what material to pan?

[eureka77]

I live in NC above mooresville in the ''piedmont belt''. Anyways when panning a small creek what material do you pan? Do you dig a certain depth then pan or the top layer. Ibeen doing alot of reading and know about the different layers and what not and know where I'm suppose to dig but how far down do yall go to reach those spots on average.
I understand this is real vauge but.... I've panned the 1st time today for a little while and am finding alot of black sand. Also one huge bedrock in the stream i was able to break chunks of and in those chunks was nothing but gold flakes and black sand. I washed it in the pan and when i was done the whole pan was nothing but that ''gold'' and a little bit of black sand. I wish i would've took a pic so yall could i dentify it but didint have a camera. I ended up just washing it back out cause i wasnt sure what it is. I know I could identify a nygget but that flake stuff...... not sure.
to the original ? what do yLL LOOK FOR?

 

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[Astrobouncer]

Try gravel bars, inside bends of the river, behind boulders, in cracks in the bedrock, under waterfalls and places where the stream/river widens from a narrow spot. The gold flakes you describe sound a lot like mica schist. The best place to find gold is on the bedrock in cracks but it can accumulate in all the aforementioned places as well. I recommend going to any of the pay-to-play mining places near you and watching some experienced panners in person to see how its done. Or lots of you tube videos.

I dont really look for anything (besides those places) when I am out, I just pick a spot, start digging, classify some of the material down, and then do a test pan. If there's color there then I will stay in that spot and keep looking.

 

[Eric Willoughby]

If you don't mind driving a few hours west in North Carolina, I would be happy to show you how it's done over here.

 

[eureka77]

Appreciate the responses. It'll probably be awhile before I could go pan with ya. With my fishing,hunting,cars Not to sure the misses will tolerate another hobby
This creek is at her dads property so while visiting I head off for the stream. I think I have ocd cause I hit everything I do full force. Don't know how I got bit with the goldfever bug, always wanted to do it but now it's all I'm thinking bout.

 

[Eric Willoughby]

For me, panning is not a hobby, it's a testing tool. My toy is a 5 inch dredge!

 

[AU Seeker]

This creek is at her dads property so while visiting I head off for the stream. I think I have ocd cause I hit everything I do full force. Don't know how I got bit with the goldfever bug, always wanted to do it but now it's all I'm thinking bout.

You think you have gold fever now , just wait until you find some GOLD in your pan for sure and it is all over but the therapy, and that's getting back out there and finding some more!!!

The best way to learn is to go out with someone with experience, you will learn what gold looks like in your pan, how it acts in your pan, and where it will be in relation with all the other stream bed material in your pan, you will learn where to look in the streams for gold, there is a long learning curve gold prospecting as a newbie on your own.


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[enamel7]

Eureka,
Drop me a message when you have time to go again. I'm not far from you (Kannapolis). I'll teach you all you need to know. plus I always can use another partner.
HH
enamel7

 

[polly513]

Get a lead fishing weight put it on a fishing line with a small balloon tied to the other end throw it in upstream from where you would consider panning. Where the lead weight lands is your x. Start there. This trick has worked for me many times. I was told to do this by my grandfather when I first started.

 

[Daryl Friesen]

This link in the following video is from a friend of mine and a member of Spindle Explorations so have a watch I think you will find it very interesting.

[youtube=425,350] <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> [/youtube]

www.spindlequest.com/treasureleads.html

 

[maui]

daryl, thanks much for sharing the video. looks really beautifull up there.
keep it going and i am sure that you will do much better.
take care and be carefull out there. ron

 

[eureka77]

Yeah thanks for posting that. I lived in North Bend Oregon when I was younger. Miss the beauty of the northwest forests. Huge doug firs and the clear rivers and streams. Wish I was into gold prospecting back then, I know I would of made a killin along the upper part of Smith river, or Camp creek. My treasure so to speak were the elk, blacktail deer, and bear and of course the scenery. Could walk for days and see nobody!

 

[TerryC]

77,
First, by now you may have figured out that bedrock is not a "rock". It is the lowest strata in the stream bed. It is where gold will end up. It may only be a false bedrock of lava that has been layed down over the last few millions of years. It will be the furthest down you can go. Astro pointed out a few tips. These and many other tips can be found in the out-of-print "bible" of gold prospectors titled The Gold Hunter's Field Book by Jay Ransom. 1975. Look hard enough and you will find one. Also, a Garrett Gravity Trap pan (I believe) is the best pan around. Others have similar copies but Ray Lagal... for Garrett... was the first. Recently, at the Stanislaus, My brother TimC, was shocked at how fast I was going through pans of cons to recover the gold. He suggested I was losing gold. We panned down to find some gold then I put cup after cup of cons on top to show the gold stayed in the pan... even after washing the pan while the bottom was perpendicular to level! A good pan. Note: my endorsements of these products are my own and are unpaid and unsolicited by manufactures. I just think they are the best. TTC

 

[TerryC]

This link in the following video is from a friend of mine and a member of Spindle Explorations so have a watch I think you will find it very interesting.

