Need Advice - Sluice +about me

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Left-CA

Jr. Member
Jun 8, 2014
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Im new here - ill just start off this post by telling you guys alittle about myself.


Im 16 years old and I play piano
https://www.youtube.com/user/EatHotLead4Ever (link incase anyone is interested)

I have been collecting coins since I was in third grade. I now have a very nice collection. I have recently been watching shows such as gold rush and Im getting the bug. I remember a few years ago I begged and begged my dad to get me a metal detector and he refused. Anyways were going up to sacramento(1 hour drive) next sat/sunday to go white river rafting. Afterwards my dad said my sister and I would be able to do some gold "mining". Its always been something Ive always wanted to do. Anyways I have a $100 budget to get a sluice and anything else i need. I dont think he will let me go over as he is already unhappy about it as it is. I have no experience. What should i be getting? Any advice? Where should I prospect in sacramento?


EDIT: Please answer this also....: What can i buy to optimize the usage of the $100 budget i have
 

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Last edited:
Your most likely going to the Lotus/ Coloma area to raft right?
 

Left-CA said:
Im new here - ill just start off this post by telling you guys alittle about myself. Im 16 years old and I play piano https://www.youtube.com/user/EatHotLead4Ever (link incase anyone is interested) I have been collecting coins since I was in third grade. I now have a very nice collection. I have recently been watching shows such as gold rush and Im getting the bug. I remember a few years ago I begged and begged my dad to get me a metal detector and he refused. Anyways were going up to sacramento(1 hour drive) next sat/sunday to go white river rafting. Afterwards my dad said my sister and I would be able to do some gold "mining". Its always been something Ive always wanted to do. Anyways I have a $100 budget to get a sluice and anything else i need. I dont think he will let me go over as he is already unhappy about it as it is. I have no experience. What should i be getting? Any advice? Where should I prospect in sacramento?
Click to expand...

Welcome, first off. :)!

Secondly, where are you rafting? Will you be prospecting near that area do you think? Im guessing american river, perhaps north fork"?

Thirdly, with 100$ you have many options, and Im sure you will hear from many sides. Have fun! Learn as much as you can Before you hit the water; youtube videos on how to read the current/flood water flow, how to feed/clean your sluice, and of course, panning is essential.

May your pans be the heaviest your first outting! Good luck
 

I have been watching youtube videos for the past month....I hope ill be an expert by the time i start :)
 

Knew it8-)....good place to do some panning. Are you staying at one of the company camps? let me know which one I will try to get you on a good spot nearby. You could try to hit Placerville hardware they have many different sluices for sale. Do you have a pan and know how to use it?
 

Goldwasher said:
Knew it8-)....good place to do some panning. Are you staying at one of the company camps? let me know which one I will try to get you on a good spot nearby. You could try to hit Placerville hardware they have many different sluices for sale. Do you have a pan and know how to use it?
Click to expand...

I need to ask my dad, not sure yet and hes not home..
Quick question though..whats the difference between a bazooka sluice and just a normal one?
 

Bazooka is easier to use and can move more material. More expensive.
 

Rafting out of Coloma you will be floating by many viable spots to look for gold. Unfortunately the raft company will not stop and wait. How much time are you being allotted to prospect? If you want get your feet wet in prospecting buy a pan and a snuffer bottle, vial. At the end of your raft trip you will be at or near the Salmon Falls Bridge .

IMG_1853.JPG

There is gold here that you can practice your panning with. Your raft will land between the two big piles of rocks. The pile on the downstream side (right side of pic below) is the better one to work and the upstream side of that pile is best. There are large cobbles strew about there with smaller cobbles and gravelly sand mixed in between them. There is flood gold in this mix. It varies in size. The water will be up because of the rafting so you will need to get into the water and dig/ scoop your paydirt up. It is a hands/pans area but a small scooper will go unnoticed. A large shovel may not. If you have more time than this there are other areas and others on this forum who will help you.

IMG_2665.JPG

Here is a pic from a few pans I ran the other day at that specific area. Good Luck.


