Ethan,
What most are trying to say is NONE of us are in your area. You need to find what beaches are used the most. Then it is a crap shoot. In order to find something it has to be lost. If there are 10 thousand people on the beach and none of them lose anything. Then nothing will be found.
HOWEVER, sometimes finding gold and silver you have to look OUTSIDE the BOX. WHERE was there a beach in the 20's - 50's that people don't use anymore? Where WAS a swim area for teenagers that wanted to get away from the main crowd. Where WAS an amusement park on the shore of the ocean or a lake. Where was an old campsite on a lake?
Go to your local library and find were people gathered. DON'T just follow everyone that look at the present beaches and hopes to find a ring. The fact is that many rings lost now are tungsten, titanium or stainless steel all worth absolutely nothing. You want rings lost years ago.
Sure I hunt places that people gather today. I found 12 100.00 bills folded and laying together on the bottom one day. BUT I don't hit those spots all the time. I find new spots. Spots that no other detectorist have thought of. Spots that nobody even remembers what used to be there.
One one lake I was just zig zaging and hearing nothing till I got a signal then I slowed down. I found what I believe was a church camp at one time. Lots of silver coins, lots of religious medallions and 14 gold rings. That is one of many places I have discovered.
Go out and have fun and don't get discouraged. Sure I come home empty handed sometimes. However, I always have a great peaceful time and enjoy the world around me.
One word of caution. KNOW the laws. On private lakes in Michigan IF a homeowner lets you on, you are allowed on the pie shaped piece of property he owns out to the center of the lake PERIOD. As soon as you step foot on a neighbors part of the water you are trespassing. On public lakes you have access to the whole lake up to the high water mark. So even if the lake is low, you can be out of the water all the way around it. On the great lakes NOBODY owns a beach up to the high water mark. I don't know the laws in your area.
Go out and ENJOY. You can be rewarded if you put in the research or just the time.