MA/VT/NH Panning

[dvdtharaldson]

Hi ,

This is the first time I have posted on this website. I live in Western MA and am planning a trip during the last few days of September to Vermont to try my luck panning. I was going to try Buffalo Brook and Five Corners in the Bridgewater area. Does anybody know how far down you ordinarily have to dig to hit black sands in those areas? Any comments on whether you have to dig deep or just stay on the surface? I was thinking Irene probably deposited alot of flood gold on the surface. Does anybody know if some of the small brooks high up in the mts. north of Bridgewater contain gold? All I ever hear is Buffalo Brook and Five Corners. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. As you probably could tell I am new to panning for gold.

Thanks,

David

 

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[dvdtharaldson]

Hello Everyone and Merry Christmas,

I have been trying my luck at panning for about 2 years. I consider myself a pretty good panner, but not a great one. I know all the basics and am able to pan down to black sands without much trouble. Alot of times when i am researching fine gold recovery, I hear of expert panners changing up the technique a bit in order to keep more of the fine gold in the bottom of the pan. I usually classify all the gravel (4x,8x,20x) and then pan each size seperately. Does anybody know any of the "tricks" that experienced panners use to improve their efficiency when panning fines? Specifically keeping the fines in the pan and out of the river?

Thanks,
David

 

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[tigershark11]

dvdtharldson, I have enjoyed your thread with all the information.And everyone who has contributed ideas has been very informative. I live in northeast Ma. on the northern most town in Ma., Salisbury. I am interested in trying my hand at panning. If nothing else it seems a fun way to spend some free time in the outdoors. I hope to start out slow and get my feet wet. I am definetely going to have to get up to speed with colors, garnets, black sands and everything else. I have posted a few times a couple of months ago but then life seemed to get in the way. Now it's winter and too cold to get out and pan. But dedinetely a good time to do some research. Well, just wanted to say thanks for posting an informative post and look forward to reading more. Oh and Happy New Year!

 

[dvdtharaldson]

Tigershark11,
Its great to hear from you and thanks for the vote of confidence. I try to respond to everybody who offers an opinion on this thread. Often times I find that most of the contributors/readers know far more than I do. I am just learning myself and have found all the info from everybody extremely helpfull. However there is no substitute for actually getting out there and doing it yourself. I am actually astonished by how much I have learned in two years. The thing that surprized me the most is just how small the flecks of gold are. Happy New Year and we will see you on the river!


David T

 

[dvdtharaldson]

Hello to all,

I have decided to try to construct a "wash plant" using my Mac Kirk sluice (recon) as the center piece. Does anybody know how much cfm of water I need running over the sluice. I need to buy a pump that can provide the necessary cfm, but I dont know how big a pump i need. Thanks for any help.

DVDT

 

[menotomymaps]

Tigershark11,
The thing that surprized me the most is just how small the flecks of gold are.
David T

Ain't that the truth!

 

[E.MassAuMan]

David

While I was off for 10 days during Christmas/New Years, I built a "wash plant", taking some ideas from a gentleman who has a video on the Sluicing Forum under LeTrap ( August '12 date) with some PVC piping I had at home, some plastic hose,and I would recommend you visit your local Harbor Freight store for the Pump. I bought the 200 Gal/Hr one for $10, they have one that is 264 Gal/Hr for about $13,
these are for Outdoor Fish Ponds and work quite well. I processed the dirt from our trip in early Dec to Couch/Shattuck Brook, I did catch what came out of my Sluice, which is a $7 Thingy you put under a downspout and is available at Home Depot, looks much like a LeTrap Sluice. The key was the slope of the "sluice", at least with my little creation. I did catch garnets and such ( I had removed the BLack Sands/Iron with a Magnet beforehand). I will pan it out at some point and if the weather dows hold out as forecast for the weekend, may take a trip out "west". The thread recommended that you get the
264 Gal/Hr one.

Good Luck, maybe we will bump into each other at some point!

 

[E.MassAuMan]

David
Scroll Down a few Posts and watch the Video
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/sluicing/291844-le-trap-sluice.html

 

[dvdtharaldson]

Regarding prospecting in western massachusetts, has anyone worked Pelham Stream in Rowe, or Black Brook in Savoy? I have read that they are deposition sites for fines. I have never personally worked the streams around Rte 2, but hear some people find colors in the area.
Any info would be appreciated. I also heard that the bridge leading to Black Brook was washed out. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

Thanks,

David

 

[E.MassAuMan]

