Todays take

[mshanygin]

Today's take

Today's take from Everett Washington.

 

[OwenT]

Only 7 semi-full buckets!
Man...I’m REALLY doin something wrong!!!!
I know pictures can be deceiving but that looks like more than I’ve found in the last 20 years combined!!

Looks like I need to seriously reevaluate just about everything I know about mining in Washington!!!

I think that's what most of us thought when we were reading this too.

You've made a good discovery by stumbling across this thread.

 

[SalmonKing]

I agree!
There’s a boatload of valuable information in this thread.
Now JB main issue is having to figure out what and why I’ve been doing it wrong for my 40 years prospecting in Washington!
I’ve been on the “S” river numerous times and never found color like posted here.
I’ve mixed the N. AND S. Forks of the Noosack, the Sauk, Suiattle, Stilly, even Raging River. I could add them all together and have under an ounce.
Mining here is VASTLY different than Arizona that’s for sure!

Anybody up for teaching an old dog new tricks?? Lol

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

A short day on the claim. I found it to be a cold afternoon with some ice forming on much of the rivers but hey, I still found an open patch to work. All in all, a little gold in a pan does warm the heart. Winter prospecting 2020 begins once again.

 

[Gambrinus]

IdahoGoldGettR that is very nice! Does that happen to be Boise Basin gold or are you further north in Idaho?

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

Further north my good friend. Idaho County area. Winter prospecting may not be for everyone but with gold prices heating up (unusual especially for this time of year), one can not afford to take advantage of the times. Lots more snow in the forecast but I am quite sure I’ll be stepping up my game in search of that elusive shiny gold splendor.

 

[OwenT]

Further north my good friend. Idaho County area. Winter prospecting may not be for everyone but with gold prices heating up (unusual especially for this time of year), one can not afford to take advantage of the times. Lots more snow in the forecast but I am quite sure I’ll be stepping up my game in search of that elusive shiny gold splendor.

So much gold in that area...and in Idaho in general. I assume you’re more in the Clearwater R part, I would imagine the Salmon River area difficult to access this time of year. I see you have your viewing box there on the creek. Did you pick out all that gold off bedrock just from seeing it through the box?

 

[Johnnybravo300]

Wow our snow is chest deep here. I need to go winter there!

 

[Gold4Mike]

Great thread to resurrect SalmonKing! For us Western Washington locals, some good intel here! Wish Mshanygin was still posting!

 

[OwenT]

Ed (et1955) was the real talent behind this thread.

 

[et1955]

Thanks Owen T, got things straitened out so I am back, Ed

 

[A2coins]

That's so cool when hard work pays off. Good job

 

[et1955]

Hi fellow Skykomish river miners, have you checked out the flood occurring on the SkyVery interesting, looks good for new gold deposition, the North fork flooded too and that is where the gold comes from. The Sultan also had a major flood witch is rare since they control it with the 2 dams on the river, hard choice for next weekend to check out the rivers but siding for the Sultan, why ?, I hope that this flood has cleaned out all the vegetation and silt that the controlled flooding they have done over the past years was washed out plus the log jams that block the areas where I used to run a sluice. Good luck Guy's, Ed

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

Johnnybravo300

Wow our snow is chest deep here. I need to go winter there!

Sorry for the late response. Yeah, that was a brief spell of nice winter. It has dumped 3 feet of snow at the 4,000 foot elevation since the middle of January. Got to be prepared with some snowshoes when traveling afoot in these mountains.

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

OwenT

So much gold in that area...and in Idaho in general. I assume you’re more in the Clearwater R part, I would imagine the Salmon River area difficult to access this time of year. I see you have your viewing box there on the creek. Did you pick out all that gold off bedrock just from seeing it through the box?

You are correct in your assumption that I work in the vicinity of the Clearwater River. To answer your belated question... Yes, most of my gold is retrieved from the bedrock floor. I do frequently test pan the overburden but for the most part, the one or two pieces that I may find per 7-10 pans, does not justify the time and effort spent when there is better pay on the bedrock. I wish to interject here that not all bedrock contains gold. There are many reasons why but the ones that I encounter are strong river current areas (rapids), smooth bedrock with no cracks or crevices, and as seen in the 1st photo, a sloping bedrock. Logic tells us to simply follow a sloping bedrock to the bottom and there you will find the gold. Unless you are on virgin ground, this is not always the case. You see many rivers in my area have been worked either by bucket-line dredge or the dragline in the early to mid 1900’s. Keeping this in mind, it is quite possible to find no gold in the lowest point of the bedrock stream because it has already been worked. If working the stream with hand tools as I do, I find it best to limit these pitfalls and work no more than three to four feet of overburden. The viewing boxed that you noticed is a necessity on my claim. It allows me to see what may be interfering with my shovel, how to maneuver my pry bar for best results, and deciding what factors play into retrieving the gold when I near the bedrock (not to mention that the box allows me to take some good underwater photos with a typical camera). Here a few pictures of some visible bedrock being worked with and without the homemade box viewer.

 

[et1955]

Great and awesome work IdahoGoldGettr, Thanks for reminding me that I have build a underwater viewing box and a suction tube, there is place I found on the Sultan river on an inside turn with steep banks but no gravel bar but it is all hardpan going into the river, more like cement but I did find a crack in it that runs perpendicular to the bank and just with my hands I got about a gram out of it, could there be more, we will see plus one of my claims in N. California has a lot of bedrock

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

Thanks et1955. Your description of that place on the Sultan River sure does sound promising and to find gold (let alone nearly a gram) with just your bands, is dreams are made of. I am quite sure you’ll spend a number of nights lying awake thinking about all the prospecting possibilities that this area might hold. Kudos to you sir for seizing the opportunity to search for new ground. The pictured claim looks to have good access. Also, there seems to be a building of some sort between the road and the river. I am assuming that it is claimed and that the tacks and the red lines are the claim boundaries.

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

A little gold I acquired during the past January & February months. What can I say,,, it pays the bills.

 

[Treasureman25]

 

[OwenT]

That’s a lot of chunky gold! How long did it take for you to find where you work? I hope I can find a nice little deposit of my own before too long. Still haven’t broken 10 grams I don’t think.

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

This gold was taken from the 1st of January to February 12th. Of that time period, I made 13 trips to the claim when weather permitted. Some days were better than others, with the best day being 4.3 grams (worst was .8 gram - got both my gauntlet gloves wet with icy water and had to leave early). Yes, nice chunky pieces. I like how just a few of these pieces can really surprise you on the scale! A real motivator that’s for sure.