Where to dig?

[NuggetN8]

Alright all you expert sluicers I need some advice . I'm more of a small creek sluicer not a river sluicer but I want to try a spot out at the river. I've heard that the inside bend of rivers are where heavies are most likely deposited but this spot is a little different. There's a little island/gravel bar in the middle of the river. I drew up a little map in photoshop to show. Where would you try out first? (The only spot to set the sluice would have to be somewhere near the bend or on either side of the island because of the depth.) Also when you're sluicing in the river what's the best way to dig? Very large wide hole or try for depth?

Edit: In the pic the left side of the map is the downstream side.

 

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[Rdg Sluicer]

Which way is the water flowing?

 

[NuggetN8]

Which way is the water flowing?

Oops forgot to add that info. Left side is downstream.

 

[Rdg Sluicer]

I would work the point downstream and the little island first depending what the current is doing.

 

[Goodyguy]

View attachment 938073

You see the sand/gravel bar along the inside bend at the left. It's there because that bend created a natural low pressure area where material has dropped out of the flow and has built up over time creating the bar. Same with the other bar as well as the smaller one.

Trouble is, those sand gravel bars were most likely created by flooding in the last 100 years or so and unless you get closer down to bedrock you're only going to find flood gold at best.

By all means work the inside bend just after the sharp curve but dig deep or dig for nothing because any good gold is going to be buried underneath all that overburden and be trapped in any ancient cracks and crevices or potholes in the bedrock.

GG~

 

[specksandflecks]

I'd say it's hard to say from that illustration. Heres why: If there is another inside bend in the opposite direction upriver from that first bar or another feature that would cause heavies to concentrate on the same side of the river as the first bar, the first bar might be better. Also if the river banks are confined on both sides by steep cliffs upstream of the first bar, making the first bar the earliest place for heavies to drop it could be better.

At any rate you'll probably want to sample pan a few spots from each bar.

 

[NuggetN8]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I guess I should have added something else in the illustration.. Where the dark gray is right next to the water there's some bedrock then a steep cliff. I'm heading out tomorrow so I'll just test pan all the different spots I think could be good.

 

[jcazgoldchaser]

Watch this guy's videos

 

[Oregon Viking]

Google earth!

 

[Hoser John]

Biggest predicationg factor is--is this river run by a dam as once damed the flows are no longer natural and gold can be anywhere. Also mined prior ??as in dayz of old them rivers/creeks were moved OUT of their natural flows for a raping and then you work like crazy to find zip-John

 

[NuggetN8]

Well I wasted a lot of time today sampling to see if sluicing would be worth it. No good. Tried sniping in the river.. No good. Resorted to crevicing on the sides and saved my day. Not too great but good for the amount of time I put into it. 0.8 gram.

 

[mxer47]

Sampling is seldom a waste of time. Just guessing on a spot where gold should be and digging all day for nothing would.

 

[NuggetN8]

Sampling is seldom a waste of time. Just guessing on a spot where gold should be and digging all day for nothing would.

I know I wouldn't sluice before sampling. Didn't mean sampling is a waste of time. It's necessary if your going to sluice. Was just a waste of time for me today but you never know until you try. The location just isn't right for sluicing.

 

[tyeechinook]

Well I wasted a lot of time today sampling to see if sluicing would be worth it. No good. Tried sniping in the river.. No good. Resorted to crevicing on the sides and saved my day. Not too great but good for the amount of time I put into it. 0.8 gram.


View attachment 938882

Wow that's great gold! I have never found that much in one outing. Or two outings combined!


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[NuggetN8]

Went to a new location and did some real sluicing. Closer to bedrock. The hike was a killer and there was a lot of lion activity around there.. 8 classified buckets of dirt yielded 2grams. Here's a pic not a very good pic but only one I took lol.

Also my sluice kept loading up with black sand and I'm positive I was losing gold... There's a ton of black sand there it was crazy. 1 bucket loaded it up. Slowed production having to do cleanups so often.

 

[Goodyguy]

Watch this guy's videos

Seen all of prospector Jess's videos.... good stuff

I do not recommend you pay to join prospector Jess's club for $17 a month (or anyone elses for that matter)
especially when you can find it all for free by doing internet searches.

Prospector Jess wants you to pay to join his club so you can get these for free.
Well here they are, welcome to prospector GG's free club.

Here is the free usgs gold reference publication.
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/gold/gold.pdf

And here is the free usgs placer gold recovery methods publication.
http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_resources/gold/Documents/SP87.pdf

Here is the free usgs link to find where all the gold has been found in the usa and around the world. Requires you to figure out how to operate but once you do it's pretty useful. And can merge with google earth. I posted instructions on t-net a few years ago if you can find them.
http://tin.er.usgs.gov/mrds/



GG~

 

[Underburden]

And never consider it a waste of time...When you get the 'skunk', that's an investment...just means DONT DIG HERE.
Keep moving until you hit it, then look back and be grateful for the investment.

Bob

 

[Goodyguy]

I'd say it's hard to say from that illustration. Heres why: If there is another inside bend in the opposite direction upriver from that first bar or another feature that would cause heavies to concentrate on the same side of the river as the first bar, the first bar might be better. Also if the river banks are confined on both sides by steep cliffs upstream of the first bar, making the first bar the earliest place for heavies to drop it could be better.

At any rate you'll probably want to sample pan a few spots from each bar.

There is no way to know which bar or bend on a river contains the richest deposit other than by sampling.

There could always be a even richer source of gold after any bar and before the next bar not only because the river could cut through a rich source anywhere along it's path but also because gold wont always stay put, it has a habit of moving when raging floods occur and may end up just about anywhere. I've seen boulders as big as cars get moved downstream like toys during flooding.

Gold is usually found on gold bearing rivers and streams from one end to the other due to movement caused by flooding and not just confined to the first bend after it's source. And of course that's why we sample to find that elusive pay streak where ever it may be.

GG~

 

[NuggetN8]

And never consider it a waste of time...When you get the 'skunk', that's an investment...just means DONT DIG HERE. Keep moving until you hit it, then look back and be grateful for the investment. Bob

I know. What I meant by that was I knew where I could definitely find some nice gold right on the bedrock crevicing and was taking a chance trying something new. That's what mining is all about though. I ended up abandoning that section of the river because it seemed like it was dredged out. Anything in the river was bad but up on the sides was good. Moved to a completely different area and it's great but probably flooded by now. Back to the creeks until next year..

 

[Goodyguy]

I know. What I meant by that was I knew where I could definitely find some nice gold right on the bedrock crevicing and was taking a chance trying something new. That's what mining is all about though. I ended up abandoning that section of the river because it seemed like it was dredged out. Anything in the river was bad but up on the sides was good. Moved to a completely different area and it's great but probably flooded by now. Back to the creeks until next year..