Rookie Gold!

[Gold4Mike]

My wife and I got our first gold on the South Fork of the Nooksack today. It's not much, but we only ran about 1 five gallon bucket of gravel classified to 1/8 and run through a Angus Mackirk Foreman sluice. I had trouble getting the sluice to run right so there was a lot of time wasted, so I'm pretty happy with what we got, and yes I did the happy gold dance, which wasted more time. The gold looks bigger in person!

 

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[Gold4Mike]

My wife and I have been continuing to go out as much as we can and just hit a big milestone that we didn't think we would ever hit when we started. A couple days ago we joined the (total) half ounce club! If there isn't a club, there should be.

We've been splitting time with our Piglet highbanker and our GGT sluicing, depending on where we go. Truth be told, any day out on the rivers is a nice distraction from the mess that 2020 has been and I'm very lucky that my wife likes to dig even more than I do.

 

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[Nw-Jeff]

My wife and I have been continuing to go out as much as we can and just hit a big milestone that we didn't think we would ever hit when we started. A couple days ago we joined the (total) half ounce club! If there isn't a club, there should be.
View attachment 1838757
We've been splitting time with our Piglet highbanker and our GGT sluicing, depending on where we go. Truth be told, any day out on the rivers is a nice distraction from the mess that 2020 has been and I'm very lucky that my wife likes to dig even more than I do.
View attachment 1838760

Very nice!! How did you do yesterday? I was the new guy sluicing. I ended up @ .3 grams for my 4 buckets.
Thank you Ed.

 

[et1955]

Awesome, great job, happy I could help, learn the indicators and you will be up to a gram an hour like I do, hope you are classifying because that will increase you production many times. Ed

 

[Nw-Jeff]

I classify to 1/8" for running my little 6x24" mini dream mat sluice. But definitely want a highbanker after watching gold4mike, just sceptical about the june 11th changes.

 

[et1955]

If you keep within 3 sqr. ft in riffle area on the sluice you will have no problem, going bigger you will no longer be within class 0 and you will have to mine under timing restrictions of class 1.

 

[Gold4Mike]

Very nice!! How did you do yesterday? I was the new guy sluicing. I ended up @ .3 grams for my 4 buckets.
Thank you Ed.

We ended up with about the same, so not our best day. But we've doubled that several times in that area. You did well!

 

[Gold4Mike]

If you keep within 3 sqr. ft in riffle area on the sluice you will have no problem, going bigger you will no longer be within class 0 and you will have to mine under timing restrictions of class 1.

The rules are changing regarding use of gas powered pumps for highbanking. Starting June 11. HB1261.

 

[OwenT]

The rules are changing regarding use of gas powered pumps for highbanking. Starting June 11. HB1261.

I would be paying attention to resources coalition. They are a WA based mining rights group. Someone mentioned to me something about them not being able to enforce anything yet. To be safe, just follow the new rules I guess. It's starting to look a lot like California's situation though. Unfortunately, I still don't know my way around the legality or lack thereof of all the different permitting schemes.

 

[et1955]

I only use 12v electric pumps for my highbanker.

 

[Gold4Mike]

I only use 12v electric pumps for my highbanker.

I've got that option as well.

 

[Gold4Mike]

I thought I'd do a little update for my wife and I from the past 5 months. We kept going out mining pretty steadily throughout the summer and gradually added about 8 grams to our vial. Our favorite spots had started to produce less going into fall so we ventured out into new territory to explore and test. We were at a spot where I was test panning and got back to back pans like this:

I did a second pan because I just didn't believe the first one! The funniest part was there were holes and tailings all over, but no one tested this spot. Needless to say we went back with the GGT and accomplished our two best days ever!

.89 gram


And .76 gram


That second day pushed us over the the 24 gram total! The new pump rules in Washington have pretty much relegated our Piglet to cleanup duties but we are amazed we can do as well as we are just sluicing. The GGT's riffles constantly give us feedback and keep us on the best gravel. We're ready to go all winter!

 

[et1955]

Great Job Mike.

 

[G1994]

Howdy guys, and Merry Christmas/Happy New years! I have been keeping up with reading the posts and that's some nice color! I have been practicing a couple times a month out on the SF Nooksack with the 23" GMG Trap but in the summer after graduating college I relocated to the Lake Sammamish area for the job. So I only get to Skagit county a couple times a month as I still have family up there. I was wondering if you guys recommend being a part of the WPMA for access to the rivers off Hwy 2 in the Sultan/Skykomish area or are public gravel bars decent enough? I have yet to stick my shovel into any Snohomish County gravel due to trying to figure out what is claimed, accessible and where is safe for me to be. Yet I have been trying out some spots on the three Snoqualmie Forks with only small small results (specks/tiny wire gold). I still have a whole lot to learn but i do enjoy hiking and being out on the rivers so if you guys ever find yourselves wanting some extra company let me know and I will try to join! If the WPMA is needed I will jump right on that but if not, I'll probably head ove to the Hwy 2 area this week or weekend, thanks!

