RIVER Gold

[MadMarshall]

I personally pay little attention to the river anymore...I hear people talk about the river moving and tracking pay lines and I have seen tons of Diagrams of how gold flows in the river. They always say look behind big boulders and on the inside of bends where the water slows ect ect... This I figure is the most common advice on looking for gold. And I figure some of the most misleading.. Though these areas are likely spots for gold how likely is it for gold to be there is it worth the time and effort? It has been in my experience that digging in the river or gravel bars one can expect to find gold but the gold is spotty some day good some days bad.. And you have to move allot of dirt...Not a very practical method for small scale prospectors or even the recreational prospector who is never sastisfide with a little gold.. It has been my experience that river is always changing and there is no such thing a ONE CONSISTANT PAY LINE that the gold follows year after year.. The gold path and the river is constantly changing..... So for me the river is a very unreliable source of information on gold habits.. One of my favorites things to hear from prospectors is that a got a honeyhole in the river that replenishes year after year Personally I have yet to find such a place and the majority of those circumstances their is another deposit near the one their digging replenishing it and most likely its coming from up higher not the river.. Dredging I guess is only real way to work a river.. Though I figure in the end it comes down to how much material you move and averaging your gold. (I know next to nothing about dredging). My point is that do not get tunnel vision!! Do not think just because it is not textbook location that it can't pay! To be honest I can not think of one textbook Gold location ever paying well. Now by no means am I saying ignore them but I would not use them as Guidelines. Personally the best gravel I found to be worth my time is old deposits higher up on benches they seem to have a good gold to dirt ratio.. Anyway Just some of my thoughts .. Always interested in your thoughts..


I though this place was tapped out.. But now I think the gold is actually coming down the hill.. The gold is being moved thru the hillside thru small fractures. I am still trying to understand this and still trying to exactly figure out where exactly my gold came from. I have my conspiracy theories but I am still trying to put all the clues together.. Anyway I figured it was just the one crack but was surprised to pull a slab out and find a fracture on the opposite corner with a cavity the size of my thumb filled with gold and clay. And this led me to start going back up the hill peeling up rocks as I went and I was surprised to see the gold content getting better.. Anyway I was happy keeps me from having to find a new spot plus its got my mind runnin crazy to much fun...


I made the trip to Humbug Bar such an awesome area and so much history and awesome mining equipment and tons of old mines.. I apologize but my camera battery died so I was ableto get all of its awesomeness!! Oh yea if you make a trip out their make sure to find the TURD BOOK! Hella cool read for any traveler who might find it..

 

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[Aufisher]

Mad rock breaking skills. Mad gold!

 

[bug]

I agree. We're probably a little too late for the textbook locations. Back in goldrush days they were surely great, but reworked over and over again, so that the paying fields are a bit tricky to figure these days.

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

Love your videos, and the knowledge and wisdom you pass along. Thanks