Gold Fever - Tom Massie makes it look easy

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Being a newbie, my wife and I were watching Gold Fever, taped this last Sat. he was showing the different types of getting gold, he demonstrated panning, he went out to a stream leaned down scooped a panfull of surface gravel and panned it and found gold. Granted that is in NC where gold is probably really plentiful, but what am I doing wrong I have never found anything even when I dig a foot down behind a rock. He gets gold with every scoop.

 

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[spillercanyon]

Hey Ben,

Don't believe everything you see on t.v., it's all choreographed.

 

[jeff of pa]

yea LOL on film he gets gold with every scoop (well almost, I have seen him get skunked)
for the most part I do believe he is honest enough not to Salt his pan,
however They only air the pan with the gold, even if it takes a dozen trys to get a good pan.

I do believe he salts is Detecting finds though.
they find too many silver dollars & guns for my belief system.
last show I watched he did mention taking trash with though,
instead of silently tossing it to the side

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

I did find the end of the show funny, he was showing how to pan a staple out of a pan of dirt, the outtakes at the end of the show showed the 3 times (at least) that he lost the staple

 

[Goldwasher]

Tom Massie is one of the last things guys or gals getting into gold prospecting should look up to.....he has let his father down in so many ways it is a total shame.

 

[NeoTokyo]

Judge not lest ye be judged.

 

[jeff of pa]

Tom Massey is one of the last things guys or gals getting into gold prospecting should look up to.....he has let his father down in so many ways it is a total shame.

I know some people won't agree with this, But Tom is his own Man.
Nothing wrong with that.
living up to someone else's standards & Expectations makes no sense to me.

 

[Goldwasher]

soooooooo many people ripped Gold Rush Alaska for being fake.even though it may have been produced those crews did their own digging and did not salt their claims... it is not hard to see Tom Massie ACTING like HE found something..that he clearly didnt....so what is he actually providing people getting into prospecting just a Dramatazation??!!!!!.....He is the face of the Largest Nationiol Prospecting Orginazation and he is lying to try and gain members and i think that is a shame and so would his father who i don't believe would be ok with it that is all. I like the Idea of the Gpaa they put a lot of info and acerage into the hands of people who want to get ahead of the prospecting curve for very little money. I just don't feel they do their due dilligence in the legal and regulatory department...they are the core of the " recreational"....prospecting sect and that seems to be their drive gain members and try to keep some.... i Know if you give use of your claim they help with fees. I just feel they shouls spend a serious amount of effort helping to keep ALL miners even non members....digging and producing valuable mineral resources.... not just going on guided gold finding vacations.......Neo Tokyo......Judge me for what? I help newbies all the time I have a very full P.M. box ......and I know that I know how to find gold I am not on T.V. being untruthful for the sake of looking like I am being succcesful AM I ? I dont lie on Tnet The gold I post was dug by me legally on public and legally accessed private land. I make enough money off of my finds to help pay some bills or buy some toys occaisionally....so I prospect and make a profit so by definition I am a Gold Miner. I dont care what others here think of me I have seen more Gold this summer from some of my non Online buddies plus my finds to help keep me confident that I am in the upper 10% of small scale Miners in my area atleast. Really I guess I like Tom Massie for showing how easy prospecting is ........ it keeps craigslist and yardsales full of gear for pennies on the dollar....and more than 70% of new prospectors headin home when it gets too hot in the field and frustrated that they cant just scoop up gold like Tom Massie can that magic flannel wearing man. remember the Samuael Clemens quote.. " A mine is a hole in the ground with a liar standing on top of it".........well......what does that make Tom Massie......mining the Miners

 

[blynch35]

sooo what do you really think lol nicely put

 

[Goodyguy]

Tom Massie has been prospecting his whole life, it's in his blood.
I for one am a fan of his. He is trying to follow in his fathers footsteps as best he can and has his own comical style of presenting prospecting/mining to the masses.

Here is a sample of what he does, in case anyone doesn't know.........enjoy!
To see complete episodes :http://www.goldprospectors.org/Media/Video/tabid/228/Default.aspx

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

I might think that a fair amount of his show is off topic, and he acts like a rube alot of the time, but he got my wife interested in gold panning and rockhounding and that is a good thing! Maybe it is because I look like an old Tom Massie (with gray hair, same build).
Most of us would watch a show that shows the inner workings of panning and sluicing and shows the frustration of not finding things, how long would that show last in today's market place?

Here in New England gold is very hard to find and when you do for the most part it is flour gold and fines. I am new to this and know it is not as easy as Tom shows, although if you watch him you will see he is as out of shape as I am. Everytime I go panning I am almost crawling back to my car and that night I can't sleep because I have cramps in my legs all night!
But gold prospecting in NH, where else can you carry a .357 loaded for bear, a big knife, a shovel and a gold pan! Of course the Rangers recommend hiding the gun under something since the sheep (hikers and tourists) will get scared (open carry is legal in NH).

