MA/VT/NH Panning

[dvdtharaldson]

Hi ,

This is the first time I have posted on this website. I live in Western MA and am planning a trip during the last few days of September to Vermont to try my luck panning. I was going to try Buffalo Brook and Five Corners in the Bridgewater area. Does anybody know how far down you ordinarily have to dig to hit black sands in those areas? Any comments on whether you have to dig deep or just stay on the surface? I was thinking Irene probably deposited alot of flood gold on the surface. Does anybody know if some of the small brooks high up in the mts. north of Bridgewater contain gold? All I ever hear is Buffalo Brook and Five Corners. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. As you probably could tell I am new to panning for gold.

Thanks,

David

 

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[RTD-Tech]

I do stack my classifiers, and I pan it once that particular classifier fills up. I'll try washing it more carefully next time.

Most of the gold hunting I do is bedrock crevicing. I'll break open the cracks with a prybar and work the mud I find inside.

I'll have to ask Mrs. Clause for a 100 mesh for Christmas. Since I'm working with such fine material, should I go smaller than 100 mesh? Is there smaller than 100?

 

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[E.MassAuMan]

Hi
Since I work the same general area of Massachusetts as you I have some suggestions. First is deeper is not necessarily going to yield more gold. It’s popular belief we are all getting “Irene Gold” so named after the Tropical Storm that devistated the area 7 years ago. I bought a 12V bulge pump and have a battery that lets me wash 1/2 or 1/8 inch classified material that you can then run thru a Sluice. We have found that most of the Gold is in the first 6 or so inches of overburden or until you hit a clay layer. I think you need to move more material and not classify on site down so small. Do that at home where you can sit with a beer in your garage and pan it out. Also when you are Panning in the River with every pan suck up that line of heavies in your pan, bring it home and dry it out and remove the black sand and then examine for the fine gold with magnifiers or a Microscope. Gold will jump right out at you in the right light.
Good Luck

 

[triple d]

We do get a lot of gold that moves. With the high rivers and streams. But i still believe the best gold is at hard pan. Or bedrock. The wild ammonoosuc is a good example. The gold is moving there all the time.It can be found at any level. But the dredgers get the best gold on bedrock.

 

[RTD-Tech]

I let Delta bribe me into taking a later flight today with an Amazon gift card. I think I might have to use it to get a sluice. There is a good size sand bar in the same spot, i don't think the bedrock is too deep under it.

 

[E.MassAuMan]

A Sluice to consider is Angus MacKirk, I have an Adventurer and a Recon and both catch the gold in varying water conditions. They can be had for under $100. Easy Setup and lightweight. Good First Sluice.

 

[Mass Hole No.59]

I recently suffered my 60th birthday. Sixty is such a strange age, your glad you made it, but not really happy about being there. As is so often the case, I decided on a whim do a little prospecting on my birthday. During the winter I often prospect alone. For me there is something cathartic about being alone in the winter woods.


I decided to take a trip up north to icy gulch. Gone were the crowds and bugs of the temperate seasons. I had the whole stream to myself. A couple of the passer-bys looked at me like I was nuts. They couldn't understand why I was in the water and I couldn't understand why they weren't.

Any how, I was relieved to find that the stream was not frozen solid. Actually only the sections above the water line were frozen. The water was at a perfect sluicing height. Being able to operate my zook was a real pleasure. It was 35 degrees on the stream. I plodded along doing about 3 clean outs after about 25 spoon fulls each. I ended up with about 65 pieces. Actually it was the best trip of the year. I had a great time. Happy new year to all.


Happy trails and best pans,


MH59

 

[WesternMassGold]

Howdy guys,i know it has been a while since i posted anything,but i have been very busy.
I finally was able to clean up my gold take from 2018. lucky me ,i was one of the last people to get a Grizzly Explorer goldtrap and i must say it works great.
It captures anything from pickers down to 200 mesh gold.Here is my total from last year.a few hundred pieces and a near picker.

 

[brianc053]

Howdy guys,i know it has been a while since i posted anything,but i have been very busy.
I finally was able to clean up my gold take from 2018. lucky me ,i was one of the last people to get a Grizzly Explorer goldtrap and i must say it works great.
It captures anything from pickers down to 200 mesh gold.Here is my total from last year.a few hundred pieces and a near picker.

That’s some great looking gold! Nice job! I miss the days of dipping a pan in the Mass. rivers.
- Brian

 

[KevinInColorado]

That’s some great looking gold! Nice job! I miss the days of dipping a pan in the Mass. rivers.
- Brian

ME TOO!

Especially with both of you. Good times

PS come dig with me in Colorado! You do know I wrote THE book on Colorado gold prospecting right?! IJS

 

[JeffA]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this site as of today. I just read through this entire thread tonight, very informative for a new prospector, tyvm! I'm on the RI/MA line, looking to connect with other local prospectors. I'm not afraid to travel, hope to connect with some of you guys. I've been doing some panning here in RI, and have found some "fly poop" pieces, nothing spectacular but enough to motivate me to keep going and connect with people who are in the know. Jeff

 

[placertogo]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this site as of today. I just read through this entire thread tonight, very informative for a new prospector, tyvm! I'm on the RI/MA line, looking to connect with other local prospectors. I'm not afraid to travel, hope to connect with some of you guys. I've been doing some panning here in RI, and have found some "fly poop" pieces, nothing spectacular but enough to motivate me to keep going and connect with people who are in the know. JeffView attachment 1722801

My great grandmother’s sister married a man name George Lyon who owned a farm in Foster, RI. They had a small vein of gold on the property. The gold was in white quartz.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

driving through that area I can understand the gold, that is a hilly area

 

[JeffA]

I did some exploring in Foster this week, no luck finding anything there as of yet.

 

[No gold in NY]

Hey Ben, didn't know you were a prospector. I go to the wild Am a few times a year. Did you ever find that "secret spot" in NH?

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

I found a bit of gold on the wild AM, lots of garnets up the Kanc by a campground and park area, off the top of my head forget the name. Also stayed at the campground down the bottom of the wild AM.

I don't do it currently to health reasons and very bad knees.

checkout a couple youtubes I did

 

[JeffA]

Went out scouting in Douglas, MA today. I finally hit gold towards the end of the day after testing several spots.....of course, Murphy's Law right?? LOL! In any case, I can return this week and know exactly where to dig heh heh. Huge garnets there too!

 

[JeffA]

Would anybody be interested in organizing a day or full weekend get together in MA or CT to sluice/pan/crevice for gold? I would love to do this one of these upcoming weekends before the season ends.....Jeff

 

[WesternMassGold]

wish i could go,but i havent even been out this year.SAAAAD!!! too much work no play.

 

[JeffA]

I don't mean this weekend, rather any weekend before the season ends....

 

[E.MassAuMan]

Mr. MH59 and myself finally got together for a trip, my first since July. We decided to check out a new spot that I had scouted out 2 years earlier


A Plunge Pool that was both deep and Cold

We did some exploring a beautiful spot that warrants a return for some more digging


We then returned to a place we had been to earlier in the year. The water was quite low but the MacKirk Recon was up to the job


David looking for that elusive shine in the Sluice



Hole I was working that produced this


Some of the gold from the outing. Small stuff for the most part. Good first trip of the fall