First gold nugget

Gravelwasher

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Jan 3, 2011
523
689
El Dorado County
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Minelab
Hello all, :hello:

Just wanted to share my first nuggets ever, everything prior was gold dust, flakes and pickers.

Saturday A longtime friend came sluicing with me on a little creek not far from my house. We had about a half gram day with one picker with quartz still attached and one baby picker, was a great time socializing and sluicing down in the canyon. Today I got out with a new guy and we hit it of and made friends after emailing and talking on the phone for the last few months. Gold buddy took me to a secret spot on a little known creek to do some detecting. I had no idea what to expect even though he talked it up good and told me he left a nugget in the bedrock last time he visited the spot. So right off he showed me the nugget, I could tell it was for real not planted. He has way more detecting experience than me and taught me a lot today. I asked him if I could move a large semi boulderish rock and look under it as it was close to his first nugget, he said go for it if you find something its yours. I got my detector ready and moved the boulder with his help and scraped the overburden away. I got a nice mellow gold signal and he confirmed it and he lent me a chisel to open up the crack, took about a half hour and I finally liberated my first nugget ever!!!! A real nice half dime size pc flat and with lots of nice character, wow my first true nugget!! I found a old rusted bottle cap and what I thought was going to be my first ounce nugget that turned out to be a big lead slug from a bullet. I headed down stream following in his path and looking for a spot he may have passed up. On the other side of the creek I found a nice looking pc of bedrock and started detecting it and had a very faint signal, I scraped away the top layer to see if the signal would get stronger and it did, it sounded like my first target so I began busting the crack open. Pulled out a nice 1.1 gram nugget cylindrical in shape, then put the coil back over it and hit another signal looked closer and could see the nugget on my rocks that I pulled out, wow couldent believe it!! Gold buddy found me at this spot and I shared my finds with him and told him I was getting another signal in the same spot still!!! He confirmed it and I broke more bedrock and scraped and coerced more material out and he loaned me his pan as mine was up stream aways, he panned some out and was a nice picker. I scraped some more and found another little picker. A total of 3.1 grams for the day of 3-4 hours, what a day to say the least :) Later, Gravelwasher
 

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Gravelwasher

Gravelwasher

Hero Member
Jan 3, 2011
523
689
El Dorado County
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Minelab
Vance, :hello:
would love to head up, have some stuff to do first and my two partners fell off the planet. Will make it up for sure sooner or later. Still doing research online and making arrangements before I can go though looks to be in the five year plan, like some punk kids in high school..lol I really want to go and do some dredging in the rivers one summer so when I get all my ducks lined up will travel for sure. Maybe I can find some nuggets in the meantime to help fund the trip. would sure be nice, plus I need to find the right people to do this thing with. :laughing7:
 

Vance in AK

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Feb 15, 2010
589
574
Kenai, Alaska
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Fisher GB II. Whites GM II.
Vance, :hello:
would love to head up, have some stuff to do first and my two partners fell off the planet. Will make it up for sure sooner or later. Still doing research online and making arrangements before I can go though looks to be in the five year plan, like some punk kids in high school..lol I really want to go and do some dredging in the rivers one summer so when I get all my ducks lined up will travel for sure. Maybe I can find some nuggets in the meantime to help fund the trip. would sure be nice, plus I need to find the right people to do this thing with. :laughing7:

If there is ever anything I can to help make it happen for you let me know! i like to see guys get to turn dreams into reality through hard work!
 

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Gravelwasher

Gravelwasher

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Jan 3, 2011
523
689
El Dorado County
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Detector(s) used
Minelab
Vance, That is mighty kind of you, really appreciate all the help I can get. Will be in touch for sure as I really want to get out there and see some beautiful places and sample some of the areas and maybe work with my dredge on a claim for a few weeks. Only problem once I get up there I may not ever come back, I love to fish, hike, camp and prospect..lol Dosent look good for this summer as my extra cash has gone into a tile dinning room and kitchen floor plus counter tops. Has bought me some good prospecting credits with my wife though..lol
 

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Vance in AK

Hero Member
Feb 15, 2010
589
574
Kenai, Alaska
Detector(s) used
Fisher GB II. Whites GM II.
Looks great, & a happy wife is worth a TRUCK LOAD of gold!
I won't let my wife see this or she will be selling my truck to fly you up here to do our kitchen! Tile countertops & backsplash (along w/newsink & faucet) are on the "To Do" list.
 

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Gravelwasher

Gravelwasher

Hero Member
Jan 3, 2011
523
689
El Dorado County
🥇 Banner finds
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Detector(s) used
Minelab
Vance,
I have a great neighbor that did most of the tile work , I just helped him and tried to learn as much as I could.
 

mjarvis

Full Member
Jan 4, 2013
218
28
Gold river
Detector(s) used
Bounty hunter. Whites MXT, whites pinpointer
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Wow!! Great finds, can't wait to find my first!! I've been out only once this year but can't wait to start a new adventure. I can only imagine what it's like to find the first one!! Nice job
 

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