Gold Panning Creeks

[BrettCo124]

Hey everybody,

I'm new to this area of the forum, and thought I'd ask a couple of questions:

Quick background:
I live in Bucks County, Pennslyvania
I have been searching a creek across the street from me for arrowheads (Which is mainly how I found this amazing forum).
I have recently been suggested to possibly pan my creek for gold.

I know NOTHING about panning for gold, however, I have been (and will continue to) search forums and youtube for advice on how to pan for it. So, my question is most likely the most common newbie question:
Could ANY creek hold gold? I am by new means trying to do this to get rich, it is strictly for the hobby. One flake of gold in the bottom of my pan would be all I talk about to friends and family for the next month straight.

The reason I ask, is because I would not want to travel to pan for gold. I am only interested in my creek. Maybe later on down the line I would, but for now, I am strictly talking about my creek. I know that nobody knows what creek I am speaking of, but here is a quick description:

It has great running water. Subject to flooding almost every time it rains. Rocky, pebbly, sandy, muddy bottom. Connects to a major river (Delaware River) about ten miles down the road. Lastly, the creek seems to just begin about eight miles away from my house in the opposite direction of the major river. It was used as a way of passage for Native Americans (its an older creek).

What I want to avoid (if I can) is purchasing the panning kit online if my area (Bucks County, PA) does not seem like a good area. I did a lot of research on Google, but I could not find any evidence of people discussing panning in my immediate area.

Obviously the kit is not going to break the bank, but I just wanted your opinions on what YOU WOULD DO if you singled yourself out to one creek. The description above about my creek is spot-on, so I hope that offers a good enough description. Again, I've never done this before, so thanks for everybody's advice!

 

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[OwenT]

Wow all of your answers are great. And very informative. I think both setups are great but the bazooka mini looks fantastic. I didn't know it didn't have the carpet and all that stuff. So I think I'm leaning towards the bazooka! Can you all confirm its a great product to buy? Does it perform equally to the standard sluices with the rug lining them? I think I'm going for it after your last suggestions between the two

Yes bazookas are quality for sure, search this whole forum, there's many many threads about bazookas and nobody has anything but good to say as far as I've seen, same goes for me. But again, you're going to need a pan and to find out if there's actually gold in your creek. I wouldn't get a sluice before I established that. But maybe you've decided you are willing to go to other places to get the gold in which case go ahead and get the sluice if you will be using it for sure.

 

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[brianc053]

No, it really was my Supermini...mine is just bigger than yours View attachment 1281348
...the Supermini is the smaller one, and the only one that'll fit in my suitcase so I'm pretty sure

I stand corrected Kevin. I got the Bazooka names mixed up: in my mind "super-mini" = the smallest possible Bazooka (i.e. "it's super-small"), so i thought I owned a Super-Mini. I actually own a Mini (the smallest Bazooka); I've corrected my earlier post.

I also agreed with Asmbandits' comment: "The sluice is a tried and true way to recover gold, the nugget bucket has not been around for very long. " My sentiment exactly. And I'm more of a sluice fan (over the Bazooka) probably because I learned on a sluice. I need to spend more time with my Mini Bazooka in a stream that actually has gold; maybe once I see it catch gold I will feel more confident.

Kevin, during my January trip to Mass. I ran one 5-gallon of material through the Mini Bazooka and one 5-gallon through my sluice, and I caught gold in the sluice (but not the Bazooka). I realize one 5-gallon of material is not a fair comparison, but that experience did add to my preference for my sluice.
But maybe I just don't know how to run a Bazooka (which I've said before, sorry for repeating myself).

Anyway Brett, I hope all these perspectives from the crowd are helpful in your decision making. One conclusion you might come to is: different people have different personal preferences when it comes to equipment, and they likely won't agree because it seems there's no "perfect" or "best" piece of equipment.
And you'll benefit from a lot of practice with whatever your equipment of choice is. No one's mentioned buying some paydirt from a reputable source (there are many), but you may want to consider spending $20, $30, maybe $50 on a bag of paydirt. I'm personally a fan of DirtHogg Paydirt out of British Columbia.

- Brian

 

[bobw53]

Wow all of your answers are great. And very informative. I think both setups are great but the bazooka mini looks fantastic. I didn't know it didn't have the carpet and all that stuff. So I think I'm leaning towards the bazooka! Can you all confirm its a great product to buy? Does it perform equally to the standard sluices with the rug lining them? I think I'm going for it after your last suggestions between the two

SLOW DOWN for 5 minutes... I was where you are about a year and a half ago.. FEVER, BAD.... I WANT GOLD!!!! I made several frivolous purchases, with only minimal research and/or knowledge...

