Let Dredging Begin (nugget photos)

[nuggy]

The sky has cleared and the forecast is good. There is still a lot of snow on the high country, but I have loaded my recently reconstructed 4" dredge into my 4x4 and tomorrow I will start dredging again. First trip for about 10 or 12 years.
As it's still a bit chilly I'm going to be sticking to waders for a start, the wet suit can wait for another month and higher temperatures. There is also a minor question as to whether the wet suit will still fit me as I've consumed quite a lot of good quality food since then, and put on a pound or few. It was pretty tight back about 1997 too.
The creek I'm heading to is on a friends claim and is not snow fed luckily. The bottom is sandstone and from one to four feet below water level on average. Stone size is quite small, nothing I can't easily lift so no need for winching gear or the big crow bar. There has been a lot of activity around the creek from gold miners over the last hundred odd years, but he believes it has not been dredged before, hope he's right.
He has been very generous with his percentage request, I get the first ounce per week, then fifty fifty on everything over that. I told him if there's no gold he can have my share too. But he'd heard that one before, probably from me as we go back quite a way.
Hope I have remembered to pack everything I need. I will take the camera and try to load a few photos on here soon.

 

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[kuger]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

Thats a good deal,mine get half of everything!If it wasnt for them though,I wouldnt have anything!!

Good luck!I am jealous!

 

[strickman]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

that is a very fair request from the claim holder , can't ask for a better deal than that . NOW FOR THE SAD NEWS-------- your wetsuit don't fit ! trust me --- i know from experience .when ever you put a wetsuit up , no matter how long ....... but especially after a couple of years ..........little green men come by and shrink it !!!!!!!!! they are a mischievous bunch and even if you haven't gained an ounce it will be tighter ,i had several that have shrunk - a lot ..... one will not even fit my smallest son - and it was a x-lg . i have lost weight since i wore it last and there is no way i could get it on ..... it seems the thicker the suit the more they shrink ......... i tried to soak it and stretch it - to no avail ......... but i do wish you luck , hope yours fits and want to see those oz's in your pan . but no matter what you will have a great time getting back at it - next time don't wait so long . you will wish you had never stopped , once it is in your blood it never goes away ......it's not the money , you can't buy happiness ..........well maybe you can but it would cost more than a dredging trip !!!!!!!!!!

 

[nuggy]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

Well I had my dredging trip. A mixed bag results wise, firstly the photos are way too dark, only one is viewable and I think I have got it on here. Shows my dredge floating in a little gorge under forest canopy, very shady.
The dredge performed pretty well, plenty of suction and not too many block ups. I didn't have enough flotation though, and the box was unstable, tipping forward and back too much for good gold retention. Easily solved though - I will add two more plastic containers.
Gold wise it was disappointing, only about half a gram, one 60th of an ounce for two hours dredging. I exposed about a square yard of bottom but this was dropping away into a hole that I couldn't work in waders.
The bit that performed badly was me! After an hour of bending and moving rocks my lower back and hips started to lock up and I constantly had to straighten up to ease the pain. After a half hour break I managed to do another hour, but by then I could barely walk and had to stop for another half hour, before I could start carrying out my equipment.
I will have another go when my mate the rocknroller gets here for the summer. A rocknroller is a dredgers assistant, " grab that rock n roll er out of the way".
My mate is fifteen years younger than me, six foot five and strong as a bull. We can work shifts on the nozzle, and working in the wet suit will make it easier too.

 

[nuggy]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

Hi Strickman, yep I shouldn't have left it so long for sure, but circumstances change and I had to sell the 5 inch floater some years back. I kept a lot of bits and pieces though, of various dredges I've owned since I bought my first one in 1979. Managed to combine half of that old stuff - with a few modifications, and build up the current 4 inch. I am also going to use the pump and hose to run a highbanker as well.
Not very optimistic about getting into the old wetsuit after what you said. Too stiff and sore to even try today, but I will dig it out and give it a go in a few days time.