In 3 trips I have found 1 ONE small fine, that I could not really pick up with a tweezers, but I am having fun! Now if it didn't cost a minimum of $100 everytime I went up to NH! I am off to there in October and want to bring back a bunch of dirt to go through this winter

 

[Armchair prospector]

Pville hunter is right, but that is the nature of all things.When making money stretching the truth is part of the game. He's just carrying on what his father started in his own way and it seems to work. Don't know if he would have been able to start a club himself, but that is the nature of being in the right place at the right time. Does he actually prospect? probably, but his father was in much better shape. His brother Perry is much slimmer. I myself have not been a member for around 10 yrs. I found there are many places to go without paying a membership. Starting out as a newbie is a good idea as many there can show one the ins and outs. Have to work because the nuts in the California capital have just screwed this place up to no end with the dredge ban.

 

[sky355]

I enjoy Tom Massie and his family. You can tell hes a great guy and really cares about his family and his passion for Prospecting. I dont knock the guy one bit. Hes a true prospector. As far as the show goes lets put this into perspective folks. Would you want to see someone with a pan full of dirt and no gold every time when your doing a show about getting gold? I dont think so. So yes I think they show only the times he gets gold because thats what its all about. Ive seen many if not most of his shows in recent years and I can say I have seen him get skunked so he tries to keep it real at the same time keeping folks interested in prospecting by showing more success in his pan then failure. Nothing wrong with that at all.

As far as his family I love them all they are good folks. You can tell Cindy is a hell of a woman, His kids are great too.

Nothing but respect for Tom and his show.

James

 

[jeff of pa]

my only real problem with him is his acting out, wearing a plastic beard & running around Bowl Legged
making fools out of the depictions of old time gold miners, & squealing Gold gold Gold.
if he's doing it at home for his kids or in a kindergarten class to make the kids pay attention and laugh,
that's fine but not on a show for adults IMO
of course I think Wavy Gravy was an embarrassment to the Hippy generation at woodstock !
save that stuff for the Children's hour.
the times I was around him he seemed bright enough to know that.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

of course I think Wavy Gravy was an embarrassment to the Hippy generation at woodstock !

The only woodstock I knew was an M-1 Garand while I was in the service - LOL

 

[loby]

Hiiii,

Gold Fever

Gold Fever has been running strong for thirteen years and has a promising future ahead. Hosted by Tom Massie, Gold Fever remains one of the highest rated shows on Outdoor Channel, taking viewers on adventures all over the United States, and soon – the world.

Shot in high definition, the show has captivated hundreds of thousands of people with its visually stunning photography. Gold Fever’s success is derived from two core principles: education and entertainment. We work hard to teach the fundamentals of finding gold while at the same time making the show exciting for all viewers.

Gold Fever is not your typical travel show, it is much larger than that. We take viewers in to some of the most remote locations in this country, showcasing the vast beauty of mother nature, and one of the gifts she provides... gold.

 

[Gold Maven]

One thing I can think of that surprised me at Tom Massie, was when he hiked up to the Panamint mine with his daughter for a show, and when she didn't like the accommodations he let her hike back down by herself.

He joked after she left that she didn't have the truck keys, and they were back in a remote location.

Perhaps it was staged, but it looked real enough.

 

[jeff of pa]

One thing I can think of that surprised me at Tom Massie, was when he hiked up to the Panamint mine with his daughter for a show, and when she didn't like the accommodations he let her hike back down by herself.

He joked after she left that she didn't have the truck keys, and they were back in a remote location.

Perhaps it was staged, but it looked real enough.

I remember that one I'm sure there was more to the story,
I doubt he & his wife are bad parents, and would let their daughters, no matter what age,
fend for themselves.

kind of reminded me of the time he & his wife were caving, & all lights coincidentally
died at the same time & after the fake acting of being worried, they were only feet away from an exit

it was obvious it was their way of teaching prospective cavers of the dangers & in the case of their daughter,
probably their way of saying , if you don't have the real interest & energy, stay at home

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

I enjoy the show, silly at times serious at others, but as I said my wife really likes it and anything that keeps her wanting to get out in the stream is good. I would like to see an out-take dvd. If it has been on for 13 years it is too bad they don't have backshows on DVD and an index

 

[jeff of pa]

they recently did a sort of out-take show.

only part I really remember, I believe they were near the Border,
heard gun shots, acted like they were being shot at & ran for their lives.
even after being in the car, supposedly speeding away, they acted like they were running
from immenant death

I believe shortly after he admitted there was probably no reason to feel danger