DOES GRIDDING A BEACH OR ZIG ZAGING PRODUCE MORE FINDS ?

[streetglide]

I have tried gridding beach areas but it gets boring after a while. I rather zig zag around ? What do others prefer to do ? Thanks Joe

 

[adamBomb]

I prefer to just walk/zigzag up the beach along the water line. Sometimes I grid and sometimes I zigzag. It just depends. If I go in front of a hotel or populated spot I will grid. If I am just out for a walk I will probably zigzag along the water line. I mean its the beach so I am just glad to be getting fresh air and having fun. Obviously for the best finds you would probably grid an area that you are fairly sure there will be finds.

 

[fongu]

I usually start out in a straight line from shore and if I don't find anything I work toward the dock where lots of people hang out. Lots of trash, but good targets there as well. Anytime I find a good target, I work in a square around the target N-S and E-W and quite a few times if I hit one good target, I find others doing this. It may be different in the ocean, but fresh water swim areas work this way for me.

 

[TheRingFinder]

If you don't grid search, you are missing items.

 

[Fletch88]

I like to zig zag until I find the right target densities then grid the heck out of that area and/or line

 

[TommyB]

I always grid. It's the most efficient way to hunt. I don't miss much. I always watch the others guys that show up a little later go over the area I covered and they don't seem to find ANYTHING. I may do one section of beach, go back another day and do another section.

 

[lorraine]

streetglide, here's what I do:

I always grid; I start with a perimeter and continue in a square or rectangle going into the area. I also overlap where my scoop drag mark is seen as I try to not miss an inch of coverage.

The only time I work straight is at the beginning of a hunt as I go parallel to the water line prior to gridding.

I wish you the best out there,

Lorraine

 

[streetglide]

Thank you for input. I will put more time in to gridding areas. I will see how it works out

 

[MrMikeJackie]

What exactly are you gridding? Are you reading the beach first for likely areas that will hold finds? I usually pick a high spot, scope out the entire beach, look for good areas and work my way there. On the way I take several test scoops checking the sand conditions and zig zag my way there. Once I find a target I circle it checking for the likelihood of a pocket. If I start getting many iron hits I slow way down and grid the area. Iron equals heavy targets and the idea that no one else has worked that area because they tend to stay away from iron. Once I do find a pocket I will most likely work it until my machine cannot pickup any signals. There are times in the winter where I can work a pocket several days over with my regular machine until nothing more sounds off, then I return and hit it with the PI and pickup many more targets.

 

[Jackalope]

Gridding makes sense if you are:

1. Searching for a lost item in a known area
2. Removing masking agents (iron) to uncover hidden non-ferrous targets

If you have no special knowledge where good targets are located beyond generalized search areas (parallel to the low-tide line or towel line for instance), then as long as you are covering ground within the most likely area (and not wandering about repeatedly crisscrossing the same area you've already searched) you are as likely to hit a good target as if you gridded a specific location.

 

[lookindown]

Gridding makes sense if you are:

1. Searching for a lost item in a known area
2. Removing masking agents (iron) to uncover hidden non-ferrous targets

If you have no special knowledge where good targets are located beyond generalized search areas (parallel to the low-tide line or towel line for instance), then as long as you are covering ground within the most likely area (and not wandering about repeatedly crisscrossing the same area you've already searched) you are as likely to hit a good target as if you gridded a specific location.

Your exactly right...you wont find anymore gridding than you will zig sagging...unless you grid the WHOLE beach...if you make say 500 sweeps with your coil in a grid, you cover the same square inches that you would cover zig sagging...I slow down and grid when I think Im at a hot spot, like in front of a fancy motel or a spot where a big concentration of people were...if Im hunting a random strip of beach, I zig zag, go in a straight line, grid or whatever hits me at the moment...gridding is boring to me.

 

[lookindown]

I prefer to just walk/zigzag up the beach along the water line. Sometimes I grid and sometimes I zigzag. It just depends. If I go in front of a hotel or populated spot I will grid. If I am just out for a walk I will probably zigzag along the water line. I mean its the beach so I am just glad to be getting fresh air and having fun. Obviously for the best finds you would probably grid an area that you are fairly sure there will be finds.

I do the same thing...on wet sand and in the water.

 

[lost items recovery]

I often zig zag until I hit a few targets close together then work vertically up and down the beach and look back as to where the targets are recovered from. Then a line of targets parallel to shore is usually seen (but more so near cuts) then I hold the line until it fades out.
And rinse

 

[Escape]

I dont find gridding boaring. If im griding its becsuse I found a spot that warrents it based on a concentration of signals or phisical land features I beleive Will zig zag around untill I find these spots.

 

[Terry Soloman]

While "prospecting" a beach I will work a "lightning" pattern, or zig-zag from wet sand to knee- deep water and back, as I work up or down the beach. When I locate a trough or hit hard pack, I grid the area completely. In the dry sand, I always grid the towel and high tide lines. Gridding is boring and time consuming. No one enjoys gridding, but the technique is proven.

 

[Escape]

If your finding it boring your probly not finding anything. If you ate finding stuff griding, how can it be booring?

 

[Escape]

However you do it. make it fun.

 

[lookindown]

However you do it. make it fun.

Now you got it...there may be a best way but no right or wrong way...do whats right for you.

 

[HARRASS]

Something different... if you have a large open are to cover I pick the center and work in a circle. I drag my scoop so I know where I have covered. You end up with a nice spiral pattern.

 

[lookindown]

Something different... if you have a large open are to cover I pick the center and work in a circle. I drag my scoop so I know where I have covered. You end up with a nice spiral pattern.

There are some veteran hunters that find lots of gold that use that spiral search.