 

[strickman]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

I was not meaning to dishearten you ,actually I was poking fun . I have recently went thru this myself with several wetsuits and the only I could get into was a thin [very thin ] spring suit . I froze my butt off early this spring but did find a little shine I put up a post "who shrunk my wetsuit ?" I wondered the same thing ...... best of luck ,hope you get your flotation fixed -----when you do your sure to do better.....mine had a similar problem ,I bought an after market motor/ pump that was a lot heavier ,it was way to front heavy . once fixed I did do a LOT better..

 

[nuggy]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

Ah ok, well I guess the little green men bit did tip me off, lol. Thought you were serious about the wet suits shrinking, though when you said you had lost weight I found that a foreign concept.
It didn't dishearten me though, as I fully expected the wet suit to be too small. I have a pair of jeans from back then and they don't fit.
You are right about dredging getting into your blood. I often think about previous dredging trips, and sucking up those little golden delights. There is nothing quite like getting down onto bedrock and seeing the little pickers lying there in clusters or rows. Arranged along a crevice or strangely up along the peak of a small bedrock ridge. Getting so deep into a huge crevice that ran across the river that my feet were way below bedrock and the view up past them to where dredge looked very small up above me. Wish I could have bottomed that one, but it went down too tight to get into and the dredge ran out of hose and suction.
Just for interest I've included a pic of the old 5 inch. Nuggy

 

[strickman]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

they will shrink, after being put up for a while -esp. if they go thru a lot of temp changes ,and stay dry . once you soak them and stretch -and stretch etc. etc. etc. they will loosen a little . i couldn't get mine back to original size ,i also have a hood that done the same thing ,i did soak it for a long time and stretch it over a lg. plastic container -and let dry it did help [i can wear it now but it is tight ] and i know my head hasn't grown any .....

 

[AU Seeker]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

Neoprene will shrink over time due to the latex within it's makeup drying out, the same as other rubber material will crack as the latex dry out.


Skip

 

[Hoser John]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

Just soak in the tub if your not going to use for a year--disinfect with -stop the stink or any other anti bacterial soap to remove the ungodly amount of skin imbedded into the rubber and cloth,dry completely intside first and then outside and keep out of the direct sun,store in a garmet bag BONE DRY and always soak extremely good prior to use to rehydrate them foam cells first-I put in at least 1,200-1500 hours a year(when dredging was legal) and have good quality Harvey suits last many years with suit glue on all seams is the MOST important preventative measure tons a au 2 u 2 -John

 

[Lanny in AB]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

Nice thread Nuggy--You'll have to get some more pictures. Man, I wanted to be in the river when you were describing that big crack that kept on going--that's the kind of crack problem dredgers dream about! I also enjoyed the way you described how the gold organizes itself for you in various places on the bedrock--brought back a lot of memories.

I think it's hard for people to visualize when they've never been dredging before. I enjoy nugget shooting, sluicing, and dredging--all for different reasons. They all have their own differing attractions for me, and I'm glad I've done them all.

Well, thanks again for posting, and keep updating so that I can get my fix while my golden world is frozen solid.

All the best,

Lanny

Here's a shot of one of my earlier dredging operations, and a shot of one taken the next year:

 

[nuggy]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

Thanks Lanny, yes those photos get the blood pumping alright, yours are great and remind me of times I've had. Though why being soaked in dam cold water, shifting heavy rocks and carrying all that equipment along a boulder strewn river bed is such fun - I'm not too sure, perhaps I'm not quite right in the head. When you add in all the political bs we have to put up with, perhaps I should have taken up bowling!
NAH, I just need a better set of pack straps for my carrying frame, a few improvements on my nozzle and away I'll go again.
Got an invitation to go with a friend who jet boats right to his suction sluicing spot, and has a bigger more powerful machine than mine. When his ankle heals we will go for a trip. My camera will be along with me, and I will make sure the photos come out better this time.
Time to see what Eagle has been up to. Later Nuggy

