Question about freezing cold sluicing

[Duckshot]

Kind of a stupid yankee/greenhorn question here.

I've been reading through the forum and see some complaints about the winter. My question is how many brave it out with waders or maybe a drysuit? I mean, so long as the creek ain't frozen over, the creek bed is still diggable. I suppose high water is a problem, but there has got to still be some place to go, maybe even creeks that are usually too slow to sluice will have enough water. Or is there something else I am missing other than my marbles?

I want to try panning near Marion NC at a pay to pan site in two weeks or so. Is that plausible? They claim to be open year round.

 

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[meMiner]

If you can handle the cold and get to the spot, the gold can handle it too. Sometimes winter is a great time because the creek is low, not high. As long as there is moving water, there is a possibility of open water. If it is frozen, no ice is safe ice, over moving water, so care needs to be taken. Also, icy bedrock is slippery like a skating rink. A nice thing to do when you first arrive is to build a big bond fire and then keep it going over the day. A sandwich toasted on a forked stick is priceless on a chilly day. If you are digging in the dry, you will need a good pick to get through the frozen ground. The old timers used to build fires to thaw it. The frozen sides of the hole won't collapse as easy as they do in the summer, so you can go straight down. So, yes, prospecting in the winter can be fun.

 

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[motohed]

I always like to wear wool clothing , wet or dry .

 

[coinchaser]

I went to Nugget Lake last weekend. Only found one flake. The creek was mostly froze over. I fell thru ice and ended up getting poison oak. So yeah it was fun.