Llano Slabs Prospecting

[B Street Blacksmith]

Now that I have my new sluice, and my homemade fluid bed sluice (I think I have fixed the issues with it), I am wanting to get down to moving a decent amount of material at the Slabs.

My question is, has anyone here ever prospected the Llano Slabs, and if so, is there any advice you could give me to make my next outing there more sucessful?

 

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[B Street Blacksmith]

Also, even if you have NOT hunted the Slabs, and have any advice that could give me a better chance of finding some color, that would be welcome as well.

 

[rodoconnor]

Never worked the slabs , I assume they are big ol chunks of bedrock. If so, clean the cracks and crevices .Let the bedrock work for you. Work areas that seem to have a bit of metal trash and platter shaped rocks. They indicate a low pressure area where heavies drop out. G/L keep us posted.

 

[B Street Blacksmith]

Never worked the slabs , I assume they are big ol chunks of bedrock. If so, clean the cracks and crevices .Let the bedrock work for you. Work areas that seem to have a bit of metal trash and platter shaped rocks. They indicate a low pressure area where heavies drop out. G/L keep us posted.

You would be correct. Its the "Llano Uplift". LOTS of granite, with some other material mixed in.

 

[goldenIrishman]

One of my partners out of Houston used to work the Llano. Next time I talk to him I'll ask him to pop on and give you some help.

 

[B Street Blacksmith]

Thanks goldenIrishman, I appreciate it!

 

[TheHarleyMan2]

I used to go out to Llano quite a bit. I hadn't been there in over a year due to Army stuff. Longs Fish and Dig is a good place to prospect, fish, and hunt for arrow heads. He usually charges about $15 a day to prospect. Not much on finding little pickers, mostly what you will find is a very small amount of flour gold and a lot of garnet. Lots of hematite black sands so make sure you have a good magnet for removing it.

The whole river bed is on big granite slab that has many tributaries. Lots of cracks and crevisis to clean out some dirt and what nots. A lot of sand islands in the middle and edges of the river on the granite slab as well. I found a couple of peices of Native American finger scraping blades made out of stone and the edges are razor sharp!

I have prospected in front of Longs, across from it, and tracked up from the end of Longs going north up the river about a half a mile. Out of all the times I went there totaling about 6 months if you counted all the days I went in a 2 year period I only found about 3 grams. Of course I was only digging and panning. If you have a suction dredge or high banker you might end up processing more than what I ever could panning!

Watch out for Rattlers and Moccocins, they are everywhere! Water crossing the river at the end of longs is usually about knee deep providing there hasn't been any heavy rains. Usually some places are about chest deep, but not many.

 

[B Street Blacksmith]

I used to go out to Llano quite a bit. I hadn't been there in over a year due to Army stuff. Longs Fish and Dig is a good place to prospect, fish, and hunt for arrow heads. He usually charges about $15 a day to prospect. Not much on finding little pickers, mostly what you will find is a very small amount of flour gold and a lot of garnet. Lots of hematite black sands so make sure you have a good magnet for removing it.

The whole river bed is on big granite slab that has many tributaries. Lots of cracks and crevisis to clean out some dirt and what nots. A lot of sand islands in the middle and edges of the river on the granite slab as well. I found a couple of peices of Native American finger scraping blades made out of stone and the edges are razor sharp!

I have prospected in front of Longs, across from it, and tracked up from the end of Longs going north up the river about a half a mile. Out of all the times I went there totaling about 6 months if you counted all the days I went in a 2 year period I only found about 3 grams. Of course I was only digging and panning. If you have a suction dredge or high banker you might end up processing more than what I ever could panning!

Watch out for Rattlers and Moccocins, they are everywhere! Water crossing the river at the end of longs is usually about knee deep providing there hasn't been any heavy rains. Usually some places are about chest deep, but not many.

I don't have a dredge or high banker, but I do have two sluices. Also, my wife's family have known the Long family for many years. BUT, I will be at the slabs for the next few outings, before I head off to Longs (I want to get used to my equipment before I start paying money to prospect).

I'm not expecting to find much, if anything, but here's to hoping

 

[rodoconnor]

I don't have a dredge or high banker, but I do have two sluices. Also, my wife's family have known the Long family for many years. BUT, I will be at the slabs for the next few outings, before I head off to Longs (I want to get used to my equipment before I start paying money to prospect).

I'm not expecting to find much, if anything, but here's to hoping

According to Mark Twain " A miner is nothing but a gambler who likes to be outdoors". He would know LOL

 

[B Street Blacksmith]

According to Mark Twain " A miner is nothing but a gambler who likes to be outdoors". He would know LOL

Awesome quote bud!

 

[TheHarleyMan2]

I don't have a dredge or high banker, but I do have two sluices. Also, my wife's family have known the Long family for many years. BUT, I will be at the slabs for the next few outings, before I head off to Longs (I want to get used to my equipment before I start paying money to prospect).