I regret less than $200 of my purchases... One thing I regret is buying a miller table.. Because I couldn't seperate the small gold... Guess what.. Even with a table, you still have to classify, and once you classify, its so easy
to pan, and its quicker than the table.

My biggest purchase, a Gold Cube... I don't regret that purchase at all, though I think I was lucky that in my excitement that the CUBE was the piece of equipment that I bought. I could have fixated on something
else that sucked, but I got a GOLD CUBE!!!!!!

Now I have never seen a piece of gold in water, or at least water that didn't come from the tap or a garden hose, so I wouldn't even know where to start.. BUT, I have been lurking and posting here for quite a bit over
a year, and if I ever find myself somewhere that actually has natural running water, I think I'd spring for a BGT.

Unfortunately wallets have a bottom.. You got the FEVER, and its no joke... All I can suggest to you, based on my own mistakes when I first got The FEVER!!!. TRY and slow down a bit, and analyze your purchases,
research them well, analyze if they are the right decision for the area you are working, ask questions...

Buying equipment, as fun as it is, doesn't find you more gold... LEARNING more (which is exactly what you are smart enough to do by posting this thread) is how you will find more gold... Then tailor the equipment
to the situation/terrain.. As you learn more, the situation and terrain may change, even though you are in the same approximate place. I have gold in my yard, which is AWESOME, and my strategy there hasn't changed..
I also have a claim, and from sampling and learning more and more and more, and sampling sampling sampling, my strategies and needs for different equipment has changed several times.. I haven't bought or built most
of that equipment, because I kept sampling sampling sampling... And finding better and better stuff.. I think I have the area I want to attack the hardest, and we've spent the past few month talking about the
proper way to do it, and the equipment needed.. Whereas a year and half ago, I would have just gone out and started buying stuff...

Just be smart, keep learning, and enjoy the ride, it all doesn't have to happen in 10 minutes, and I've actually found that doing the research, talking about it and figuring out what/how to attack the problem is *almost* as fun
as actually finding the gold...

 

[SchoolOfHardRocks]

Just get a pan, spoon, and a shovel. Learn how to pan first as its the core process of gold prospecting. Once you know how to pan and find gold- then invest in more efficient means of processing the gold like a sluice. When i started off i got sucked into the cool toys and gadgets and in some cases i wasted my money. One important thing that Marshall taught me is to let the gold dictate the tools, not the other way around. Have fun and stay safe.

 

[nh.nugget]

Just get a pan, spoon, and a shovel. Learn how to pan first as its the core process of gold prospecting. Once you know how to pan and find gold- then invest in more efficient means of processing the gold like a sluice. When i started off i got sucked into the cool toys and gadgets and in some cases i wasted my money. One important thing that Marshall taught me is to let the gold dictate the tools, not the other way around. Have fun and stay safe.

It was 2yrs. before I got a sluice I started with a pan. Once I learned the area I was mining then I bought equipment. And yes you can get sucked into the toy's. Use your head for some thing other than a hat rack find the gold then go for it!

 

[djm0836]

SLOW DOWN for 5 minutes... I was where you are about a year and a half ago.. FEVER, BAD.... I WANT GOLD!!!! I made several frivolous purchases, with only minimal research and/or knowledge...

I regret less than $200 of my purchases... One thing I regret is buying a miller table.. Because I couldn't seperate the small gold... Guess what.. Even with a table, you still have to classify, and once you classify, its so easy
to pan, and its quicker than the table.

My biggest purchase, a Gold Cube... I don't regret that purchase at all, though I think I was lucky that in my excitement that the CUBE was the piece of equipment that I bought. I could have fixated on something
else that sucked, but I got a GOLD CUBE!!!!!!

Now I have never seen a piece of gold in water, or at least water that didn't come from the tap or a garden hose, so I wouldn't even know where to start.. BUT, I have been lurking and posting here for quite a bit over
a year, and if I ever find myself somewhere that actually has natural running water, I think I'd spring for a BGT.

Unfortunately wallets have a bottom.. You got the FEVER, and its no joke... All I can suggest to you, based on my own mistakes when I first got The FEVER!!!. TRY and slow down a bit, and analyze your purchases,
research them well, analyze if they are the right decision for the area you are working, ask questions...

