Jeff95531
Silver Member
- Feb 10, 2013
- 2,625
- 4,094
- Detector(s) used
- Teknetics Alpha 2000
- Primary Interest:
- Prospecting
OK, I got my new Garrett gold panning kit last week (awesome BTW) and want to share the results. About a week before my pans were due in, I was exploring sites. I found a small water fall (was dry at the time). Nearby the base I also found a 10"x 10" piece of moss upside down with an attached root system. I shook it out and knowing 2" inches of rain was coming, I blocked it in at the base of the falls, root side up. Then I got my pans and returned. I shook out all the sand and panned the results. Some flour gold, pretty, but not very much. I tried some exposed nearby dry channels and found nothing.
Next, I tried a large boulder sitting on bedrock. Crack and crevice collection and had to dig down to get to the lowest point in a hole in front of the boulder. 1 Pan, nothing. Second pan, one small place piece.
I should mention the spots I would like to get to are under water right now, and will be for the next several months, but well you know, I have to try.
Next, a new spot. Looked promising and...Eureka! a placer gold piece. Since I had already run into mica, I showed it to the wife and asked her to press her finger nail into it to see if it shattered. I watched and low and behold, I could see the dent. I said cool, my first placer piece...I'll get a vile. I went to the truck and got a vial and tweezers. When I got back, there was obviously a problem. OMG, she said, when you left the wind kicked up and it blew away! I'm so sorry. No problem honey, it was only my first!
Next a road trip deep into and up in the mountains. Since it was a ride and not a prospecting trip, I took what I could get.
Clay! Really? OMG!!! What a PITA! Does it ever clear up? Next was a snow melt ditch along the road. A downed tree with root system like a little sluice? Nothing. Nothing x's 3.
Back again to local. First place we stopped was because her phone rang and I made the best of it. 2 pans, nothing. Went to a spot I have had my eye on. Why?
Because my water addicted Lab found a hole near a large eddy that looks a lot like a glory hole to me. Tho the water is too high now, I wanted a better look. I got it! There is an obvious low spot with a channel leading to it from the river. Since it was still way to deep to prospect, I went to the front of the cut bank and dug out 2 pans of material from some roots-under the cut bank. First pan, nothing. Second pan, 2 placer gold. How big? Each one I found would cover a 1/4 of an eraser head. One looked like a slim shave of ice cream taken out with an ice cream scooper.
Am I sure it was gold? Pretty sure. I noticed the gold rolls out pretty easy if you want it to, and you keep finding the same pieces, as you pan it down. Mica crumbles, doesn't dent. And I really like doing panning in FULL SUN! No reflections, easier to spot.
So what have I learned so far?
It's not as easy as I wanted
It's not as much as I wanted
Never EVER mess with clay agian, OMG, does it EVER clear up?
I panned wrong the first couple of days, thank God for video refreshers the next day
It's so much fun, I am not disappointed because there is always next time.
Reading a river is like reading one for fish. Yes in some way, not so much in others.
I definitely need a hand held suction dredge for my honey hole when it dries up. Although I'm pretty sure I'm gonna start on it with a post hole digger.
I started to look at topo maps and when I looked at places I thought would be gold bearing site, I saw all these mines listed there.
Can't wait till my partner comes back to town so we can start on the sluice. Then build a suction tool. Then get some buckets!
So, I had to tell someone cuz my wife was there and she's heard each story at least twice and my brother-in-law prospecting partner is occupied with a sick relative so....I had to tell someone!! So what do you think? Do I have the fever? Am I doing well for a new guy?
Thanks for listening!
Next, I tried a large boulder sitting on bedrock. Crack and crevice collection and had to dig down to get to the lowest point in a hole in front of the boulder. 1 Pan, nothing. Second pan, one small place piece.
I should mention the spots I would like to get to are under water right now, and will be for the next several months, but well you know, I have to try.
Next, a new spot. Looked promising and...Eureka! a placer gold piece. Since I had already run into mica, I showed it to the wife and asked her to press her finger nail into it to see if it shattered. I watched and low and behold, I could see the dent. I said cool, my first placer piece...I'll get a vile. I went to the truck and got a vial and tweezers. When I got back, there was obviously a problem. OMG, she said, when you left the wind kicked up and it blew away! I'm so sorry. No problem honey, it was only my first!
Next a road trip deep into and up in the mountains. Since it was a ride and not a prospecting trip, I took what I could get.
Clay! Really? OMG!!! What a PITA! Does it ever clear up? Next was a snow melt ditch along the road. A downed tree with root system like a little sluice? Nothing. Nothing x's 3.
Back again to local. First place we stopped was because her phone rang and I made the best of it. 2 pans, nothing. Went to a spot I have had my eye on. Why?
Because my water addicted Lab found a hole near a large eddy that looks a lot like a glory hole to me. Tho the water is too high now, I wanted a better look. I got it! There is an obvious low spot with a channel leading to it from the river. Since it was still way to deep to prospect, I went to the front of the cut bank and dug out 2 pans of material from some roots-under the cut bank. First pan, nothing. Second pan, 2 placer gold. How big? Each one I found would cover a 1/4 of an eraser head. One looked like a slim shave of ice cream taken out with an ice cream scooper.
Am I sure it was gold? Pretty sure. I noticed the gold rolls out pretty easy if you want it to, and you keep finding the same pieces, as you pan it down. Mica crumbles, doesn't dent. And I really like doing panning in FULL SUN! No reflections, easier to spot.
So what have I learned so far?
It's not as easy as I wanted
It's not as much as I wanted
Never EVER mess with clay agian, OMG, does it EVER clear up?
I panned wrong the first couple of days, thank God for video refreshers the next day
It's so much fun, I am not disappointed because there is always next time.
Reading a river is like reading one for fish. Yes in some way, not so much in others.
I definitely need a hand held suction dredge for my honey hole when it dries up. Although I'm pretty sure I'm gonna start on it with a post hole digger.
I started to look at topo maps and when I looked at places I thought would be gold bearing site, I saw all these mines listed there.
Can't wait till my partner comes back to town so we can start on the sluice. Then build a suction tool. Then get some buckets!
So, I had to tell someone cuz my wife was there and she's heard each story at least twice and my brother-in-law prospecting partner is occupied with a sick relative so....I had to tell someone!! So what do you think? Do I have the fever? Am I doing well for a new guy?
Thanks for listening!
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