 

[strickman]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

there is no peace ,like the peace you experience when you are under water dredging . the fish swimming in for a quick meal . the melodic noises made as the cobbles bump around .you are at one with the river , if you listen you can hear it talk. you move the sand and rock ,watching as the character of the river is exposed .then you find natures hiding spots ,nothing like that nugget just waiting to be exposed .hiding in the crack almost out of sight ,as you see it the blood starts pumping .suddenly you are not cold anymore . then you expose a little at a time holding your breath ,hoping its only the tip showing -and always hoping it's bigger than you thought . there is a beauty ,a serenity that cannot be explained .you are at one with nature ,the river and your thoughts .time has no bounds , a second -an hour ,a day --------are all the same . and before you know it it's all over ,it's time to go ---------where did all the time go ?

 

[Lanny in AB]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

Wow Strickman--wonderfully stated. I was instantly transported to the full-stream experience--excellently done. With your permission, I'll just elaborate on one of your finer, descriptive points: I particularly enjoyed the imagery of the tip of that exposed gold--the forever dredger's yearning of earnest hope that the uncovered point is part of something much bigger. That liquid, crystal, chilled vision really does get the blood pumping, especially when just a bit more of the concealing overburden is exposed as the nozzle, in that unforgettable v-shaped jet-stream of living water alive with scurrying miniature stream particles, gently pulls and sifts with delicate liquid fingers just enough force to eagerly, yet magically reveal the true size and shape of what's been resting there, undiscovered by man's gaze for undisturbed eons.

Beautifully done Strickman--your descriptions generated a turbo-charged flashback that gave me the ultimate virtual stream experience!

All the best, and thanks again for dunking me in the river today, with all this cold weather, I needed it!!

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

Nuggy--I love how you describe the miserable things we do to ourselves to get to the gold. To a sane person, it must appear as ludicrous. If you think about it long enough--it really doesn't make any sense, that is, unless you've been there chasing those enigmatic riddles that nature's so good at hiding, and ultimately experienced the rush of finally uncovering some of them! I appreciate how you understand the frustration of bureaucracy and limitations--some are good for all involved, others almost drive you insane--we've both been there.

All the best with your season,

Lanny

 

[nuggy]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

Everywhere I've dredged, or mined by hand or with an excavator, the bedrock has waves that slowly dip then rise up and down the valley. The rises are there also in the riverside terraces and you can follow the lows or highs to the side and they carry on into the hill - with more wash on them as you go into the hill. On my old licence I could see where the old timers had followed this high bottom into the hillside to get good wash without having a lot of digging away of overburden.
Some of the lows have at some time, had side feeder creeks running down them, and where these were rich old time miners followed - either by tunneling or ground sluicing. I have seen the pattern repeated in many other places, here and in Australia.
This is why some rivers or creeks have sections where the bedrock appears then disappears under gravel etc.
When working in creeks I notice, as I move upstream the rises get closer together, and even when I don't see them because of overlying gravel - they are still there and the tell tale signs are: larger rocks - rapids - ends of long pools.
This is good to know because it enables me to get onto bottom faster. Slowly suctioning down in a deep spot may well be the way to go in some places, but I would rather follow the bedrock down, getting into crevices and seeing gold early on in the day. Setting up a good working face with a bench if it gets over four or so feet of wash high, saves having rocks fall down unexpectedly and painfully when you have your face against the bottom trying to make out if thats gold or a yellow rock you can see sticking out. Even getting your hand crushed like this is painful and makes the rest of the job harder, as you try to avoid using that hand.
Even when detecting this is good to know, as it means you can find places where the bedrock is higher and the nuggets closer to the surface. Later Nuggy

 

