Sampling?

[fishnfacts]

Will be doing my first prospecting this weekend and have a question.
When sampling before setting my sluice up (Plan on setting it in a stream and working it all day) how many samplings, colors would you recommend before going through the trouble of getting set up? Also, I might sample and pan the first day to try and find the most bang for my time since it is limited. My sluice is homemade and is 10" X 48" and have made a mini highbanker to assist along with 1/2 and 5/16th classifiers. Right now my plan is to sluice during the mornings and clean up in the afternoon evenings while relaxing at camp.
This is all new to me and another bucket list adventure so any and all help, I.E. First timers mistakes to avoid, land structure to look for will be more than welcome.
One last thing, I have read here to look above the high water lines on the creeks and river and have done some research and compared 1955 topo maps to todays satellite view and see some bank wash outs and newly formed sandbars, would these areas be your first choice or choice if you only have the weekend to prospect?

Thanks for your time.

Ron

 

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[63bkpkr]

fishnfacts ,
If I were you I would locate the gold first through digging and panning samples from "the usual types of stream locations that would collect Heavy Particles".

Behind and in back of obstructions to the flow of water. On the internet look up Reading a River for Gold or something like that and you should find a pictorial that shows where along the bends of any river, creek, crik heavy materials will usually drop out and you would want to test those areas with shovel and pan. Only after locating gold via shovel and pan do you want to setup your sluice.

For the pictures that follow that is what I did, I looked across the river for several nights and kept noticing this large boulder way off to one edge of the river, out in the flood stage zone. Finally one night I went over to it and began to snoop around, after moving some rocks and panning some dirt I came up with a reasonable picker so I just kept going. Ended up using: shovel & classifier & pan, then added a metal detector for checking out the piles of washed off rocks(no zip zip no further effort put into that pile, but zip zip from the detector and I worked the pile and always found gold or lead), finally I went out and purchased a Keene A52 as the Bazookas had not been tested out long enough for me to know better. In all I took out ~ 1/4 oz of gold pickers/flakes and fines. It was a great adventure!! Best of success to you...................63bkpkr

Look on the down river end of something like this as well as on its backside (the dry bank side)

The A 52 just arriving in camp

Why I stayed and kept coming back

Have a clean up bucket that the sluice box goes all the way to its bottom without forcing it in as not fitting in and forcing it will crack the bucket walls

The total production

 

[fishnfacts]

Thanks for the quick reply 63.
I am going to Llano to check on the proven Babyhead and Pecan creeks as well as the Llano River itself.
I see you are in S. Tex., Ever work this area?
This is my first of what I hope will be many Gold Prospecting adventures. I just started MD'ing a month or so and have been lucky enough to pull a 3 gram 14K ring already.
Told the wife (Who says I am wasting my time and money) that if I find 1 color the trip was a 100% success, if not the trip will be 99.9% success.

 

[63bkpkr]

Hi fishnfacts and you are welcome for the response. I have been in Texas for a touch over three months so I've not been anywhere or done anything, yet. The pictures I posted are from Northern California right smack dab in the historical gold country and it is still there.

I like your attitude about the trip percentages. I go because I enjoy being out there and I can 'fish' out there as well!

Nice picture you post with bass, crapi, ?? what kind of fish? When I lived in Michigan we caught catfish, crapi, perch & northern pike - all great eating once the scales are gone.

I've heard the Llano area had some gold though I've not even looked it up to learn more about it, just really busy working a full time job and getting used to Texas. You did well on that ring! My gold rings have been gold but nothing significant. The good finds are out there a person just needs to be out there working at finding them to find them.

All my best wishes for your success! Gold prospecting is always an adventure!!...........................63bkpkr

A picture of the upper end of where I used to go prospecting

 

[fishnfacts]

63, Are you even close to Llano? I hope so.
This is the only place in Texas I know of that offers gold. I have only been a "Texan" for a 18 months myself.
If so we can get together and do some digging!
I have done quite a bit of research the last month and have some possible "yellow" spots circled on the map.
I will be there all next weekend and if I feel good about the spots or find some color I will be back. It is only a 4 hour drive for me so considering I drive 20 hours for fish it is nothing.
The avatar is a picture from Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin. My personal best small mouth bass. Crappie in the 2 pound range are my favorite quarry when I fish the lakes of Tennessee.

 

[B H Prospector]

Hi Fishnfacts,
What he said!

 

[63bkpkr]

Well Howdy There Wisconsin! And thank you for the kick in the fanny that caused me to look up Llano Tx, it is 250 miles out from Angleton and as I normally drove 195 miles to arrive at the top of the mountain in California 250 is no problem.

I have the upcoming Memorial Day Holiday Wide Open, would you be interested in meeting up in the Llano area for a little prospecting outing? I would think I could even take one vacation day either the 23th or 27th if you would like to be out there a little longer. IF you have that open then I would need your guidance for: should I bring the motorcycle or the Bronco, for camping out like sleeping in a small tent what are the possibilities(I only need an open piece of ground for this), fishing should I bother and any other details you find from your upcoming trip there. I can bring a small Bazooka sluice box, and minimal other equipment though IF we ever found it Truly Worthwhile I have a 2" suction dredge gathering dust that I could bring but not the first time out.

I will look forward to your input from your first trip out and as you've indicated already the trip is 99.9% successful without any gold.

View attachment Dredging.bmp This was the dredge's first use in 1992 though right now I Do Not fit into that wet suit though I'm working on getting there. I carried in ~200 lbs of gear by myself in three loads in and three loads out, quite an adventure. I took it all in another time into much rougher country. I've a modification that has to be finished off for turning this into a high banker, need to finish sealing off the input end of the box, I have everything else...............63bkpkr/Herb

 

[Hoser John]

Get it on Herb as your gold/nature fix is waaaaaaaaaaaay past time as I know you coveth above all others-respect-tons a au 2 u 2-John