Need Some Help

[H&F909ORO]

Hi All,

Today I was thinking about how people get so much gold. I understand completely that skill and experience is the base of finding gold, but I looked at how much I got last time I went. When I look at other peoples totals I wonder what went wrong with my totals. Looking at other peoples amount of gold makes me think hard on what I should be looking for. I guess my question is where do people get this gold? I know that gold is where you find it, but where do people dig to get good results like that. People pull out good amounts of gold that can be right next to where I am digging or at least close by. Volume of dirt is also a factor, how much should one go through (buckets) to get good results. I'm still a noob at this and am learning each step of the way. What would give you better results? Digging in the river or higher above it? As I was out last Sunday I noticed many people dug by the trees and went deep. I didn't dig it but I went further down the river and saw an untouched area where a tree was. Judging on how these people dug there holes it seemed that they dug where the the river flowed down. I started to remove the rocks and dug up a bit of material. I did 3 test pans to see if at least 1 color or so would show up. To my surprise all I got was a pan of black sand. I wasn't sure why, so I decided to go back to my original hole to see what else I could get out of it. Should I have kept digging and keep at the hole? Maybe I was too impatient to get to gold, but I'm still thinking I should of gone down more. How does digging work? How do people get a lot of the gold?

Thanks

 

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[B H Prospector]

Alot of it is knowing what to look for. Where is gold most likely to be? Once you figure that out the amount of material you run plays into your total. Learn to read the creek or river. Watch how the water flows and where it slows and what obsticals are in the creek. Where are the gravel bars. Is there exposed bedrock? Imagine what the creek looks like at flood stage and look for bars and benches up high out of the water. Once you learn and understand how gold moves and deposits your totals will increase. Be patient and learn and you will be rewarded.

Good Luck!

BH Prospector

 

[TheGoldProspector]

Alot of it is knowing what to look for. Where is gold most likely to be? Once you figure that out the amount of material you run plays into your total. Learn to read the creek or river. Watch how the water flows and where it slows and what obsticals are in the creek. Where are the gravel bars. Is there exposed bedrock? Imagine what the creek looks like at flood stage and look for bars and benches up high out of the water. Once you learn and understand how gold moves and deposits your totals will increase. Be patient and learn and you will be rewarded. Good Luck! BH Prospector

I always love your insight

Props!

 

[H&F909ORO]

Alot of it is knowing what to look for. Where is gold most likely to be? Once you figure that out the amount of material you run plays into your total. Learn to read the creek or river. Watch how the water flows and where it slows and what obsticals are in the creek. Where are the gravel bars. Is there exposed bedrock? Imagine what the creek looks like at flood stage and look for bars and benches up high out of the water. Once you learn and understand how gold moves and deposits your totals will increase. Be patient and learn and you will be rewarded. Good Luck! BH Prospector

Thanks for the help I will be sure to learn how to read the rivers and creeks.

 

[Fullpan]

If you are in the American river area, you must understand that all the forks have been hit hard for a hundred years, so the classic "reading the river" thing doesn't hold up as well there. If you do find a hotspot , mad dog it, as you don't know when you'll get back to it. I know all lot of you guys shoot straight up
I - 80 to the American, but in less than an hours additional time, you could get to many places that have less pressure.

 

[Oakview2]

I would target the bedrock cracks Like Mad Marshall does, he has hours and hours of you tube successful trips. He does not move yards and yards of material, travels light, targets bedrock, opens it up and reaps the rewards. Perhaps you just need to refine your approach for the area you are prospecting and stick with a proven model. JMHO

 

[Goodyguy]

Take Fullpan's advice. Finding nearly virgin territory is getting harder every day. But worth the effort.
Gold is heavier than black sand. Sometimes folks just do not dig deep enough. Getting down to bedrock can often make all the difference.
Gold will also find it's way into the cracks and crevices of the bedrock as Oakview stated.

Persistence is key
Sometimes it's an extra 10% of effort that will give you 90% of your reward.

GG~

 

[TheGoldProspector]

If you are in the American river area, you must understand that all the forks have been hit hard for a hundred years, so the classic "reading the river" thing doesn't hold up as well there. If you do find a hotspot , mad dog it, as you don't know when you'll get back to it. I know all lot of you guys shoot straight up I - 80 to the American, but in less than an hours additional time, you could get to many places that have less pressure.

..curious..
With the river being So low this year, finding more and more grey virgin dirt-would there be more posibilities in the Lower regions of Non dredged areas?

 

[fishnfacts]

My best advice is to take everyone's advice. Many of these posters have help me out tremendously and I'm in Texas.

 

[SchoolOfHardRocks]

..curious..
With the river being So low this year, finding more and more grey virgin dirt-would there be more posibilities in the Lower regions of Non dredged areas?

I wondered the same thing when i was down there last week. I'm in a pickle... Do I work the high bench areas that people suggest? Or do I work around the water line because of the low water level? Right now i'm trying to take full advantage of the drought and work areas that are normally under water... but i'm still not 100% convinced i'm doing the right thing..I suppose only trial and error will give me the answer.

 

[Duckwalk]

..curious..
With the river being So low this year, finding more and more grey virgin dirt-would there be more posibilities in the Lower regions of Non dredged areas?

uhhh not to sound noob but, in the creeks i dig in i hit grey clay quite quickly (as nitric knows well....) Should i keep digging through the grey clay on down? in a post that nitric made about our day out he stated that under the clay was a gray sandy material that reminded him of mortar. should i run that kind of material through the sluice?

 

[ALewis]

I wondered the same thing when i was down there last week. I'm in a pickle... Do I work the high bench areas that people suggest? Or do I work around the water line because of the low water level? Right now i'm trying to take full advantage of the drought and work areas that are normally under water... but i'm still not 100% convinced i'm doing the right thing..I suppose only trial and error will give me the answer.

Ya, HardRocks... I have had that issue all year ! I can work a flood layer of a gravel bar and stay maybe 5 Ft from my sluice....almost shovel direct into it ! BUT, there is a high bench that I find 2x the gold, moving 1/2 the material. Of course, it is 5x farther to the sluice, so I can only run 1/2 the material !! I'm working the bench currently until the water lowers enough to expose some area I was working last summer, then I'll move back to the river.... Like you, not at all convinced I am doing the right thing either, but hey, isn't that 1/2 the Fun ?