new flood gold

[strickman]

what about the floods!! there is a lot of new material ,after all the flooding .i've been here over 25 yrs.and never seen it like this.can't wait to hit it again.i got lucky (no major damage) thank God .but i know many that were not as fortunate. and hope and pray for them and there families.there were records set .that i hope never get broke.

[Astrobouncer]

Your right man. The rivers here were fuller then I have seen them in years. I checked my local spot and it was a raging monster of moving dirt. The bad thing is I have two fairly big tests monday so I have to study for them most of the weekend, but I am still prolly gonna get out for a couple hours one day this weekend. Good luck!

[strickman]

sorry i posted this in the wrong section.

[Eric Willoughby]

You read my mind Strickman, I have been itching to hit the river ever since I saw the water rise in my area, and I am just absolutely dying to get out to the usual spot and fire up ol' "Placer Cat", she has gone two weeks without anything to eat and my fever is about to burn me alive if I don't get down there this weekend.

[strickman]

the tes got real high.chris's 5 " was washed up in a tree! his 6 " made it luckily.but the 5 needs repairs.

[Eric Willoughby]

the tes got real high.chris's 5 " was washed up in a tree! his 6 " made it luckily.but the 5 needs repairs.

You know Strick, that is the second time that 5" Triple of his got washed into a tree. As for the 6", that's no dredge, it's a river barge! If it were any bigger, Chris would have to register it with the Coast Guard.

[Chris In W Georgia]

That 6 is a one man Special Op's Operation

[strickman]

and the 5 has climbing gear wait does that mean that the 5 is a tree hugger if so we can take it to calif. introduce it to the governator let him know we have a tree hugger approved 5"with a hybrid 6"brother involved in special ops.then get this screwed up legislation reversed.long live drdging

[Eric Willoughby]

That 6 is a one man Special Op's Operation

You ain't kiddin' there brother, man can that beast move some material. One day's worth of concentrates out of that 6" would keep me busy panning for over a month!

I do have to say, I like the 6" alot Chris, that's why I am always poking fun about it, it is the only way I can deal with my envy quietly. I hate to have to admit that yours is definitely bigger than mine.

[jimmygoat]

Do you guys dredging back there hit bedrock, or is the overburden too deep?

[bigwater]

We had major flooding on the Chestatee here a couple of weeks ago, and I know that the flakes have flushed into the stream bed. The problem for me is that the state government has passed legislation outlawing prospecting in public streams, so I'm at a personal impass. Do I sneak out to that spot where I know the concentrate is flowing off the side of the hill during the hard rain and "poach" a bucket of sand, or do I follow what I consider to be a ridiculous law?

That's sort of why I decided to prospect on my own land. Laws are getting crazy. The economy is going down the tubes, gold is through the roof, and our governments won't let us go out and find any of it. I understand the need to preserve the environment, but snagging a bucket of sand out of the riverbed shouldn't be considered a jailable offense.

[jimmygoat]

Hello Bigwater, We the people need to constantly Email our congressman and tell them whats on our mind. Hound the hell out of them then vote them out of office. Our country has gone down the tubes and if we're going to save it we have to do it now. Thanks, jimmygoat

[strickman]

jimmygoat,it's very shallow bedrock where i like to go-(very,very shallow)some is acually exposed-or less than 2 feet of hard pack.great for sniping and i'm going to dredge like there's no tommorrow! then dredge some more! most of the rivers and creeks have ample bedrock -yes there are a few places that have a lot of overburden,but i preffer the shallow bedrock-and esp.the exposed!

[strickman]

big water whats this about outlawed panning in public streams? is that in nat.parksand b.l.m. or what?what area are you in?

[bigwater]

big water whats this about outlawed panning in public streams? is that in nat.parksand b.l.m. or what?what area are you in?

I'm in Dahlonega. Gold prospecting has been outlawed on all public lands and waterways in the state of Georgia. It does not affect prospecting on private land or waterways that flow through private property, but the national and state parks and portions of the waterways that flow through them are off limits. It's a $1000 fine and five years in jail if you get caught with a gold pan in a river in a state park now.

I can't say that I totally disagree with this decision by the legislature. Once the price of gold started to soar, people with no concern about our local environment started destroying the rivers and mountain sides... the likes of which haven't been seen since 1820. Blast cannons washing the side of the mountains down in public areas, silting the rivers so that they could be sluiced for the gold. I mean, I hate it that I can't pan any more in the river in my spare time, but I don't want to see the mountains eroded either... so what do you do?

[jimmygoat]

What are you going to do, make it stop raining?

[bigwater]

Can't make it stop raining, but you can dictate that people can't use water cannons on the sides of the mountains to blast everything away. Perhaps the legislature went too heavy handed by dictating "no prospecting", which not only includes blast mining but also includes panning. Maybe they should have refined the laws more so that panning was still allowed, but how many politicians would you expect to understand the difference between a water cannon, a stamp mill, a sluice, and a gold pan? As it stands now, everything from blast mining down to panning is banned. Hopefully they'll open the streams back up for panning in the future. I never found anything panning in the local streams, but it sure is a relaxing way to spend a summer evening.

[jimmygoat]

Hello Bigwater, They outlawed Hydraulicing along time ago, except maybe in Alaska and you have to have a tailings dam. I don;t know if they still allow it. Where are you seeing them blast down mountains with water. If they are, you should turn them in. It gives mining a bad name. Jimmygoat

[strickman]

once they take a right they won't give it back!the small prospector does not do any damage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!you can dig a hole or dredge in a stream the next weekend it is filled up!all this is beurocrats taking or rights!they can't tax what you find!so they take that right away.they don't want you to be able to self sustain!they want you to be dependant on the gov.so they can control you.our country is being run by socialist-leaf lickers!

[jimmygoat]

Strickman, You hit the nail on the head. They're gonna make an outlaw out of me cause, I'll still prospect. Only a misdameanor.