Where to dig?

[specksandflecks]

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. View attachment 941675

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.

Looks more like black gravel to me . If black sand is a good indicator, black gravel is even better! One could probably make a case for gold being the best indicator, looks like you have both!

It's too bad things didn't "pan out" in the gravel bars, but so goes prospecting they say.

I think the same thing has basically been said a few different ways, that being there are lots of variables and gold is where you find(sample) it.

That being said, I completely agree with your logic in wanting to investigate that area. It has been my experience (although limited) that any time you see topography that concentrates the/a channel on a gold bearing drainage, good things can happen.

Previously mined isn't always a bad thing either of course. In some areas, depending on the nature of the gold and energy of the drainage, I look for signs of past dredging, cobble, etc. I have actually made some decent finds in these areas simply because gold has been redeposited in the same spot that was worked before (early-mid 80's).

 

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[usher21]

Yeah I gotta say that Prospector Jess has some dang good vids on youtube. Check em out, even if you have many years of prospecting under your belt. May your pan be yellow! Mark