Buying equipment, as fun as it is, doesn't find you more gold... LEARNING more (which is exactly what you are smart enough to do by posting this thread) is how you will find more gold... Then tailor the equipment
to the situation/terrain.. As you learn more, the situation and terrain may change, even though you are in the same approximate place. I have gold in my yard, which is AWESOME, and my strategy there hasn't changed..
I also have a claim, and from sampling and learning more and more and more, and sampling sampling sampling, my strategies and needs for different equipment has changed several times.. I haven't bought or built most
of that equipment, because I kept sampling sampling sampling... And finding better and better stuff.. I think I have the area I want to attack the hardest, and we've spent the past few month talking about the
proper way to do it, and the equipment needed.. Whereas a year and half ago, I would have just gone out and started buying stuff...

Just be smart, keep learning, and enjoy the ride, it all doesn't have to happen in 10 minutes, and I've actually found that doing the research, talking about it and figuring out what/how to attack the problem is *almost* as fun
as actually finding the gold...

The fever is real i have it bad. I just started prospecting! Got a gold pan and found a couple specs and now im all about wanting the big equipment! Other then my pan my next purchase is classifiers. I feel like im losing all the small gold out of my pan! Tons of information on this site its almost overwhelming lol.

 

[KevinInColorado]

So, once you get past the pan and shovel stage:
Nugget Bucket: works anywhere there's a level surface which is nice, creates a fluid bed in the bottom catch container (also really good); the bad part is you have to bail water which is more work.
Bazooka Supermini or Sniper: needs a creek with a little slope/flow but less work to run it.
...so, choice of equipment is dictated by dig site conditions.

Brian, zero gold in the mini could mean:
- there wasn't any gold in the dirt
- the sluice was too steep and the gold flushed out of the little trap
- the flow was too limited and the water over the grizzly wasn't sufficient to fill the trap from the top down (which is just as important as the fluidization tubes.

Dunno which it was of course...

 

[brianc053]

Brian, zero gold in the mini could mean:
- there wasn't any gold in the dirt
- the sluice was too steep and the gold flushed out of the little trap
- the flow was too limited and the water over the grizzly wasn't sufficient to fill the trap from the top down (which is just as important as the fluidization tubes.

Dunno which it was of course...

Well it's likely it was user error on my part!

- there wasn't any gold in the dirt (user error: I picked a bad spot)
- the sluice was too steep and the gold flushed out of the little trap (user error: I don't know how to use that little device yet and didn't set it up right)
- the flow was too limited and the water over the grizzly wasn't sufficient to fill the trap from the top down (which is just as important as the fluidization tubes.) (user error: again, didn't set it up right).

I'm OK with user error - it's how we learn. I should have paid more attention to how you had your Super Mini set up, Kevin, the last time we dug together. Next time I'll be sure to watch you (either out here, or - with your retirement - more likely out there in Colorado).

Brett, you may be able to tell: Kevin and I have met up a few times in the field to prospect, even though he lives in Colorado and I in New Jersey. It's another great thing about this hobby and about Treasurenet - the people are great!

- Brian

 

[KevinInColorado]

And how! Great people here...on line AND in person!

 

[OwenT]

The fever is real i have it bad. I just started prospecting! Got a gold pan and found a couple specs and now im all about wanting the big equipment! Other then my pan my next purchase is classifiers. I feel like im losing all the small gold out of my pan! Tons of information on this site its almost overwhelming lol.

True! About 10 months ago I asked here about what pan I should buy and someone said just wait and you'll be wanting a 4" dredge. Well I always told myself I wasn't a dredge sort of guy, guess what I want to do now . And yes, tons of good information here and people willing to give it.

 

[arizau]

So, once you get past the pan and shovel stage:
Nugget Bucket: works anywhere there's a level surface which is nice, creates a fluid bed in the bottom catch container (also really good); the bad part is you have to bail water which is more work.
Bazooka Supermini or Sniper: needs a creek with a little slope/flow but less work to run it.
...so, choice of equipment is dictated by dig site conditions.

As I mentioned in a previous post.....I did not buy my Nugget Bucket as it was gifted to me but now that I have it I am impressed. Bailing water is a pain and the rate of feed is slower than with many sluices especially Bazookas. Where there is running water a sluice is a good option. I live in the desert and must provide my own water but even doing that the NB is good option for me. Like Kevin says "choice of equipment is dictated by dig site conditions". Choose wisely.

