Just got into panning, I have some questions

[daworm]

Hi everyone,
Last week my wife bought me a Garrett's gold panning kit. She also bought me some paydirt off the web. Well I'm hooked. She's been talking about going Colorado for years. I think she knew I would get hooked, so she could have an excuse to go there.

A couple questions. What company sells the best paydirt online? I live in the UP of Michigan and from what I seen, there is really no gold up here.
While panning, are the ridges in the pan useful? It seems more useful going slow on the smooth side of the pan.

i guess I'm going to surprise my wife with a trip out to Colorado. I've seen someone post about a prospecting book for Colorado. Does anyone have any tips for panning out there?

Thank you

 

[A#1]

Well, i aint no pro, and aint in the UP.

I'm down by Traverse city.

I can tell you, that yes, the ridges are useful. Your garrett pan will work well speed panning things down for you.

I can also say, I have found gold everywhere I've looked across the northern lower. Not much, and only flakes. but everywhere. Down side is the best places are actually against the law to pan. Usually because they're designated as trout streams. I was kinda working backwards, I found the gold, then the law.....oops

Get yourself a magnifying headset, the gold is tiny till you start recognize it.

You have to process a lot of material to et anywhere. I use a recirculating LeTrap sluice too and after doing about 40 gallons of material over the summer, I'm up to about 30 flakes.

Like you....I wanna go somewhere better, lol

Good luck

 

[KevinInColorado]

The book is “Finding Gold in Colorado” by Kevin Singel (me). It takes you straight to any of 186 public, unclaimable dig sites you can enjoy. Learn more on Amazon, at miningbooks.com or of course findinggoldincolorado.com

 

[1637]

just buy a little gold and save shipping on the dirt.
good luck brad

 

[arizau]

There are many, many youtube videos about how to pan and use the ridges molded into them. Save everything in your bag of paydirt as you can mix it back up and pan it over and over again....Practice makes perfect.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

[vpnavy]

Hi everyone...

I noticed this was your very first post - so, Welcome Aboard Daworm! Take a look at Forum:Michigan for information (i.e., clubs, etc.) directly related to your state.

 

[N-Lionberger]

As an avid steel pan operator I must say the cheater riffles are overrated.

 

[Laz7777]

the riffles work best when there's a large amount of material. then shift to a smooth area to finish.
N-....do you cook in your steel pan? also, I was told by a steel-pan-man that plastic pans have no soul. do you think yours will go to heaven when it passes too?

 

[N-Lionberger]

I cook the water off my concentrates with my steel pan, for my food I prefer a cast iron pan. I think there might a difference between "having soul" and "having a soul" I'm probably wrong though.

 

[Capt Nemo]

There's plenty of gold in da yoop! Hit the beaches from Marquette to Whitefish Point.

 

[Panman]

Check out if there are any mining clubs where you're going and contact them. For the best pay dirt, you can go on line to Paydirtreviews and they rate all the different companies that sell pay dirt.