Gold on top

[sidvail]

I spent the day on the Cosumnes river and found something interesting. During my test panning I discovered the sweet spot was right at the top of my holes. The water level was pretty low today and the middle of the river was maybe 2 feet deep. There was nice gravel with cobbles about the size of softballs and smaller. The far bank was the outside of the bend and was maybe 5 feet deep and all sand.

So anyway. I removed the top cobbles and got my first pan. Good color for just one pan. Second pan in same hole, less color. Third pan in same hole, just a couple specks.

Hmmm.

I move to another spot and try again. Same result. Good color on first pan, less on second, nada on third. I move closer to the bank, same result but less over all. Back out to the far side of the gravel little deeper, same result but again less over all.

I move up river 6 feet and do the same - close to bank, middle of gravel, far side gravel. Same result as the first 3 holes with most color in middle of gravel bar. Bigger cobbles there also. So I figure I'll stick in the path of the bigger cobbles. I worked another 10 or so holes only the top layer and called it a day. I was surprised by the quality - and the amount of black sand. I think I did pretty good.

So better gold at the top. Does this mean runoff gold? Deposited this last season? River was pretty slow there, so I'm thinking it was deposited and without much action there it didn't sink far.

I really need to take a sluice down there. If I could skim off the top layer along that gravel bar, it would make quite a showing.

 

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[63bkpkr]

A bunch of 'light' float gold, hmmmm. What if when it is dry you vacuum it? I'm sure the wife would not mind your taking the Kirby down there. Interesting and yes the water in NorCal is Low......................63bkpkr

 

[Island_Hunter]

I have experienced the some thing. The top 8"-10" produced much more and larger gold than digging the deeper gravel and cobbles. I was very surprised and assumed that it must have been seasonal gold. I ended up worked all the top gravel that others were clearing to get at the deeper stuff. I pulled some nice gold out of it!

 

[AlwaysBusyJ]

I've also experienced this, the top four inches or so would have a decent amount of fine gold dispersed across a bar, and not any better the deeper you go. I love this, scooping straight from the top saves me a ton of time and energy, and lets me cover a lot of ground. Seems like its deposited yearly, must be fine enough to not move much after it settles once it gets deposited.

 

[Goldhunterwes]

I seem to find that pattern a lot in dryer areas that get more sporadic water flow, I think it's because there's not constant water do it doesn't wash down as fast. I could speculate all day, probably recent drop, Mabye check up stream a little and see if there's a huge rock you can check behind. And like you said Check where the the larger rocks drop I always find my biggest flakes and nuggets there. Biggest being .33 grams so far. And I was under a small pile of of rocks

 

[Hoser John]

MASSIVE flooding about 10 years ago wiped out 5- 8"-10" dredges,tore out 200+ year old trees,tumbled like stones boulders bigger than buses so purt' near anythang can be as a short blast of only 5 days of pure wet LL as all was swept away and torn asunder. Flood layer paystreaks are quite common now-John

 

[sidvail]

I was pleasantly surprised. I'm going to try at the leading edge of the gravel bar next time as there are even bigger cobbles there. I need to get a sluice though as panning all that black sand ate up a lot of my time. The last few pans I didn't even try to separate - I just snuffered up the black sand and brought it home.

With the slow water I'll need a riffle type sluice like an A52, correct? I'm almost finished with my homemade bazooka, but the water isn't fast enough for it there.

 

[Fullpan]

Svail - I've posted these pics before but this is me back in the day doing exactly what you are refering to. I discovered that paying quantities of flood gold
are just a few inches down amidst the large cobbles and boulders. My method was to dry screen the material first to about a 1/4 inch, then pack the buckets
about 30 feet to the sluice and run as much as I could in a day. I averaged about two pennyweights a day (over 3 grams).

 

[sidvail]

Fullpan, love those pics - is that up on S Yuba? I remember you mentioning that was your old stomping grounds.

I think I may have found a good spot that is close to home as I don't think many folks come down here, being so far from the hills. The area I was working was in the middle of the river, about 2 feet deep (between A and B) - but I see the same type of gravel streaks all over this area that are maybe 6 feet higher above water line. I will try a couple of those next trip out.

The large gravel bar next to 'C' looks promising also, as does the opposite bend at C itself. There is a large fallen tree right after the narrows that I want to try, but the downside of it is pretty deep right there.

I need to take some more serious equipment down there as I was only using a pan and a trowel. A sluice and a shovel would do wonders for my throughput.

 

[Fullpan]

Fullpan, love those pics - is that up on S Yuba? I remember you mentioning that was your old stomping grounds.

I think I may have found a good spot that is close to home as I don't think many folks come down here, being so far from the hills. The area I was working was in the middle of the river, about 2 feet deep (between A and B) - but I see the same type of gravel streaks all over this area that are maybe 6 feet higher above water line. I will try a couple of those next trip out.

The large gravel bar next to 'C' looks promising also, as does the opposite bend at C itself. There is a large fallen tree right after the narrows that I want to try, but the downside of it is pretty deep right there.

I need to take some more serious equipment down there as I was only using a pan and a trowel. A sluice and a shovel would do wonders for my throughput.View attachment 791973

Yes, that is the SY. The gravel bar between B and C looks very similar. Is that white streak btwn B and C a riffle that can be used to set up a sluice? If so,
you only need to screen the gravel (looks like a dry year) and perhaps a wheelbarrow for transport. Keep us posted on your sampling, it looks like you're
on the right track!

 

[sidvail]

So here's the take on the day. Still a lot of black sand to go through, but I think this was the best of it. More than I expected, but less than I'd hoped

Can't wait to try a sluice there.

 

[Doitlaynstyle]

Sounds just like the seasonal gold we get on the creek claims around here. It's all in about the first shovel or two deep. You can see how we were digging in the video. However we got into better gold on an old claim way up in the hills. Seems that the old prospectors missed some lol see video two.

 

[Doitlaynstyle]

See the picker? That's our first!

 

[DizzyDigger]

That's a fine looking pan of float gold! Stuff I get up here is about as thin as gold leaf
material, but the first 8" of sand on the bars has a good amount of it.

AlwaysBusy: Wonder if we're hitting the same river?

Just got in early today from along trip to Nev., but as soon as I recover enough
a buddy and I are headed to a local river that has bars with quite a bit of float gold.
This time we're bringing my lightweight trommel and his Bazooka so we can feed that
critter all day and hopefully bring home a gram or two.

This is about 2 hrs. worth..

 

[Hoser John]

now this is real consumes gold

 

[63bkpkr]

John,
You show off! LOL!! WOW that is some very nice gold or is it gold painted pebbles. How I would love to be there in person to see that, not to touch it or take it but just to see it and be able to say I've seen such a take. Thanks for adding to the thread..................63bkpkr

 

[sidvail]

Damn!

 

[DizzyDigger]

Hoser John....

 

[Hoser John]

Come on herb,tain't never ever painted a thang in my life,real or no deal. Heal up my friend and lets go lookn' fer sum more!!!John