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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[Duckwalk]

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!

Yes I'm in Georgia. Where I am though is flypoop gold. I'd have to drive quite a ways to get anything bigger

 

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[chef440rt]

GG- I'm back at the WAM. PM me the time your coming down and I'll see if I can meet ya. Do you know where you want to go or I can scout it out and find a spot?

Here is the results of day 2 at the east branch in Maine. Pretty sad. I had much better expectations. Besides the lack of gold I had a good time in the river and seeing new sites.



Here is Coos Canyon

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Hope you get that fatty! We will be up tuesday little before 8.

 

[cobbler]

I'm psyched I found this site about a month ago, I've enjoyed seeing all the photo's of New Hampshire gold! It's nice to see there are some nuggets out there, thought you had to go to Vermont or Maine for that. The White Mountains are so much closer for me and the rivers are gorgeous. I've had a blast the last five summers learning how to pan in the mountains. At first it was hard, mile after mile of exploring the rivers, scratching up test pans out of the cobble, only to find a couple specs all day. But I kept at it, nothing like that sunshine of gold rising from the black sands to push you forward. Now I at least feel like I can find gold when I explore new places, however small it might be. I'm still searching for a New Hampshire nugget, but I found a few picker flakes this last week cooling off in the river after work and on the weekend. Here is a pic of total find for the week.


I normally only pan June and July, but I had so much fun this last week I'm gonna make it into August this year. I need to find some new picker spots, do some more exploring, maybe find my nugget. Probably end up finding miles beautiful countryside and a few specs, but it will still be worth it!

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

I went up to Rangeley Lake to help a buddy replace his water heater at his camp. We had to run to Auburn to get a new one so we went by Coos Canyon, I had never seen it and was curious.
on the way back we drove up a fire road with his jeep and found a cross trail down to Berdeen Stream, didn't have long there so I just dug down as best as I could with a shovel and grabbed a couple 5 gallon buckets of gravel to bring home, getting back out was a thrill, a 50 degree up slope with loose rock - thought we were going to have to use the winch to pull us up! But we made it. Then grabbed another bucket on Bog Creek by Rangeley. Since we were there to work I was only able to grab what I did.
Also another thing and the reason I often don't go prospecting is my bad knees (severe arthritis can't bend either knee even 90 degrees) a bad back and heart problems.
I have been thinking of buying cons due to the fact that when I do get on the river it is a real challenge just to get around safely and cannot do anything involving climbing up or down steep or anything but gentle slopes. I will be getting a knee replacement at some point but...

Has anyone ever bought cons? I had bought some from Kuger and did really well especially considering all I have ever found of my own is about .01 grams total!

 

[triple d]

Cobbler nice find. Not bad for N.H gold. I think the falls. The best time for prospecting. Water is usually lower. Air much cooler. Easier to dig. Don"t have to contend with the running water. I live in n.h too. Do you live near the white mtns.

 

[triple d]

Ben i believe both those streams have some gold in them. Best of luck. Nice country around Rangley. Best of luck with your knees.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Triple d - that is nice country! I need to get my buddy into prospecting as his cabin is about a half mile from Bog Stream! He shares the cabin with another family so will have it next fall
That will give me more time to try to get into shape for prospecting, I am starting a new exercise regime that I hope will help with the knees.

 

[triple d]

Best of luck Ben. Lots of gold streams in the area. Hard work for a little return. But when you get the fever. Its hard to give it up. Ive been suffering with my back. But i think its finally coming around. Let me know if you find any of that yellow metal.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

I did find about .04 grams on the WAM and caught the fever! I was so bad last year that I tried some of the sand from Home Depot and found some black sand and what might have been a almost microscopic piece of something.

Does anyone know of any places in Mass or RI where you can buy sluices? I have an Angus Mackirk and a metal sluice I got from a guy in Reading but wanted to look at the yellow jackets and the Keene's.

Here I am with not time for the rest of the year to get to the river but want to buy more gear!

 

[triple d]

Ben if your going to buy a sluice. Check out the bozooka gold trap. Many sizes. Great reviews from forum members. No need to classify material. Easy to setup. And they catch the fine gold. It makes prospecting a lot easier.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Actually I have one!!