David
Have not worked the streams you mentioned but I can tell you that Black Brook Rd, at the point where Black Brook enters the Cold River and the road intersects with Rt 2 near the
Mohawk Trail SP was completely undermined/washed out by Hurricane Irene as as of this past Fall was not being worked on. Access would be extremely difficult as it is quite steep
and the Cold River area in Charlemont is NOT worth prospecting.
I owuld suggest Tatro/Maxwell Brook area instead up Rt 8

anyways we got our first gold, albeit small, back in December from Couch Brook and really lloking forward to getting back out there soon if the weather cooperates.
I would think it is running pretty good right now with the Rain and Snow Melt

Good Luck

 

[dvdtharaldson]

E.MassAuMan,

Thanks for the info I really appreciate it. I will have to find an alternate way of getting at Black Brook. I was thinking of taking a trip up to Mohawk Trail SP for a trout fishing /prospecting vacation in late April. You said that the cold river wasnt worth prospecting around Charlemont. Have you personally prospected there a few times? Any thoughts about further up towards Savoy where Black Brook empties into it? Glad to hear about your success at Couch Brook!

David

 

[E.MassAuMan]

We prospected this past summer about 1/2 mile down where Black Brook flows into the Cold River, Alot of Magnetite/Black Sand and garnet but no gold. I beleive that the state basically covered a good amount of the Cold River "bed" along Rt 2 with RipRap to facilitate getting trucks/equipment in there to rebuild the damage from Irene.
This year we are going to try some of tributaries that flow into the Deerfield up near the Hoosac Tunnel when we get out to Charlemont, along with Maxwell/Tatro Brooks.

Was hoping to get out this weekend to Leyden but this snow pack and the cold weather made me wait for another weekend
Good Luck

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

If anybody wants to join up and learn what gold looks like and where to find in New Hampshire please pm me. I never get skunked where i go and more hands means more gold found. Id be happy to set up a dig with a few people and show the ropes of sluicing and moving the most material. Moving material is paramount and there is much better gold to be found up north a bit.

 

[dvdtharaldson]

GrizzlyG,

Thanks for replying to my pm. Just wondering are you familiar with(hiking,fishing,prospecting) the Indian Stream area or the Dead/Swift Diamond areas?

David

 

[LostinBolton]

I was thinking of trying out the swift river not far from Conway this season. Has anyone had any luck around three?

 

[dvdtharaldson]

Lost in Bolton,
I have been to the Kanc. Hwy in NH several times. I have done alot of hiking, fishing, and camping along the Swift River, but that was before I even knew there were colors in New England. I started prospecting about 2 years ago. If you pm GrizzleyGremlin(above) I 'll bet he could give you specifics on the area. Good Luck and keep the posts coming! Successes and Failures.

David

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

I have vastly more experience hunting and fishing NH than prospecting and take it seriously. In 2009 i caught a state record tautog at hampton beach which was a 10 year record. It was broken 4 days after i broke it but thats my luck! The best gold in NH in my opinion is west and north of the white mountains. Just about every stream up that way has gold but sometimes it is deep. I stick to just 3 river drainages as the glaciers left these areas shallow. I wear orange crocks on my feet at all times. Im easy to spot!

 

[LostinBolton]

Thanks DVD... When I was a kid camping on the Kanc I found what I saw as color but I was told it was just fools gold and was just a kid. Since then the private campground, invite only, has closed when the person past away. It was just below the WMNF zone so the rules are a little better. I plan on stopping in and see if I know who is still there. Who knows what happens over the years...

 

[dvdtharaldson]

I was wondering if anybody has done any prospecting on the little river that follows rte112 in the Huntington/Worthington area. I was up there today for a couple of hours, didn't find any colors, but i did see what I believe to be a mink. It was fun to get out prospecting for the first time this year. I was actually digging by a rock that was the size of a small house. The area didnt seem to contain very many heavies, at least not where I was digging. The water was fast and the snow was four inches deep. Oh yeah, my waders leak.

 

[LostinBolton]

I was wondering if anybody has done any prospecting on the little river that follows rte112 in the Huntington/Worthington area. I was up there today for a couple of hours, didn't find any colors, but i did see what I believe to be a mink. It was fun to get out prospecting for the first time this year. I was actually digging by a rock that was the size of a small house. The area didnt seem to contain very many heavies, at least not where I was digging. The water was fast and the snow was four inches deep. Oh yeah, my waders leak.

We're you above or below the dam? I have heard of some people have some luck up there. You might be better off 57 toward Grandville.

 

[dvdtharaldson]

LostinBolton,

I was above the dam by the high hopes sugar shack. When you posted a couple of weeks ago about the swift near conway i assumed you were talking new hampshire. I didnt realize you were so familiar with western mass. Where are you from? As an aside I will be heading up to the wild am in nh in about three weeks. After that its going to be a trip down the kanc. I hope the trout will be biting and the nuggets plentiful. I certainly will be embaressed if I don't find any of either.

David