Walker river 395

[tapoutking]

Anyone pan the walker river that runs along the 395 between bridgport and Mono? I was just there two days ago driving thru from Tahoe going home and stopped with the family to let the kids play in the water. Was wondering if there was gold in the river..

 

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[Fullpan]

I see on my gold claims overly to google earth that there are two active claims about five miles south of Walker. Thats it. It seems like there would be more
action than that, as the geology along that stretch looks very good. Sorry, i don't have any personal knowledge. After seeing all the posts about gold prospecting back east(texas, ohio, indiana, etc.) maybe we should check out these "marginal" areas in the sierra nevada region. Maybe we're too spoiled out here!!

 

[OKIE]

REALLY spoiled ... I get excited when I find -50 specs ...LOL.... I found a -50 today in my cons that my blue bowl missed and my wife came running out to see what I was so happy about and when I showed her, she said "OMG you silly man". I was testing my DIY miller table.

 

[Fullpan]

Back in the 1980's when i was prospecting for a suitable claim to work, i would come home sunday night with a couple pennyweights and my wife would
say the same thing!

 

[OKIE]

... Gold make us look like IDIOTS ..... ... hey I resemble that remark

 

[Edson]

Anyone pan the walker river that runs along the 395 between bridgport and Mono? I was just there two days ago driving thru from Tahoe going home and stopped with the family to let the kids play in the water. Was wondering if there was gold in the river..

I've seen a few people trying at Walker but not much was found. I'm sure there are a few good spots but I don't know where. I just got back from vacation at the Eastern Sierras. Best place I've found is Dog Town, south of Bridgeport just after the turn off to Bodie (as you travel south), on Virginia creek after it merges with Dog creek. Went there a few times and ended up with 3/4 of a gram of small flakes and fines. Good fishing too. One day I just got done digging for 4 hrs and was having lunch with my wife when the DFG stock truck pulls up and dumps 100 lbs of 1-2 lb trout right in front of us. The DFG warden was also a prospector and we had a nice chat and swapped gold stories about Dog town. Needless to say we got our limits for the next few days.

Do you know Randy Seden? He is one of my prospecting buddies from Simi Valley. I live in Valencia and we dig a lot here close to home.

Edson

 

[tapoutking]

Hey Edson I know that area you are talking about. I get up there a couple times a year and it so happens I didn;t have my pans with me this last time. I usually keep them in my car.
No, I don;t know Randy. Doesn;t sound familiar. You dig up in the hills above your place? Placerita canyon area?

 

[Edson]

Hey Tap. Placerita is hard to get to. Have to be really sneaky. We have a few places up San Francisquito that we found an old channel that the old timers missed and get lots of fines out of it, but nothing big. We have another secret spot that we hit that gives up some bigger flakes and fines. But all these spots are dry so I bring water and screen down to 3/16" and bring home the material to run in my dip box (a cross between a rocker box and a sluice) that gets 98% of the gold. My buddy has a dry washer and I bring home his tailings and get gold out of it too. So he invested in a recirculating sluice that is more efficient then the dry washer at getting the small stuff. Lots of work but fun. Edson

 

[tapoutking]

Nice!! San Francisquito canyon was one of the major stops for the California bound Gold seekers that reached california. It was actually the first Haven for the people coming out of death valley and the ranch there saw alot of traffic between the mid and late 1800's. Find any relics while gold hunting?

 

[Edson]

The deposit we work is virgin, nothing but gravel, a little gold and some garnets. Very hard to find anything up there due to all the metal trash. San Fran. creek itself is full of metal from car parts to lead. San Francis dam broke up there so tons of debris from that. Also this area used to be open for target practice and will make your metal detector go nuts. I have cans of bullets I have found up there. In the creek there is tons of what I call lead nuggets and flakes from all the bullets. There is still a couple of shooting ranges up there too. I have found a couple of old beer cans and an old bottle. The area is closed to prospecting do to some endangered frog or fish but we go anyways. There's only one little area that water flows year round so maybe I should look around there more since the old timers would have seeked water.

When I was at Dog town I found an old piece of mining equip. Maybe part of a drag line, very interesting but heavy...

Edson

 

[tapoutking]

Nice! Ya, I figured that place would have lots of iron debris from the flood. At some point you may find something that was washed down that is worth something. I would also hit that creek all the time if its year round. I collect books on the Gold rush and have some pretty good stuff on the area. I'll see if I can find any info as far as camps etc in the area or anything interesting you may be able to use and let you know.

 

[rawdog]

Rawdog here...

Lots of gold off 395...

I too am friends with Randy Seden and have worked the secret sneaky spot. We gutted the river pretty good and took out some good chunky gold (grams) before the layer played out. Last few times the place is pretty torn up...not so secret anymore. Saw edsons tailings and made a new pile with my new custom bellows drywasher. Took out some small pieces, but nothing to yell eureka over, as the gold quickly plays out as we get down a few feet. Seems liuke all the gold is in the most recent flood layer

I don't like the secret area, and rarely go down there anymore, as bad stuff has happened to us down there like...flash floods flat tires from all the nails, getting stuck in the mud, etc....The road is pretty washed out by the dry creek, so it is also a challenge in my 2 wheel drive van with high clearance.

FAIR WARNING...
anyone pming me asking me where this spot is, I will not respond.

Randy and I haven't been out in a while. I'm interested to take my drywasher out to the red cliffs, you been there edson? We ran a couple buckets here and there off the cliffs but nothing. Saw some big drywasher holes on the side of the creek, may hop in one of those in search of that elusive yellow stuff.

ps...anyone pming me asking me where this spot is, I will not respond, thanks


Randy, its Daniel. Hope you and your family are well You should make a trip with bob wagner up to the east fork to meet goldpaw and I near our hole. It's very close to the road and pumping out beautiful gold right now. Edson, you too.

Finally, Goldpaw and I have been granted permission to dig the property of a dear friend of my faithful and relentless digging partner, Goldpaw's backyard (5 acres), where there are two old mines and dry seasonal creeks, in placerita cyn. We shall tirelessly dry sample the gravels and report our findings. Randy, contact me for more info, if interested.



Faithfully yours,

Rawdog