IMG_2648.JPG
 

 

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I really want the Bazooka as i read that i dont have to deal with angles and the water flow speed as i have no clue how to manage it. However the cheapest i could find is Mini Bazooka Gold Trap Sluice Box - Bazooka Gold Company which is 85 and there is ~25 shipping plus tax and my dad wont let me spend that much
 

and i cant find any keenes under $100
 

sorry for my newbieness right now, i just want to learn and i have to have it ordered soon so it arrives by saturday night
 

Not a problem. I suggest you do not get a sluice. I suggest you tell your father" look I could spend the allotted $ 100.00 but I will buy a pan and a few accessories instead total cost being under $25.00 and learn how to find gold and how to pan it out once I figure out where it is. Once I become good at that I would like a bazooka so that i can up the production"

I have had people walk up to me while prospecting carrying a brand new sluice. They had no idea where gold was, how to get it, how to set up the sluice, what to do once the had a sluice full of substrate. A sluice will not find gold for you. You must find the gold. A sluice increases the production of the take once you are on gold. You find gold with a pan.
Once you are good at finding gold buy a Bazooka, no ifs, ands or buts. A mini is probably to small for you. Save up and get a sniper as it is versatile and will work for you in many situations or a prospector. I use a super mini and it works for what I do but a prospector would serve me better in some situations When you get here next week bring some 5 gallon buckets and take dirt back with you to your home to work with. Good luck and much Gold To You.

GM
 

goldenmojo said:
Not a problem. I suggest you do not get a sluice. I suggest you tell your father" look I could spend the allotted $ 100.00 but I will buy a pan and a few accessories instead total cost being under $25.00 and learn how to find gold and how to pan it out once I figure out where it is. Once I become good at that I would like a bazooka so that i can up the production"

I have had people walk up to me while prospecting carrying a brand new sluice. They had no idea where gold was, how to get it, how to set up the sluice, what to do once the had a sluice full of substrate. A sluice will not find gold for you. You must find the gold. A sluice increases the production of the take once you are on gold. You find gold with a pan.
Once you are good at finding gold buy a Bazooka, no ifs, ands or buts. A mini is probably to small for you. Save up and get a sniper as it is versatile and will work for you in many situations or a prospector. I use a super mini and it works for what I do but a prospector would serve me better in some situations When you get here next week bring some 5 gallon buckets and take dirt back with you to your home to work with. Good luck and much Gold To You.

GM
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Yes! This!^
 

goldenmojo said:
Not a problem. I suggest you do not get a sluice. I suggest you tell your father" look I could spend the allotted $ 100.00 but I will buy a pan and a few accessories instead total cost being under $25.00 and learn how to find gold and how to pan it out once I figure out where it is. Once I become good at that I would like a bazooka so that i can up the production"

I have had people walk up to me while prospecting carrying a brand new sluice. They had no idea where gold was, how to get it, how to set up the sluice, what to do once the had a sluice full of substrate. A sluice will not find gold for you. You must find the gold. A sluice increases the production of the take once you are on gold. You find gold with a pan.
Once you are good at finding gold buy a Bazooka, no ifs, ands or buts. A mini is probably to small for you. Save up and get a sniper as it is versatile and will work for you in many situations or a prospector. I use a super mini and it works for what I do but a prospector would serve me better in some situations When you get here next week bring some 5 gallon buckets and take dirt back with you to your home to work with. Good luck and much Gold To You.

GM
Click to expand...

Listen to mojo. He speaks the truth.
 

Mojo is right on the gold. When the time comes to buy a sluice I think you should steer clear of the EZ Sluice. It's a good sluice for small creeks and recirculating clean up sluices. I had bought one and it didn't serve me well at all. I didn't like it as well because it had flaws in it. I would definitely suggest the bazooka. Although I would also recommend the Angus Mackirk sluices too. Highly suggest you do go for the bazookas when you get to thinking about buying one.
 

Howdy Nathan, and welcome to the site...:hello:

First question I have is..Have you done any panning before?

For a beginner with limited time on for prospecting, a good gold
pan would be the best tool you could buy. Garrett sells a set that
has two pans, a 1/2" classifier, snuffer bottle (to suck the gold into)
and directions.

Garrett Gravity Trap Gold Panning Kit | eBay

I would suggest NOT buying a sluice box until you have some
experience with just the pan, as panning is involved in some
fashion with any mining you'll do.

Garrett also sells the Deluxe version that includes a large pan
known as the Super Sluice, and with that you can work quite
a bit of material in a day (but it'll wear out your hand in a hurry..lol)

That's my 2 centavos worth, and good luck to ya out there!
 

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