Good luck.

 

[BrettCo124]

Well everyone, I appreciate everybody's input in this matter. It was a tie between the bazooka sluice or the nugget bucket. I chose the nugget bucket for a couple of reasons. First, it just seems like more of a beginner type of a system. Don't get me wrong, the sluice seems to be an amazing option as well, and could even be easier. In fact, a sluice is not out of the picture by any means as a potential secondary option (thank you Brian). I understand that I need to slow down, however I also do not want to know that I could have tried better equipment now rather than later. Panning is obviously the true test to the professionalism of a gold prospector, but technology has come a long way to assist in many different circumstances. A sluice and nugget bucket were those options for me.

One of the other reasons for the nugget bucket is I would like to dig on a river bed (on my friends private property on a river), and there is no running water. A sluice seemed to not be effective in this circumstance, which is why I chose the nugget bucket. Again, I feel like I will have both options soon, so I'll be set up properly. Thanks for all of the advice everybody. I'm still reading everything that everyone posts, so feel free to keep posting! There is nothing better than learning from you all, and I look forward to the day that I can return the favor!

 

[laidback4sho]

The best luck I've had, and I'm in New Hampshire, is in doing what is known as "mossing". Scrape up some of the moss growing on the rocks and pan the dirt that collects in the roots. Moss acts like nature's sluicebox. As the water runs across it, the gold gets trapped.

Sent from my SM-S975L using Tapatalk

 

[chlsbrns]

Brettco, the gold in your area will be sparse and very small. It will not be caught by a sluice and would take forever to pan unless it was already concentrated. The best and cheapest thing for you to use would be the two bucket method to concentrate and then any pan. The video below shows the two bucket method. Put a slot in the bottom of the pan near an edge. Cover the hole with a finger. Stratify with the pan tilted to the hole so that when you quickly remove and replace your finger the gold drops out of the pan.

 

[flyadive]

Well yea.. I've made that bucket! Been sitting in my garage for a year now! Some day I will give it a try? Heard this somewhere... "Keep It Simple Stupid"! But something about a purchased Professionally made product is better , even if it doesn't work. "If it's free it's for me" or "spend a dollar to make two"?
I prefer to go the purchased route!
HH

 

[BrettCo124]

The best luck I've had, and I'm in New Hampshire, is in doing what is known as "mossing". Scrape up some of the moss growing on the rocks and pan the dirt that collects in the roots. Moss acts like nature's sluicebox. As the water runs across it, the gold gets trapped.

Sent from my SM-S975L using Tapatalk

That is an awesome concept that I would have never even thought of. Thanks for the tip, I'll most certainly be using it.

 

[BrettCo124]

Brettco, the gold in your area will be sparse and very small. It will not be caught by a sluice and would take forever to pan unless it was already concentrated. The best and cheapest thing for you to use would be the two bucket method to concentrate and then any pan. The video below shows the two bucket method. Put a slot in the bottom of the pan near an edge. Cover the hole with a finger. Stratify with the pan tilted to the hole so that when you quickly remove and replace your finger the gold drops out of the pan.

I went with the gold rush nugget bucket, but this is very creative. I like the idea of it for sure. Thanks for the tip.

 

[KevinInColorado]

The gold rush bucket is a whole step above this. It creates a fluid bed in the catch bowl.

 

[BrettCo124]

The gold rush bucket is a whole step above this. It creates a fluid bed in the catch bowl.

That's definitely reassuring. I'm glad to know it has a spot in everyone's eyes because I heard so many good things, but also wasn't sure if it was more of a toy gimmick. Really excited to get it and share my results. I hope I find something on my first time out ever!

 

[flyadive]

Brettco, the gold in your area will be sparse and very small. It will not be caught by a sluice and would take forever to pan unless it was already concentrated. The best and cheapest thing for you to use would be the two bucket method to concentrate and then any pan. The video below shows the two bucket method. Put a slot in the bottom of the pan near an edge. Cover the hole with a finger. Stratify with the pan tilted to the hole so that when you quickly remove and replace your finger the gold drops out of the pan.

So that's what that hole in the pan is for! I thought it was a wall hanger hole! Thanks for that tidbit " chlsbrns" !
Btw , you didn't mention how much the antique chair cost in the video!
Buckets free
Cap 50c
Stick free
Chair?
Lol