gold prospecting must haves

[dash4cash]

I have been bitten by the gold bug lol, and was wondering what tools you would not be able to go prospecting without. I have most of the small hand tools needed, classifiers, pans, buckets, hand dredge sucker, etc. I was wondering what else may help me be more successful on the river.

Thanks, Carl

 

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[OregonGold76]

Burke Bar

 

[Terry Soloman]

I have been bitten by the gold bug lol, and was wondering what tools you would not be able to go prospecting without. I have most of the small hand tools needed, classifiers, pans, buckets, hand dredge sucker, etc. I was wondering what else may help me be more successful on the river.

Thanks, Carl

Check out the Club in your area, and see what is working for them. Wisconsin is a lot different from Arizona, or California. Check in with the locals in the areas you prospect.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

It would depend a lot on where you're intending to prospect. My kit here in Arizona has just as much survival/dehydration equipment as it does prospecting, if not more. Three spots I really want to look at are having to wait until the fall because we can't conveniently and safely carry enough water for the hike and back to the truck.

Go with Terry's advise and join local clubs. You'll learn a lot and save yourself a crapload of time too.

 

[N-Lionberger]

Sluice box.

 

[pczim]

The ability to find gold.

 

[arizau]

Shovel. An obvious choice not on your original post.

 

[Rail Dawg]

Knowledgeable friend.

 

[dash4cash]

Not sure I understand the whole sluice box thing, does a sluice box recover fine gold better than panning or is it that you can run more dirt?? The club thing is a good idea, but this is something I want to do on my own, besides I would not be able to give anything back to the club which seems kinda unfair to me, I just don't have the time for a club right now, bass fishing, bass tournaments, self employed, archery shoots, archery club etc.

Thanks for the replies, Carl

 

[arizau]

Sluicing is much easier than panning and one can usually run much more material per outing. The collected sluice concentrates still need to be panned for gold recovery but, by definition, in a much smaller quantity and you can do that at home. Sluice choices are numerous but maybe someone will chime in with their favorites. I hand made mine and rarely use them since most of my prospecting is in arid areas. Relatively fast running water through a rocky riffle is where they are normally set up.

Good luck

 

[Capt Nemo]

Spend the money on a Flow Pan! I just hit Nugget Lake and it was bagging #300-400 no problem! That will catch everything WI has.

 

[et1955]

Not sure I understand the whole sluice box thing, does a sluice box recover fine gold better than panning or is it that you can run more dirt?? The club thing is a good idea, but this is something I want to do on my own, besides I would not be able to give anything back to the club which seems kinda unfair to me, I just don't have the time for a club right now, bass fishing, bass tournaments, self employed, archery shoots, archery club etc.

Thanks for the replies, Carl

When you find your first piece of gold, your life's priorities may change, all those other things you do may mean nothing, will you get the gold fever ? Clubs are there to help you and so are the old timers, second I was taught a lot of my mining knowledge by old timers who are long gone now and in respect for them I teach others what I have learned from them, you could do that too.

 

[Eu_citzen]

I'd say, yes, it depends on the local enviroment. My basic pack looks like this:

(Compass - for navigation, measuring geological features, if you have a map.)
Non-glaced porcelain - to find out the streakcolor, test minerals.
Knife; Preferably 2 of them, then a knife can be used for hardness testing of minerals.
Loupe - 10x triplet, used to study minerals.
Boots - good hiking boots.
Rubberboots
Extra dry socks, if it gets wet ...
Goldpan, sieve and shovel
Map / GPS - to navigate and tag finds.
Food, drinks and coffee pot. That includes dried fruits, nuts etc.
Backpack, ideally, most should fit in the backpack, 70L + is recommended.
Hammers, to break rock with. Eye protection and protective gloves are recommended.
Pen, make sure to mark specimens
Plastic bags to store specimens.
Clothes as needed.
Lighters, matches or the like. To make a fire to cook or something else.
A cooking vessel


If useful, I'll strap a sluice to my backpack.

 

[dash4cash]

When you find your first piece of gold, your life's priorities may change, all those other things you do may mean nothing, will you get the gold fever ? Clubs are there to help you and so are the old timers, second I was taught a lot of my mining knowledge by old timers who are long gone now and in respect for them I teach others what I have learned from them, you could do that too.

et1955, the bug has bitten me lol, I found my first piece over the holiday weekend.

Carl

 

[dash4cash]

I'd say, yes, it depends on the local enviroment. My basic pack looks like this:

(Compass - for navigation, measuring geological features, if you have a map.)
Non-glaced porcelain - to find out the streakcolor, test minerals.
Knife; Preferably 2 of them, then a knife can be used for hardness testing of minerals.
Loupe - 10x triplet, used to study minerals.
Boots - good hiking boots.
Rubberboots
Extra dry socks, if it gets wet ...
Goldpan, sieve and shovel
Map / GPS - to navigate and tag finds.
Food, drinks and coffee pot. That includes dried fruits, nuts etc.
Backpack, ideally, most should fit in the backpack, 70L + is recommended.
Hammers, to break rock with. Eye protection and protective gloves are recommended.
Pen, make sure to mark specimens
Plastic bags to store specimens.
Clothes as needed.
Lighters, matches or the like. To make a fire to cook or something else.
A cooking vessel


If useful, I'll strap a sluice to my backpack.

Thanks for the reply, with a pack loaded with all that stuff I would have to hire someone to carry it for me lol.

Carl

 

[Eu_citzen]

Thanks for the reply, with a pack loaded with all that stuff I would have to hire someone to carry it for me lol.

Carl

Hahha, yeah. I go equipped for basic sampling with pan, hard rock and some basic geological mapping. Basically an all-round set.
Including food & water, I probably end up near 10-20 Kgs. An 8 hour day in the woods and I'm beat.

 

[Laz7777]

my basics:
1. Patience
2. Persistence

without the above, nothing you can buy will be worth a damn.

 

[1637]

mule to haul this,sorry,i tell my friends that all iam missing.brad

I'd say, yes, it depends on the local enviroment. My basic pack looks like this:

(Compass - for navigation, measuring geological features, if you have a map.)
Non-glaced porcelain - to find out the streakcolor, test minerals.
Knife; Preferably 2 of them, then a knife can be used for hardness testing of minerals.
Loupe - 10x triplet, used to study minerals.
Boots - good hiking boots.
Rubberboots
Extra dry socks, if it gets wet ...
Goldpan, sieve and shovel
Map / GPS - to navigate and tag finds.
Food, drinks and coffee pot. That includes dried fruits, nuts etc.
Backpack, ideally, most should fit in the backpack, 70L + is recommended.
Hammers, to break rock with. Eye protection and protective gloves are recommended.
Pen, make sure to mark specimens
Plastic bags to store specimens.
Clothes as needed.
Lighters, matches or the like. To make a fire to cook or something else.
A cooking vessel


If useful, I'll strap a sluice to my backpack.

 

[N-Lionberger]

A good pack frame to strap all your gear on is pretty handy. When I get a bigger place I plan on getting a mule or some burros, has long been a dream of mine.

 

[dash4cash]

I believe I have all the basics needed to be successful on the river, good back pack with 2 pans 14 inch, 1/8 and 30 mesh classifiers, rock hammer, 1/2 and 1 inch chisels, snuffer bottle just in case lol, 12 and 16 inch screw drivers for cleaning crevises {spelling},gold buddy hand dredge, 32 inch pry bar, small gravel shovel, bug spray, magnifying glass, couple pair tweezers, soft brushes, head lamp, jet dry, and a 5 gallon bucket.

Carl