Crazy day and using GH Stream Sluice for the first time.

n01d3x

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Apr 24, 2015
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Crazy day and used GH Stream Sluice for the first time

I went out last Sunday here in Norcal. The day started out rough. The best color I found was in a difficult area to dig and had clay all around it. Working clay sucks! I was about to just call it a day after a couple of hours and then on the way to clean out my sluice I saw something crazy. Pockets of black sand all over the bank. For grins I decided to pan it and found good color. Ended up running 3 buckets of it and did a clean out. Below is a pic of what I found. I ran another 4 buckets through and went back for a 5th before calling it a day. Upon returning to the sluice my jaw dropped. The river had dropped about 6" and my sluice was not only dry, but water was swooshing around from the bottom about 1/4 of the way up it. I freaked out and tried to lower the legs up top, then I slipped. The sluice went completely under. When I finally got it set back up, there was absolutely nothing in the mats. Everything had blown out. There was some pretty good color in there, it looked a lot better than it did before the first clean out.

Before that happened, a chinese family came floating down the river in tubes. They had 2 kids around 5 and 10. The mom got out by me and the dad and kids smashed into some trees about 50 yards up stream. I went and helped them out, it was nuts. One of their tubes got loose and took off down stream. The mom jumped in after it, but came back after the dad yelled for to. The kids were in a tube by themselves. Everyone had life jackets on, but the river is obviously flowing like crazy right now!

A dog came up to me carrying a round rock in his mouth. He dropped it at my feet, then went after my plastic hand trowel. I distracted him by throwing a stick. Big mistake, he wouldn't leave me alone after that lol. Finally his owner yelled for him on the other side of the river. The dog jumped in the river and swam across. The river carried him about about 200 yards before he made it. I thought he was going to drown.

I used my Gold Hog stream sluice for the first time. This thing is amazing. It caught so much sub 100 mesh gold that I kind wished it hadn't come clean up time lol. I was using a BGT prospector before this, but I really am digging this sluice. Anyways, there's my day and here's my take.

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bcfromfl

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Feb 18, 2016
249
303
Youngstown, FL
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GPX 4500,
Fisher Gold Bug Pro,
Gold Hog stream sluice
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Thanks for the neat summary of your day! You still ended up with a nice take after the spill! (Bet you'll be going back to that spot!) I'm in the planning stages for a trip to northern CA later this year, and a GH stream sluice is on my equipment list, too. IMO, it beats everything else hand's down, and its not as finicky to set up and run.

Keep us posted on your experiences with the sluice!
 

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n01d3x

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Apr 24, 2015
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That day taught me what working the high-low water line really means. I was thinking the gold was dropping out as the river dropped, and that's why it holds gold. After this trip though, I realized it's because the high flow washed the side of the river and removed the overburden for me, leaving mostly heavies. I'll definitely be going back there soon, lol. The spill sucked, I'm thinking I would have easily doubled my take.
 

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n01d3x

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Apr 24, 2015
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It was pretty cool. I've only been prospecting since last july and I suck at setting up sluices. I know I didn't quite have it tuned correctly and it still caught tons of very tiny gold, larger stuff too, but I was amazed at it catching all the tiny stuff that it did. I don't think my BGT would've, at least not with my setting up skills lol.
 

Hunt4gold

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Oct 20, 2016
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Colorado, Littleton
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No1 -- Well, that beats any of my stories since I started back in October! I thought that, for a minute, you were going to tell us that the rock the dog dropped was a chunk of quartz with gold in it. Also have the Bazooka (36" sniper) and just picked up a Gold Hog stream sluice a few weeks ago - have ran it twice. Really like both sluices and believe that there are great for different stream/river situations. You should start a post in the Journal section of forum- My journal is 'Hunt4gold - First prospecting adventures and beyond'. Looking forward to following your adventures.
 