I'm not expecting to find much, if anything, but here's to hoping

Yeah the slab, I tried that place out a few times when I first started prospecting and barely even 1 grain of garnet and nothing else and got tired of seeing dirty diapers and crap everywhere where people took a dump. I haven't heard people finding much of anything except a little bit of thrown down dirty diapers! Pretty sad, so I quit going over there because people swim over there also!

I know if we have a lot of rain that causes the river to flow really good it may move some fines down there. If you are facing the bridge at the river and go to the right you will come to the bend in the river where it heads to the slab. I haven't been up that way, but looked at it on google earth but my guess would be if you got up to that area, you might have a better chance of finding something as bends in river beds are always having something to be found!

Now if you join the Round Rock GPAA, they usually have outings out at the Haliburton property just north of Llano and I found better picker gold and fines and a lot of garnet out that way. They have a facebook page you can check them out!

 

[B Street Blacksmith]

Now if you join the Round Rock GPAA, they usually have outings out at the Haliburton property just north of Llano and I found better picker gold and fines and a lot of garnet out that way. They have a facebook page you can check them out!

Yeah, I've thought about going to meet up with them, but I want to have a little more experience before I do. The Slabs have been a lot cleaner the past year or so, so I'm not worried about finding dirty diapers.

Once I get some more sluice and panning time, I might just go check them out.

 

[austin]

Head up toward Castell(out from Llano) and try the river there. There is a road that turns off to the river and an access to it. There is some gold up and down the Llano, and some flour gold in Sandy Creek. Just go up and down the Llano. You will find pockets of gold. Find a topo map of the county(Llano) and look where the feeder creeks to the Llano run. If you can get access try there. I have heard stories, but haven't tried myself. A UT geology prof told me that the granite there is over a billion years old, erosion over time removed the gold and all that was left were traces. His geology club worked Sandy Creek for a week during spring break one year and didn't make enough to cover expenses for the trip. I wish you luck. You will find a little, but that's about it. But it's fun and something to do. Again, just up and down the Llano. Good hunting...

 

[Bonaro]

An old friend of mine (poprivit, RIP) used to dredge in the Llano. He found a little but not a lot

 

[TheHarleyMan2]

Yeah, I've thought about going to meet up with them, but I want to have a little more experience before I do. The Slabs have been a lot cleaner the past year or so, so I'm not worried about finding dirty diapers.

Once I get some more sluice and panning time, I might just go check them out.

You don't need any experience with the RRGPAA, Kevin and the guys there are a great bunch. Many people who have no experience goes out on the outings with them even if they are not GPAA members. They will even help teach you how to sluice, pan, whatever your interest is and Kevin always brings out a couple of highbankers and other equipment for people to use that don't have any experience. They even raffle off gold prospecting stuff, sluices, pans, bags of dirt Boo Coo and some of the other prospectors have that does contain some gold so you can try out panning, etc. Some prospectors even bring suction dredges will also teach you about it and let you try one out for kicks.

Remember this much. All the water ways in Texas is legal to track into up to the high level water line, (generally flood stage). Sandy Creek IS NOT LEGAL to willfully track into even if you are in the middle of the water in the creek. The ranchers out there have that tied up. The only way you can get into Sandy Creek to do anything is by permission of a land owner out there or someone you know who lives on Sandy Creek.

 

[russau]

An old friend of mine (poprivit, RIP) used to dredge in the Llano. He found a little but not a lot

yep Rodger was a good ole boy that shared a lot of info to all. R.I.P.

 

[B Street Blacksmith]

TheHarleyMan2: Ok then, I'll try to go to their march meeting (feb meeting is tomorrow, so not enough time for me to change my plans), and see how it goes. Thanks m8!

 

[TheHarleyMan2]

TheHarleyMan2: Ok then, I'll try to go to their march meeting (feb meeting is tomorrow, so not enough time for me to change my plans), and see how it goes. Thanks m8!

If I am still in town by the time they have their outing at the Haliburton property I may go. They usually go out there around April and hopefully before I go back to Ft Huachua.

 

[B Street Blacksmith]

If I am still in town by the time they have their outing at the Haliburton property I may go. They usually go out there around April and hopefully before I go back to Ft Huachua.

That would be a blast! And it would be cool to actually meet someone from here.

I have checked out their facebook page, and their website. If we get on well, I might have to offer some help on the site (if they are at all interested) as I have an extensive background in web design (Owned a successful web design and hosting company before I went disabled).

I wish I could get out to their meeting this weekend, but its just too short of notice

 

[TheHarleyMan2]

That would be a blast! And it would be cool to actually meet someone from here.

I have checked out their facebook page, and their website. If we get on well, I might have to offer some help on the site (if they are at all interested) as I have an extensive background in web design (Owned a successful web design and hosting company before I went disabled).

I wish I could get out to their meeting this weekend, but its just too short of notice

Mason who is the president and handles the facebook page is a disabled Army Veteran. He had a broken back and still gets out and does some prospecting. He is a great guy also! You will like the bunch out there! Oh, on the outings they usually have a cook out Saturday evening as well!