 

[et1955]

First the WPMA is a good club but there claims have been mined seriously, I have been a member on and off since there beginning. Next if you want find out the status of the area you want to mine go to "My Land Matters" and check on the land status of the area you want to mine. Stay away from the Sultan until you know all the property lines, Everette watershed police will go after you and the fines for being on there property is very expensive. I will be on the Sultan this weekend clearing out historic mining trails and checking some my secret spots and my mining equipment I have had hidden down there since 1991. It really pisses the off the EWS that I am there, LOL. they know me and can't intemadate me but any newbies they will. Play with the Sky between Index and Gold Bar, Good Luck and have fun, Ed

 

[G1994]

Thank you! I appreciate the warning, and yes I have been trying MyLandMatters for about a week now but my phone continues to load it and eventually gets the battery hot and boots me off Chrome! I will pick up my laptop later this weekend and see if I can actually use the map on there. And thats awesome of you maintaining the trails out there. Pre-covid I volunteer for the forest service up in Skagit/Whatcom and sometimes we volunteer with the trail crew as well, dang can those guys swing an axe! I couldn't master chopping 4 inch roots with one swing so I stuck with carrying shovels or laying down the gravel haha! And I have read some of your other posts regarding that area on the river where you cross the tracks and that sounds exciting I may have to try it this week! Anyways if you ever need an extra machete swinger/pruner for the blackberries I wouldn't mind getting to know the area even if I don't get to play in the river. I was planning on just going for a hike on the canyon trail at the top of the dam one of these days just to put a new hike under my belt and I have been to the dam and its just a really nice place to sit and relax for a bit away from the city commotion haha

 

[et1955]

You will have fun on the Sky, it is a great place for beginners also I would suggest Olney Creek, the gold is spotty but it has good gold if you can master it. Witch dam are you talking about ?. Due to virus and me being 65 I am only going alone to clear out the trail, thanks for the offer. Besides the clearing is that of fallen trees and I will have to use a chain saw to get the job done and I am only clearing out the old trail from the top of the canyon and down to the river. Good luck and also you might want to check out the old thread on this site " Todays Take"

 

[et1955]

I will also add that you need a chainsaw this time of year in your car, these areas have high winds and trees fall. Seen and it many times over the years.

 

[G1994]

Wow I have never thought of carrying around a chain saw even around my time around the Baker Lake area! But I will keep that in mind and shop for a small one once I find a deal. The dam I have gone and had a picnic at is the Culmbak Dam which is where I saw the trailhead to the Canyon Trail which I will be trying out soon. I was actually on Olney Creek yesterday walking along it just to enjoy the outdoors and its definitely a nice area to hang out I wonder if it gets real busy in the summer to cool off from the heat? I didn't try panning any gravel as I had read there were some claims along Olney but I have MyLandMatters pulled up on the laptop finally and do not see any current claims except some historical activity along the Northern most run of the creek. And yes this dang covid situation is terrible! But atleast it is the reason I started having time to get back out into the creeks and researching areas to prospect besides just hiking around for exercise haha. I have been reading up on the Todays Take thread since last night and theres a lot of motivation building up to get out there now! Well keep staying healthy out there and I hope someday I'll see ya out there! Oh and by the way I didn't mean to "hijack" the thread with some of my off topic stuff but there is some awesome info here! Have a great New years to all and talk to ya in 2021! Haha

 

[et1955]

There are no claims on Olney Creek, it is all state land now, a several years ago a scamming mining club posted signs up there saying it was all claimed up for there club members, I had been mining on the Sultan for many years but one day decided to go Olney for nostalgia since this is the creek I found my first gold and was surprised to see signs saying the area was claimed. Pissed I was but read the signs and found out the name of the mining club and after some research found out they were based in a store in Sultan. They advertised that they buy gold so next weekend I decided to test them, I brought in a 1/4lb of gold to sell, it was so funny watching his Jaw drop and hear his excuses for not being able to buy my gold later on I found out that all the claims they said they owned turned out to be state land that anyone could mine,LOL. If you mine Olney here are some warnings, don't wear sky-blue sweatshirts, one day on Olney, wearing such a shirt I looked down at my shirt and it was covered with blue beetles and a giant hornet eating them, needless to say the sluice, shovel and bucket went flying in the air. Also hornets love mustard, do not spill any on your clothes as I did, if you do you will discover how fast you can run as I did, lastly the worst of all Horse Flies, they can bite threw almost any type of clothing, ouch. Other than that there is some nice gold there.

 

[Gold4Mike]

Howdy guys, and Merry Christmas/Happy New years! I have been keeping up with reading the posts and that's some nice color! I have been practicing a couple times a month out on the SF Nooksack with the 23" GMG Trap but in the summer after graduating college I relocated to the Lake Sammamish area for the job. So I only get to Skagit county a couple times a month as I still have family up there. I was wondering if you guys recommend being a part of the WPMA for access to the rivers off Hwy 2 in the Sultan/Skykomish area or are public gravel bars decent enough? I have yet to stick my shovel into any Snohomish County gravel due to trying to figure out what is claimed, accessible and where is safe for me to be. Yet I have been trying out some spots on the three Snoqualmie Forks with only small small results (specks/tiny wire gold). I still have a whole lot to learn but i do enjoy hiking and being out on the rivers so if you guys ever find yourselves wanting some extra company let me know and I will try to join! If the WPMA is needed I will jump right on that but if not, I'll probably head ove to the Hwy 2 area this week or weekend, thanks!

We used to be members of WPMA but didn't renew this past year, partly because covid threw a wrench into so many plans. Their Skykomish claims are up on the North Fork above the Index Galena road washout, which pretty much limits access to summer right now. You'd have to go up Beckler river road over Jacks pass to get there. From what I understand the I-G road will be repaired starting this coming summer but could take several years. If you're in Sammamish now your drive over to their Blewett area claims wouldn't be too bad. We've had fun over there. We may rejoin WPMA this year just to be able to go to their Canyon Creek claims up above Ross lake.