Tried the river....any suggestions?

[Mantis212]

Ok so i mentioned last week that our local river hang out spot was low and i wanted to give it a whirl (I dont think it has ever been hunted due to our area and normal river conditions so i figured i'd give it a whirl...

However it is a rocky bottom...this was extremely problematic even with a sifter. I would find what i thought was a solid signal that would turn out to be nothing and then dig with no luck due to the smaller and some larger river rocks giving me problems...

is there any tips for hunting rocky bottom areas? I feel there is probably a few goodies here from throughout the years i just got so frustrated with the difficulties i gave up after about an hour and a half. I did find a penny though....

Also what settings should i use to try and give me better luck? I used "auto-notch" and it seemed to knock out alot of the iron but i would still get signals from stuff (that would hit on iron,then nickel, then zinc, etc) and those always turn out to be junk. Should i just dig only signals that remain the same or still try the ones that fluctuate...? Any advice would help, i have read some articles relating a bit but most of them relate to detectors i dont have or beach hunting

 

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[lookindown]

In a trashy area with lots of targets I dont dig the jumpy signals. In an area with few targets I dig it all.

 

[njnydigger]

No way around this one IMHO. Rocky areas are just plain tough to detect. Does your scoop have a "diamond tipped point" on it? If not - and you plan to continue hunting very rocky/gravelly areas - I'd pick one up if I were you The tip of the scoop comes to a sharp point (like a needle) and is made for digging in tough spots. Still gonna be TOUGH digging for sure, but, the scoop might help a wee bit. Of course, if you want even better advice...

Life's too short to exert yourself. Find a new spot

P.S. - Do a google search for "nuttall scoops" or "nuttal scoops"...not sure of the spelling

 

[Randyd]

I dig everything. sometimes you will make good finds under a can bottom or a door hinge, or a big rock, etc.

I fan aggressively with my gloved hand first, then maybe use a pick or a gad bar to loosen rocks. no scoop
the fresh stuff is right on top of the clay layer or rocks and just under the sand. So you could just fan, but some stuff works its way down between the rocks.

got a nice axe head at 3' or so one time. There was some coins and trash first, then the big signal as I got deeper. That was a lot of digging and prying, but the signal was so strong I had to see what it was.

Use lots of duct tape on your glove fingers! helps protect against cuts from glass, metal and nails and other junk.

I love rocks, other people are too lazy to dig and it leaves you more!

 

[Jason in Enid]

Rocks are tough to dig in, but you have to find a way. How is the clarity of the water? You could try using a hand pick or rock hammer to dig the rocks out IF you can see under the water with a mask on.

You need to dig everything that registers above iron. Discriminating anything out could cost you gold!

 

[detectahead]

Get yourself a flatbar. Curved on one end and flat on the other. The curved end you can use to dig and pull the rocks out of the way, the flat end to pry with. The rivers I dig in are nothing but rocks and my finds testify to how well the flatbar works. You can get one at walmart for less than $3 in the tool section. Dig all signals above iron. Also leather gloves or you will turn your fingers into hamburger.

 

[davidfl]

dont dig if possible pinpoint targets then drop and fan

 

[Jason in Enid]

dont dig if possible pinpoint targets then drop and fan

When was the last time you fanned rocks?

 

[riverdiver]

I only detect in rivers here in New England and only with scuba gear, I lay on the bottom facing the current and always work into the current, I like to let the river current remove the majority of the overburden that I am fanning away, rocks I move by hand because just like with gold panning, the eddy current created downstream of a rock will move heavy objects like gold, silver and lead behind and below the rock. Also don't discount iron concretions that give off a mixed signal, I recovered one this year that contained a Victorian Era leather purse with an IH penny and several pieces of sterling jewelery all inside of the block. I posted it in "todays finds" a couple of weeks ago.