I think deep down in the core of every person there is something primal about gold in general.
This primitive draw to gold fuels some of us to the obsessive, no matter the quantity.
I started again because of the video I am going to link at the bottom, but I had always dabbled with prospecting, just never found more than a few specs of micro at a time.
This video made me go out and try my hand at underwater sniping. My second day out I found my Gold Fish nugget and BLAM it was on like Donkey Kong.
Between the next two honey holes that I found I pulled more than 30oz out of over the next two years just sniping. Now this year has not been anywhere near that but still a wonderful adventure.
I come to find out last year that my Grandfather was a dredger and had worked the Motherlode area for decades and that he use to have Mason Jars filled with nuggets. HOW F00KING COOL IS THAT?! My father use to dredge with him too, my mother would go and pan with them and help, pretty much everyone (Even my snobby Elitist Aunt) would go out prospecting.
So I guess its in my family genes too and I never knew until last year.
Working in the water I am more at peace with the world than any other part of my day, even dreams aren't this good.
For the tinkering side of it, yeah, I really enjoyed that too. My most successful tinker is my underwater Gold Sniper bottle which is simply an 8oz harbor freight bottle with a long, curved plastic tube that gets larger on the inside as it goes down to prevent clogging. My new video's this year will show it but I have used it for over 2 years since I stumbled on the tube and thought "EUREKE, GOLD!"
I sell them now too at my local mining shops, its just too badass not to sell.
I went through several crappy snuffer bottles before I got that Eureka moment with my current design. That's just part of tinkering.
I also made an electric underwater vacuum that stored the cons, just like an underwater shop vac.
The battery that I used was a small 12v gell battery that packs a whopping 9.5amps in a little 6x6x5" 9lb package that's easy to pack in.
I used a little 3amp 1000gph pump that would collapse the sides of all plastic buckets including paint and square buckets, LOTS of suction.
That idea just sits on the back porch now because of the last Dredging moratorium update banning anything that sucks underwater, grrr.
I will probably finish that one if I find a light enough bucket that wont collapse but most of my drive for that one has gone because of the moratorium.
Cost wasn't much, about $175 dollars to make it, most of the cost is the battery because it is a compact continual use gell battery, not a starting battery.
I also adapted many hand tools to scraping, picking, crunching and busting bedrock.
The way I see it, its just part of the fun.
There are other reasons why I prospect and I think John hit the nail on the head perfectly with his post.
It's just a wonderful way to live life.
-Eric-
