MA/VT/NH Panning

[dvdtharaldson]

Hi ,

This is the first time I have posted on this website. I live in Western MA and am planning a trip during the last few days of September to Vermont to try my luck panning. I was going to try Buffalo Brook and Five Corners in the Bridgewater area. Does anybody know how far down you ordinarily have to dig to hit black sands in those areas? Any comments on whether you have to dig deep or just stay on the surface? I was thinking Irene probably deposited alot of flood gold on the surface. Does anybody know if some of the small brooks high up in the mts. north of Bridgewater contain gold? All I ever hear is Buffalo Brook and Five Corners. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. As you probably could tell I am new to panning for gold.

Thanks,

David

 

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[dvdtharaldson]

good eye there...this is not your average gold, it's from a deposit here in metro Denver that was left behind by the mountains that existed before the current mountains were formed and before to dinosaurs...so this gold is almost 24K due to being out of the rock for so long. Over the several hundred million years, all the base metals have weathered out of it. That is also why the pieces tend to be soooo consistently small, lots of time and weather and river action to beat the gold up.

Hey Kevin,
I thought I would give you something to ponder. These mts. that your talking about, what era are we talking here? Ordovician? Silurian? In Vermont I look for colors in Ordovician era rocks, especially in the suture zones. Its amazing how all the gold mines in Vermont line up with the boundaries of Cambrian and Ordovician eras. Geology anybody?

 

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[chef440rt]

chef440rt,

Are you a big block Mopar man? 440 as in 440cid, R/T as in Road and Track? Challenger, 'Cuda, Roadrunner?

Ya, I bought a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T S.E. 440 big block back in 1996 when I was 17. I completely restored it myself, ( body panels, paint, interior, engine, trans) Finished when I was 19. I'm 35 and still love her to death.

 

[chef440rt]

Hey Chef. You should post that total pic in this thread and make these dude drool!!

Ok, here is my 1 week take at the Wild Am river right on the NH/VT border using a 4in dredge.




I've been hearing alot about the Swift river in Maine, so I think I will give that a try for a week next.

 

[chef440rt]

I was just curious if anyone knows of anywhere to dredge in the central Mass. area, just so I can get a quick fix of washing rocks on my days off work, in between my dredging trips. Let me know or give me a PM. Thanks.

 

[dvdtharaldson]

Ya, I bought a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T S.E. 440 big block back in 1996 when I was 17. I completely restored it myself, ( body panels, paint, interior, engine, trans) Finished when I was 19. I'm 35 and still love her to death.

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chef,
Beautiful vehicle. When I was a kid I had a 1970 383 magnum Challenger RT, then a 1972 R/T with a 340 in it. Ever see the T/A package with the louvered windows, 6 pack carb, and 4 bolt mains?

 

[vaquero44]

try to find a spot on the swift...............dredges all over the place up there and bring a lot of crevice tools with you......... the good gold lies in the cracks for sure up here

 

[chef440rt]

try to find a spot on the swift...............dredges all over the place up there and bring a lot of crevice tools with you......... the good gold lies in the cracks for sure up here

Thanks for the heads up Vaquero44. I just got approved for another week off work, so it looks like I'm going to give the Swift a try for a few days then back to the Wild Am. Can you or anyone else, tell me more about the Swift? I here that the East Branch is a better place to dredge but it looks like there is no road access to drop off the dredge by the river. Do you know if there is a way in? If not, it looks like the West Branch has some road access. Also I know there is a campground at Coos Canyon but do you know if it is ok to camp with a popup along the west Branch. Someone told me that they think it is paper mill land and ok to camp there, but they were not 100% sure. Also this will be my first time dredging on bedrock. I will be making a blaster off the water pump to aid in clearing cracks. I will also bring a crowbar, long screwdrivers and a L shape crevice tool. Any other tips or advice would be great. Thanks.

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

The east branch dumps in right upstream from the camp store. Rosie at the store can tell you specifics. I know you can dredge the east branch from the confluence upstream to the gate.

 

[triple d]

Chef The West branch was closed. Some one dug into the bank. And washed out the road.Don"t know if its been reopened.I don"t think you can camp on paper company land with out permission.

 

[chef440rt]

Thanks for the tips. I will stay at the campground and dredge the East. I'm going up to try the Swift this thursday-sunday then back to Wild Am for a week. Unless I do good at the Swift I'll stay there for 11 days. Should be a good time

 

[vaquero44]

there is platinum too in the swift that has been found also

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Hey chef what days you going to be at the wild am? We will be there on tuesday. Oh this was yesterday.
.4 gramer and some nice other finer stuff.

 

[chef440rt]

Hey chef what days you going to be at the wild am? We will be there on tuesday. Oh this was yesterday.
.4 gramer and some nice other finer stuff.

Nice stuff. Your hitting it good! I'm leaving at 3.00am tonight to go to the Swift. If I don't find good gold there, I'm leaving the Swift Sunday afternoon and going to the wild am for a week, from Sunday to Sunday. So I should see you on the river Tuesday. If you don't see me I'll still be at the Swift, but I'm only staying there if I get over a gram a day. I have no idea if the Swift will be as good as the wild am, I just wanted to try a new place.

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Most excellent!! Ive found small stuff panning on the upper swift so there is some there but good luck and if you kill it on the swift lets us all know! Im stoked to make another big hole

 

[chef440rt]

I don't think they have internet at coos canyon, so I'll have to wait until I'm at Twin river campground Sunday night to post my results at the Swift. Seems like most people say I'm wasting my time there, but from what I gather, I'm using the strategy of most of the gold is in the cracks of the bedrock deep in the river and not much in the gravel. So I'm thinking that the people that say there is not much gold there probably don't go 4 to 6 feet through the overburden and hit the bedrock. But who knows, I'm really just excited to try a new river and work bedrock because I have only worked on clay bottom rivers. Keep me updated on the time you'll be there Tuesday, if you want to make another big hole. I can tell from the photo of your last trip that you were only about 150 feet or so away from were I found the 1gram picker. So that is a good area if you want to make a hole around there.

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

So howd it go chef?!! Lets see some east branch glory!!

 

[chef440rt]

Day 1- I went in about 300 yards from where the east branch flows into the main branch. I went down 5ft to a clay layer and massive hard pack, so I know no one has ever been there. I had to use the crow bar just to get through the hard pack to the clay. I thought I would do real good but only got .03 grams. I was there all day, but no gold. I made sure the sluice was running correctly several times because I couldn't believe there was nothing on my mat. I just finished day 2 and it looks like the same thing except for a small picker was the only thing I saw in the box. I'll pan it out latter and tell you what I got today for a total. Today I went a few miles up stream from where I was yesterday and dredged bedrock all day. I talked to several people up here and they only find very small amounts. So if you ask me this place is a sham. Going to the WAM tomorrow to get back into the gold.

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Loud and clear. Im not going back there either. There is gold but its so spotty. We will see ya on tuesday. I bet your going to find a nugget bigger than your last one.

 

[Duckwalk]

Everyone's all taking about puckers and nuggets and in over here at flour gold central thinking "hey what are those?"

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Hey duck, are you in georgia? Georgia has been mined for a long long time but nuggets are still out there!
I have been using the term "Nugglette" for thoes pieces that i can really call a nugget. I havnt got a real nugget yet lots of .1 pieces and under a half gram but im waiting for that fattymcmacdaddy!