I had, I forget his name, the owner make me a custom one that is 36 inches long to meet the requirements of the White MT Nat Forest, he cut down a longer one that had a damaged end. I haven't used it since I got it last year as I wasn't on any rivers
I heard that you need a pretty good flow of water and pretty good depth to use it, is that true?

I guess even though I don't go panning much I am an equipment junky!

 

[AJMahoney77]

I love my bazooka, I've even ran con's from my dredge through it and didn't lose any gold. I rec. it but you need fast water to run it, I have the prospector 30 inch, I'd def buy a smaller one if I had to do it over
AM

 

[triple d]

The 36" you most likely need a medium size river. And will need a wing dam. And some rock wedging the sluice in place.But with a little angle it will work. Just may have to clear the larger rocks off the grizzly.Then just keep adding those bigger rocks off the sluice. To make a better dam.Some work to set up. But ive always got mine to work.And i find gold most every time ive been out.It works best with a fast flow of water. If you are in smaller streams a smaller bgt. Would be better.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

I have only sluiced once, with the one I got from GPES in N. Reading MA, it is a 36 6 in wide with miracle mat the whole length, that is where I actually found gold for the first time.
I have 2 Mackirk's the Long Tom and the Grub Stake (27 inches) that I haven't used yet but need to, I will try them in the backyard first. They looked huge on the internet but are small when I got them.

One thing I noticed is that most sluices except the Keene A52 are small and don't have much of a flair at the entrance. Is that an issue or do they work just as well? I.E. do you really need a big one or will a middle sized one work as well?

 

[triple d]

All sizes will work. Just need to decide how much work you want to do. What size stream your going to prospect.BGT is located in Calif.The BGT uses no mats or riffles. Just a bare deck. Making it easy clean up. Just dump the sluice in a 5 Gallon bucket. Only need a 5 gallon bucket the sluice and a shovel and pan. And the smaller ones are very lite.

 

[vaquero44]

another good river that gold is coming from is the Sandy river up around Farmington area just no dredges north of there thanks to trout unlimited.........I'm so sick of enviromentalists and tree huggers!

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

We drove along the Sandy from Farmington. We followed Rt 4 to Rangeley.

No dredging leaves more for me!!

 

[cobbler]

Cobbler nice find. Not bad for N.H gold. I think the falls. The best time for prospecting. Water is usually lower. Air much cooler. Easier to dig. Don"t have to contend with the running water. I live in n.h too. Do you live near the white mtns.

I can be in the WMNF within a 1/2 hour drive from my house. I head that way any chance I get. I do alot of backcountry skiing in the White's along with climbing, hiking, camping, and fishing. Right now panning comes in second on my hobby list after skiing. I mostly pan the rivers and streams around Mt. Moosilauke and have found gold in several of them. I'd like to find a couple other areas in the Whites that can produce the kind of gold in my picture, but I havn't put in the river time yet. I panned the Gale just below Rt.3 part of one day and found plenty of color, just small stuff though. I'd like to explore up river some day and see if I can find anything bigger. I've also been interested in trying this notch brook in Lincoln that is listed in many N.H. gold sites. I tried finding it on maps but cant seem to locate it. When I googled it Cedar brook coming off Mt. Hancock came up, as near as I can tell it's the same brook. I'll have to go camp in there someday and give it a try. Indian Stream in Pittsburg N.H. was my big overnight trip this year. I went up to Indian Stream canyon 17 miles and almost an hour ride up the dirt rd towards the Canadian border. Quite a beautiful place, drove the car just feet from a deer feeding on the side of the rd and it never ran just stared back at me and kept eating right next to the car. The next morning I saw 9 rabbits sunning themselves in the rd on the way up to the canyon. It was nice to see wildlife not so skiddish of man, that was worth the trip alone. I found gold both days, only small specs, but plentiful enough to suggest better gold in the area. It's a place I'll be back to for sure, there is a couple other branches of the Indian I want to check out. I've tried the Mad river without much success, but not much time put in either. Also tried the Swift off the Kanc without much success, but again it was only part of a day. Triple D have you panned many areas in the Whites?

 

[chef440rt]

Due to high water, I tried a new spot today with Grizz and got lucky. Almost a gram.