[Lanny in AB]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

Everywhere I've dredged, or mined by hand or with an excavator, the bedrock has waves that slowly dip then rise up and down the valley. The rises are there also in the riverside terraces and you can follow the lows or highs to the side and they carry on into the hill - with more wash on them as you go into the hill. On my old licence I could see where the old timers had followed this high bottom into the hillside to get good wash without having a lot of digging away of overburden.
Some of the lows have at some time, had side feeder creeks running down them, and where these were rich old time miners followed - either by tunneling or ground sluicing. I have seen the pattern repeated in many other places, here and in Australia.
This is why some rivers or creeks have sections where the bedrock appears then disappears under gravel etc.
When working in creeks I notice, as I move upstream the rises get closer together, and even when I don't see them because of overlying gravel - they are still there and the tell tale signs are: larger rocks - rapids - ends of long pools.
This is good to know because it enables me to get onto bottom faster. Slowly suctioning down in a deep spot may well be the way to go in some places, but I would rather follow the bedrock down, getting into crevices and seeing gold early on in the day. Setting up a good working face with a bench if it gets over four or so feet of wash high, saves having rocks fall down unexpectedly and painfully when you have your face against the bottom trying to make out if thats gold or a yellow rock you can see sticking out. Even getting your hand crushed like this is painful and makes the rest of the job harder, as you try to avoid using that hand.
Even when detecting this is good to know, as it means you can find places where the bedrock is higher and the nuggets closer to the surface. Later Nuggy

Such great advice Nuggy. These are the things that only experience and long hours of wrestling the Anaconda, and long hours of shifting rocks will only teach you. Wow--you're giving some excellent tips in this little post. Sad thing is that most people won't know how much it cost you to get that wisdom, and here you are giving it away for free.

For those that wish to pay attention--this is great stuff!! The tips on how to follow and read the quirks and patterns of the bedrock, and the tips on how to stay safe--fantastic.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[nuggy]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

there is no peace ,like the peace you experience when you are under water dredging . the fish swimming in for a quick meal . the melodic noises made as the cobbles bump around .you are at one with the river , if you listen you can hear it talk. you move the sand and rock ,watching as the character of the river is exposed .then you find natures hiding spots ,nothing like that nugget just waiting to be exposed .hiding in the crack almost out of sight ,as you see it the blood starts pumping .suddenly you are not cold anymore . then you expose a little at a time holding your breath ,hoping its only the tip showing -and always hoping it's bigger than you thought . there is a beauty ,a serenity that cannot be explained .you are at one with nature ,the river and your thoughts .time has no bounds , a second -an hour ,a day --------are all the same . and before you know it it's all over ,it's time to go ---------where did all the time go ?

Thanks Strickman you said it well, These are indeed the reasons to keep dredging. At least if I am nuts it's not a condition I suffer from alone.
Also I think there is that hope, that one day - somehow we will expose that big fat loaded crevice, or find an even bigger nugget than our previous best. It's also a damn good way to keep cool on a stinking hot day in summer. Nuggy

 

[EagleDown]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

Halito Nuggy,

Wow, I was just "browsing", looking for picts of gold. (Just wanted to remember what it looked like.) I ran across your thread, and glad I did!! You are giving away a lot of good info for the beginners, (and even some experienced ones.) If they can't improve their chances of getting gold, either panning, detecting or dredging, they need to come back and read this thread again and again.

As far as the wet-suit shrinking, I never incountered that problem. I don't think it ever hung long enough to totally dry out. Then, after I developed my "warmer", I was dredging year 'round. Some people thought I was crazy, as at times I had to use my single jack to break 1 to 3 inches of ice, just to get to the dredge. We never care what others think as long as we're getting that yellow stuff and never have to cheat anyone for it. Right??

I'm tagging your thread, so I can keep up with what's happening, and who knows, perhaps I can occasionally put a little hint in here and there.

Keep up the good work my Friend.

Eagle

 

[nuggy]

Re: Let Dredging Begin

Thanks Lanny and Eagle, You both have threads that are great to read and re-read loaded with information and entertainment. Nuggy