High water gold!

[hookshot]

Warm weather and rain last week has the river real high. The usual panning spot is under 5 feet of water. Since I drove 30 miles to find this out, I decided to try at the new water line. Last week, about 20 people working this area, today nobody. And I never seen anybody work this high on the bank.

Had to dig through a foot of sand to find gravel. Used my hand pump to load the pan. It is normal to find 10 to 30 flakes in every pan here but hardly ever any pickers. First pan, about 15 flakes. Not bad. Kept going deeper, each pan getting better. By the 4th pan, I got a picker and about 25 flakes, some pretty good size. It just got better and better. Only had 3 hours but got more than I have in 10 hours in the past including several pickers.

Dont see any way to setup my sluice, big fast, flat river. Would have to build a wing dam and with the river level changing so much, would not be worth it. Tomorrow, I am going to take my rocker box. Homemade and it can go through lots of material fast.

Nobody pans this area. This is where they usually put thier blankets and BBQs to have lunch.

[Deadwood Dick]

We are in the same shape in South Dakota, high water. Found some flakes in small riverlets but thats about it till the water goes down.
Congrats on your finds, keep after them.

[hookshot]

Thanks Deadwood,
I went back and the water is even higher. So I dug at the new water line and did very well. Wish I had a highbanker. When the water goes down, it will be much harder for me.

[PROSPECTORMIKEL]

HEY, WE'RE IN THE SAME BOAT HERE IN NW ARKANSAS.
RIVERS BACKED UP FROM LAKES, CREEKS BACKED UP FROM RIVERS, DITCHES PACKED UP FROM CREEKS. I SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIND GOLD EVERYWHERE!!

LOTS OF TORNADOES JUST TO THE NORTH OF HOME.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS ALONG WITH YOUR GOLD COLORS.

HH
PM

[hookshot]

LOL,
For once, I have to thank the high water for helping find gold.
I have another spot high in the mountains where the creek is too small to run a sluce. Maybe this year, it will have enough. It is usually a few inches deep and 3 feet wide. I do not get flakes in this creek but very pretty little pieces and pickers. The creek starts about one half mile away above the logging road. Half the rock and gravel is rotten quartz. Hope I can find the spot it is coming from.

[PROSPECTORMIKEL]

SOUNDS LIKE YOU NEED A STREET SWEEPER! YOU HAVE A STREET, PAVED IN GOLD.
I, TOO LIKE THOSE SMALL NARROW CREEKS.. THE NARROW VALLEYS SEEM TO PUSH
MORE GOLD TO THEM IN A CONCENTRATED AREA, BUT HERE IN NW ARK SOME TIME ALL
THAT THERE IS, IS FOUND IN LARGE FLAT VALLEYS WHERE SMALL STREAMS JOIN LARGER
CREEKS. YOU HAVE TO FIND HIGH WALLED STREAMBEDS AND DIG THRU THE LAYERS OF
VERY OLD FLOODPLAINS LOOKING FOR FLOWER GOLD. VERY LITTLE AND HARD TO FIND.

GLAD TO HEAR SOME ONE FINDING GOOD GOLD IN THIS WEATHER PATTERN.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU.

PROSPECTORMIKEL

[Tuberale]

Sounds like you're working a bench, hookshot. Be sure to cover your site after you stop, or others will be trying their hands at the same thing you discovered. Probably worth it to explore other eddies above the normal waterline on your site.

A lot of gold from past floods will be in the side benches.

[hookshot]

Hi Tuberale,
I can't go any higher. There is a road that parrelles the river and I am right against the road fill now.
The spot in the mountains is a nice little, steep walled valley I found while elk hunting. I keep a 12 inch pan with me everyplace. Last fall, I hiked up to the top where the stream starts. All the rock outcropings have quartz. Found some gold all along the creek. Only panned hard in the lower part though. There the creek is not on bedrock so this year I am going up higher where I could see bedrock. Hope there is more water in the summer this year. No water flowing up high by September last year so had to just pan by standing water pools. I did see where there is about a 6 foot waterfall when the water is running. Thats the first place I am heading.

[prospectordamon]

lets see some pics!!