are better and some are worse. If I spend all day digging and drywashing, I do better.

I do this approximately once a week for fun and I'm a firefighter in great shape. Seven days a week will beat you up. Once you get your recovery to a good level of efficiency, you're at the mercy of how much gold is in the ground.

I'm happy when I break even on fuel costs and doubt I'll pay off my equipment in the next few years. You will have to be on stellar ground to make a living doing this. It's definitely possible!... but the odds are not favorable. Most rivers have been mined to some extent.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Sniping may get you more gold than sluicing, consider that too. Read ALL of Mad Marshall's posts since makes a living doing what you plan and he seems happy with it. Good luck and have fun!

 

[Hoser John]

Where and what your using predicates that,along with your experience level. There is a massive amount to learn,who,what where and why. Join a local club and they'll assist and help keep you out of trouble as the homeless,crankster gangsters,gangs are definately harming many so always err on the side of caution-John

 

[Goldwasher]

.5 gram take does not work out to 25 to 30 bucks...you have to consider where your selling. Once you have a decent spot up north one that you can spend some time at. And where you can move around 2/3 of a yard you may average around a gram a day. If your sniping and in a good area you can get a pennyweight...a half ounce or more it depends on where you are. You may also get a couple pennyweight from one crack and 10 grains in the entire 100 square feet around you.

 

[johnedoe]

Ah.... Youthful enthusiasm.... Gotta love it.
There are so many variables to this that it really is impossible to give you a good answer. You may hit a hot spot one day and the next is a complete washout.
I wish you much luck in your endeavor ..... You will definitely be getting your exercise.

 

[goldog]

Calif is a big state Steve. No /So? Either way the prospector life isn't push button. Plan about three days/wk producing. 3 sampling. One day off from digging. It may be that you'll find producing ground and it'll keep paying. It may not. How long do you plan to keep it up? What do you need? 1/4 oz a week? 1/2?

Also, are you young?

 

[goldenIrishman]

Take it from me, it takes tons of research, effort and perseverance to make this work. You have to have a lot of experience, the right tools and a lot of luck to be able to make a wage at small scale mining. I've been prospecting for years in many different areas across the country and each and every one of them has been different. What works in California may not work in Arizona. Heck, sometimes it won't even work a few miles away. The biggest mistake people make is to go out and buy a bunch of gear before they even know where they will be working. You have to let the terrain dictate the gear or you're going to waste a lot of money on things you either don't need or can't use. Buying more than the basics before hand is a good way to go broke. Get the basics down, do your research, including your due diligence, and then figure out what is needed to work the area in the most effective way.

As an example I offer you this. The area I'm currently in has TONS of magnatite sands in it. Approximately 90-95 percent of the black sands. Running my recirculating highbanker to process materials was not a good choice because the magnatite packed the matting up so fast that I was flat boarding in no time. By switching over to my drop riffle sluice I started getting more gold with a lot less magnatite in the cons. Equipment choice can make you or break you so keep that in mind!

 

[steveh2112]

.5 gram take does not work out to 25 to 30 bucks...you have to consider where your selling. Once you have a decent spot up north one that you can spend some time at. And where you can move around 2/3 of a yard you may average around a gram a day. If your sniping and in a good area you can get a pennyweight...a half ounce or more it depends on where you are. You may also get a couple pennyweight from one crack and 10 grains in the entire 100 square feet around you.

thanks to all for the replies. we are planning to spend 5 month in CA gold country this year and if we can break even on living expenses, probably come back every year. my wife is Thai and we live in Thailand for 6 month/year. i hope after 5 months of full time prospecting i've started to get a feel for what's possible.

our cost of living in a van should be $20-30 a day, especially if we are not driving around a lot. we camp on free NF and BLM land, we have a dual sport bike to run into town for shopping, have solar for electric, etc.

Goldwasher, how much does a gram a day of CA river gold sell for right now?

thanks, steve

 

[goldenmojo]

i realize it impossible to say exactly, depends if i find a good spot, know what i'm doing, move a lot of dirt, etc, but what's a ball park figure? $5 a day, $20, $100?

Yes! Good Luck!

 

[mytimetoshine]

Before getting my hopes up too high I would wait till you've spent a day prospecting/ mining. It's HARD work. Not saying it can't be done but very few make wages at this. Only the best and most dedicated. in my opinion most people here do this because they enjoy it, it's fun. At least in my case anyway. It takes a rare person to want to spend the day shoveling rocks in the blistering sun all day. Expect to have bloody hands, cuts, bruises. An aching back and one hell of a sunburn! God...that actually is making me jones for the river a bit. Lol

Anyways I wouldn't worry about equipment so much. You can order something anytime and have it in less than a week. I would by a pan,small pick and a collapsible shovel. Then let things unfold. You'll either get the fever or you wont.

 

[steveh2112]

well we are not going to kill out selves working like Chinese miners in 1949 or anything, it is supposed to be fun.

we both need to loose a few lbs so i think the outdoor life will be good for us. i was going to see if i can find a super light weight umbrella on a stand to act as a sun shade
something like this but lighter http://www.amazon.com/Wondershade-Lightweight-Portable-Camping-Umbrella/dp/B00VJKOP5G

 

[goldog]

That umbrella will make all the difference.

 

[northern_sierras]

Heres a couple words of wisdom for you. First research your areas on google earth. Find remote trails that take you where no one wants to go. You will need a 4x4 vehicle. Since almost all the streams and rivers in norcal are claimed, you need to go to the wild and scenic areas to get any gold legally. My advice would be to get a sluice that doesnt require classification screens like a bazooka. If you can get a gram of gold per day sluicing, you are doing extremely well. 90% of th egold i get from sluicing is fine gold. If you get into sniping you will get larger pieces that add up faster. It took me a whole summer of prospecting to figure out what i was doing. Its like going to school so that one day you will understand how to do things so you can get paid.

 

[steveh2112]

Heres a couple words of wisdom for you. First research your areas on google earth. Find remote trails that take you where no one wants to go. You will need a 4x4 vehicle. Since almost all the streams and rivers in norcal are claimed, you need to go to the wild and scenic areas to get any gold legally. My advice would be to get a sluice that doesnt require classification screens like a bazooka. If you can get a gram of gold per day sluicing, you are doing extremely well. 90% of th egold i get from sluicing is fine gold. If you get into sniping you will get larger pieces that add up faster. It took me a whole summer of prospecting to figure out what i was doing. Its like going to school so that one day you will understand how to do things so you can get paid.

that's pretty much my plan, but using My Land Matters together with GE and google maps and Backcountry Navigator on the GPS phone

 

[KevinInColorado]

1 gram of pure gold is about $40. Wild gold is varying in purity and if you sell to someone in a storefront remember they gotta pay rent and wages so you'll get a bit over $30/gram. Sell online, direct to consumers and get more if you have the time.

 

[goldenmojo]

If it helps this is what I got with a pan today. The second pic is what Sample Pan Dan got with a sluice today, the same area. I have no idea how much this is worth.

 

[steveh2112]

nice. anyone care to guess how much that those two are worth?

 

[KevinInColorado]

what's an average day net a couple of newbees in CA?

Hard to say with all that black sand and without a scale. Go read my prospectors journal to see lots of gold pics with the weights noted.

 

[Aufisher]

You can beat yourself up all day and pay for your gas If You Live Nearby. I'm going to guess 1.17 grams