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n01d3x

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Apr 24, 2015
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Yea I probably should start a journal, it would be fun to look back on it in a few years. I love my bazooka, but the GH stream sluice is nice. There's nothing like shoveling straight into my prospector for 8 hours though. I have a 24" sniper that I've actually never used. I got it for my daughter, she likes it. I've been meaning to try it out when there's not enough flow for the prospector, though I wish I would've got the 36".
 

Laz7777

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Dec 19, 2015
255
494
South Fork Yuba River, Motherlode
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GoldBug II
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I thought Chinese people were supposed to be smart....well there goes one of my racist views all shot to hell.
nice little pile, too bad about the sluice doing a dump, but at least it didn't get away from you...this time of year if I'm mining, I'll attach a safety line to mine.
 

mytimetoshine

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Jun 23, 2013
1,574
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El Dorado County
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GRIZZLY GOLD TRAP - ANGUS MACKIRK EXPLORER- BLUE BOWL - GOLD CUBE, MINELAB PRO 25 PINPOINTER-
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All Treasure Hunting
You never know what your gonna get on the S. Yuba. I've seen it all just about and I've only been going there for 2 seasons. Plenty of naked people that's for sure. I happened upon an empty Tweaker encampment. On my way back out it was not empty... 2 very large dogs charged me and I though I was done for but when I hollered at them and banged my shovel on the ground they backed down. The owner just kept panning didn't even look up lol. At the peak of spring flow I saw a group of guys going down the river on boogie board looking things. Absolute death wish these idiots had.

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n01d3x

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This wasn't on the S Yuba, but I definitely agree with you there. You get all types up there lol.
 

goldenIrishman

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Feb 28, 2013
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Golden Valley Arid-Zona
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Don't worry about sucking at setting up your sluice. No one gets it right the first time with a new sluice system. Since conditions change at EVERY location, you will have to learn what works best in different areas and that takes some time. Other than that it sounds like you had an interesting day.and took some new knowledge away with you at the end of it. ALWAYS a good thing in my book.
 

johnnysau

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Apr 23, 2012
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Reno NV
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Sure beats Chuck e cheese or or any of the other pay for FUN set ups. Free wild fun in a natural setting the way its suppose to be. Getting old is no fun in that respect! johnnysau
 

mytimetoshine

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Jun 23, 2013
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This wasn't on the S Yuba, but I definitely agree with you there. You get all types up there lol.
Oh my bad I guess I just assumed based on your other post about the S Yuba.

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Laz7777

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Dec 19, 2015
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South Fork Yuba River, Motherlode
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You never know what your gonna get on the S. Yuba. I've seen it all just about and I've only been going there for 2 seasons. Plenty of naked people that's for sure. I happened upon an empty Tweaker encampment. On my way back out it was not empty... 2 very large dogs charged me and I though I was done for but when I hollered at them and banged my shovel on the ground they backed down. The owner just kept panning didn't even look up lol. At the peak of spring flow I saw a group of guys going down the river on boogie board looking things. Absolute death wish these idiots had.

I suppose you go digging at Purdons'? expect the weird there, it's mostly noone and me where I go. summer weekends can be an exception.

I was at the bridge at Purdons' one morning about 9...downstream there was a naked blonde girl sitting on a boulder in the river making guttural noises and gesticulating wildly with her arms....just another day at Purdons', I hardly took note, except that well, she was naked and blonde. ;)
 

mytimetoshine

Bronze Member
Jun 23, 2013
1,574
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El Dorado County
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GRIZZLY GOLD TRAP - ANGUS MACKIRK EXPLORER- BLUE BOWL - GOLD CUBE, MINELAB PRO 25 PINPOINTER-
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I suppose you go digging at Purdons'? expect the weird there, it's mostly noone and me where I go. summer weekends can be an exception.

I was at the bridge at Purdons' one morning about 9...downstream there was a naked blonde girl sitting on a boulder in the river making guttural noises and gesticulating wildly with her arms....just another day at Purdons', I hardly took note, except that well, she was naked and blonde. ;)
I haven't been upstream of edwards yet but see it there, purdon, 49 bridge and Bridgeport. Purdon seems to be the epicenter.

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