[youtube=425,350] <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uFgqP9bNW8Q&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uFgqP9bNW8Q&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> [/youtube]

www.spindlequest.com/treasureleads.html

Daryl, I watched the video... nice! Two things though. I'll bet you have re-entry burns on the hood of that car! And, I would go slower... to let Sasquatch vacate!!!!! TTC

 

[AU Seeker]

Daryl,

Thanks for the video, nice place, but you need to tell your friend that his "secret place" is no longer a secret since when he was checking to see what time it was he showed the GPS cords to his "secret place!!!!


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[Daryl Friesen]

Daryl,

Thanks for the video, nice place, but you need to tell your friend that his "secret place" is no longer a secret since when he was checking to see what time it was he showed the GPS cords to his "secret place!!!!


Skip

I think you bit the hook my friend as that was done on purpose.

Daryl



www.spindlequest.com

 

[Goodyguy]

I understand this is real vauge but.... I've panned the 1st time today for a little while and am finding alot of black sand. Also one huge bedrock in the stream i was able to break chunks of and in those chunks was nothing but gold flakes and black sand. I washed it in the pan and when i was done the whole pan was nothing but that ''gold'' and a little bit of black sand.

My advice is take those "flakes" and see if they crumble (if they do then they are not real gold) what you are describing sounds an awful lot like mica schist flakes or even flakes of iron pyrite. If still in doubt take them to a jeweler or someone else who is an expert.

Lots of 'newbies" get fooled by those, so don't feel bad.
I have been known to bite them to see if they crumble or take pliers to them.

GG~

 

[EE THr]

eureka77;

The answer to your question is---Go DOWN. Gold is almost twice as heavy as lead! gold goes down as far as it can, and that's where you will find it.

Using a shovel can be hit or miss, as you can imagine, knowing that the gold, if it is there at all, is on the absolute bottom. And if it is disturbed, it will return to the bottom really fast. so you can imagine the hit-or-miss situation of using a shovel to try and scoop it up. A shovel mostly just disturbs it, especially when under water. It will fall off the end of a shovel quicker than you can blink, because it's going to be at the very tip, to begin with! (The exception to this is sometimes there is very sticky, dense, clay; and it can hold some gold in suspension, sometimes.)

That's why dredges are so effective---it's not just the volume, it's that they suck everything right up, down to bare bedrock. Even a hand operated sucker, like a turkey baster for sucking out cracks, or the piston type (works the opposite of a bicycle tire pump) for getting around rocks and down to the bottom. (Never stand in front of a boulder while sucking all the sand out from under it, however, because it will roll onto you!)

Placer gold looks like yellow, used, chewing gum, dents and all, because it is very mallable and usually worn to one degree or another by getting pushed down the river, over the sand and stuff. If it looks flaky and changes color, dark to light, as you turn it in the light, it's not gold. Once you see it, there is no mistaking it.

Once you agitate your pan a little, and remove any larger pieces of rock, you will have three layers: river sand on top, black (iron) sand in the middle, and gold (if you got some) on the very bottom. Gold is almost three times heaver than iron, so you can be sure that's where it will be, on the very bottom.

If it is very small size, they call it flour gold, because it's about that size, and will form an arc line around the outer circular edge of the pan. When you've gotten all of the river sand out of the pan, tip the pan (with a little water still in it) away from you and agitate it, then tip it back toward you gently so the water moves the black sand toward you. The gold will stay where it is, at the far edge of the pan, forming a small arc of yellow that you can easily see.

Gently wash the black sand back a few times and if there is flour gold there, it will be visible. You can even get it to where there is a separation area between the black sand and the gold, this way. If there are larger pieces, too, they will show up a little sooner. If you got nuggets, also, they will start to peak through the sand much sooner.

Have fun, and bring plenty of fresh water.

 

[Goodyguy]

Get a lead fishing weight put it on a fishing line with a small balloon tied to the other end throw it in upstream from where you would consider panning. Where the lead weight lands is your x. Start there. This trick has worked for me many times. I was told to do this by my grandfather when I first started.

I haven't heard that one. Are you saying make the line the same depth as the water and when the lead weight gets stuck that's where you pan?

Or do you mean where the current slows down and the balloon quits moving?

 

[AU Seeker]

Daryl,

Thanks for the video, nice place, but you need to tell your friend that his "secret place" is no longer a secret since when he was checking to see what time it was he showed the GPS cords to his "secret place!!!!


Skip

I think you bit the hook my friend as that was done on purpose.

Daryl



www.spindlequest.com

I didn't really bite I just noticed it, I live to far away for biting to do me any good, but I'm sure others "Bit".


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[Daryl Friesen]

oh you know you bite the hook. But hey thats ok hoped you liked the video.

Daryl