Panning around oakdale

[Cl1983]

Anyone familiar with this area? I will be camping at knights ferry for the weekend with my son next weekend and he's been bugging me to take him panning for a while. I was hoping to find a place to go without a long hike to get there. I was almost thinking Jamestown since its just up the road but I don't know the stores hours that has the creek there

 

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[calisdad]

Have any luck?
Jimtown (as the locals call it) opens late as a whole. Not much goes on before 10am.

 

[Cl1983]

I ended up walking a trail in the park and found a decent looking place, did a couple of pans and found color then just panned a bunch down to black sand and took it home (maybe a 1 gal bucket or so). We didn't make it that far up (pulled in way late and didn't get to leave the reenactment until late in the day).

 

[REFRYGUY]

So how did the bucket turn out? By reading this sounds like you got the bucket from Jamestown. Did you do any digging at knights ferry? I was up in both these areas this weekend scouting, trying to find places to go panning.

 

[Cl1983]

I got a bucket from knights ferry I got maybe a gram out of it but I went to the trail next to the parking lot down maybe a mile. I saw pyrite in the water and only went down about 4" due to large gravel but wish I lived closer to pan more

 

[REFRYGUY]

Cool, thanks for the info. I was there but got there late as i drove up 49 first and tried some places up there. I'll probably go again this Sunday, did you go around/ past the covered bridge. As i went over the bridge and parked near the visitor center. I saw a video on YouTube with this area in it. I'll have to take a hike down the river to find some good soil and try my luck.

 

[Cl1983]

I didn't go over the bridge to pan I went over it to fight yankees all weekend (I'm a confederate cannoneer doing civil war reenactments and was there for that) I went out the rafting parking lot. The video looked like a good spot though

 

[REFRYGUY]

Oh very cool, so you stayed close to the park and just went to the beach right there. I'm going to walk down the trail that goes behind the covered bridge. And see if.i can't find a nice beach to pan some black sand.

 

[Cl1983]

That looked like a good spot when I took the kiddo for a walk to wear him out before bed. Late march ill be camped there again and were planning a confederate panning expedition

 

[REFRYGUY]

Where can you camp there? I thought i was all day use.

 

[Cl1983]

It's day use or during special events there's some camping but I think it's just us civil war guys and the clampers

 

[REFRYGUY]

Oh i have friends who are clampers. Thanks for the info. Good chatting with you my name is Frank btw.

 

[Cl1983]

I'm Chris. If your in the area around late march and see the civil war reenactment going on ill be with the Richmond Fayette artillery. We will be panning sat night next year

 

[REFRYGUY]

I found horeshoe rd recreation area just down the rd from the knights ferry recreation area, on orange blossom rd. Where they do have camping through the corps of engineers. I may go camp there to spend a full day panning.

If i remember next March i will head over to watch the show sounds fun Chris.

I drove up to coulterville and need to do more research on where i can go but hearing u got some gold from this area in the river is good cause this is only an hr from Tracy so i will be honing my panning skills here.

 

[Cl1983]

I think if I had the time and a better trowel I could have gotten below some of the larger stones just under the mud. I found some great looking bedrock that would have been amazing for a dredge (if allowed) or sniping but it was too deep for a pan sample. Or to even go under and look

 

[REFRYGUY]

I'm going to try and get something to suction up the dirt there. I've seen a few online made with pvc pipes thst will suck up the good material. May even make it even easier and buy a river squirt gun and open the hole to suck stuff up. Then deposit in bucket. I saw one at the dollar store I'm going to attempt with and see if.it works. If it doesn't, no big deal for a dollar.

 

[CharlesP]

Wow just seen this thread. I think I know where my next sniping trip will be. A gram in one bucket is damn good dirt for going down 4 inches. Sweet. Is there a fee at knights ferry?

 

[Cl1983]

Day use no fee park I believe

 

[REFRYGUY]

I was there this weekend and didn't have any luck. But i am new and may not have dug in a good spot. I can tell u they do not allow shovels or tools other than a hand trowel and pan. Also u have to stay with in 2 feet of shore. Metal detectors are only allowed after the bridge down to the orange blossom bridge. I think i read the signs right about that. While hiking the trail to find spots i ran into a guy who also.told me he got a couple of grams and also used a sluice. But the ranger tried taking his gold. I think it was cause he was using a sluice that is not allowed.

 

[Cl1983]

I technically used a sluice too but used one at home running off a pump