New to prospecting, advice on sluice?

[time2fish]

Hello All,

I'm brand new to prospecting, and wanting to put together my entry-level equipment set. My initial goal is simply to be out on the river with my family, get some hikes in, learn a bit about geology, and share anything I learn with my two boys (3 & 7yrs old). I can easily see where a person could really get hooked, and scale up their efforts, but I'd be thrilled if we even managed a few grams. I just want them to play & work in the water, and hopefully have something to show for it. For myself, it's more about family time, and the chase, than the gold itself. I'm in western WA.

For the sake of them actually seeing some color, I'd like to be reasonably productive on the water, but still be packable, so that we can hike in. I plan to bring concentrates home, and work with them there.

Right now, we have two pans, a snifter, and a couple (empty) 1/2oz vials. I plan to add another pan or two for variety, plus some hand tools.

My biggest question is on sluices. I've been looking at the Angus Mackirks and the bazookas. I'm leaning towards a bazooka, because I think it would be more forgiving of young children, and I could let them scoop material, but they are also nearly twice as expensive. So... Are the bazookas really worth it? I'm not opposed to classifying materials, as that gives us a chance to look at rocks.

Thoughts?

Thanks to everyone who posts to this forum. I've been reading a bit over the past week or so, and it's been an education.

 

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[goldenmojo]

It is not necessary to shovel like mad with a Bazooka. That only happens when you realize how much more gold you are collecting with a self classifying BGT vs classifying with a bucket and screen and then hand feeding a standard type of sluice with a small scooper. As Kevin said they are kid proof and the supermini which I use most of the time is only three pounds and fits in a daypack easily. You definitely should check the area you intend to go to and how you will use your sluice. This pan was taken with a supermini in just over three hours while sitting on a rock shoveling into it one handed with a mini shovel. Good luck.

 

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[kcm]

I like mojo's area better than mine - we only have skunks and skeeters!

 

[SchoolOfHardRocks]

Let the gold dictate the tools, not the other way around

 

[Jeff95531]

Hey GM...If the super mini works well enuff, why do they have so many sizes? That was something that put me off when I shopped for a sluice.

 

[goldenmojo]

The supermini is just that, pretty small. After much use I calculated about a bucket and a half was all I wanted to put through it before dumping the trap. You need to make a solid cradle and then you can dump it and get it back cradled in about 15 seconds but lots of dumping you will do. A prospector on the other hand can maintain two guys digging all day and dump at the end. The sniper was an outgrowth of the dump to often problem and has a larger trap on basically an extended supermini. I have a prototype I am testing that is built on the sniper frame but is 48" long. It allows a wider arc around it for shoveling at distance and hitting the plate with the toss while still being lightweight. The prospectors take more flow to run but the prototype actually helps break up the clay due to the long run. The supermini still is my go to sluice in about 90% of the sluicing I do.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

The Le Trap Sluice works pretty well, even when you are not classifying the material.

It is flexable in that it can be used directly in the stream, or you can mount a header to it and use a pump.
The gold generally catches in the first 5 riffles. Clean up is easy - just tip the box up and wash it into a bucket. You end up with one pan of concentrates. I don't mind losing a little gold because I didn't classify the material. Got leave some for seed.

It is ultra light weight. Just depends on how much material you want to shovel.

 

[nh.nugget]

Like Golden Irishman said let the river make your choice on equipment. I have a few places up here in NH. that you couldn't run a Bazooka, lack of water flow but good gold! I'll give you a piece of advice. Last season after teaching families panning and sluicing with kids don't be surprised if they rather toss rocks and look for fish than dig for gold. Attention span sometimes is a little short especially if your not on gold. Don't get discouraged they are kids. I have 7 grand kids I know. With the sluice/ bazooka debate it can go on forever I would start with something economicle and simple until you know that you and your kids will like it. Good luck and welcome to T-net.

 

[BrettCo124]

Are we aloud to point forum members in a direction outside of treasurenet to find less expensive equipment? I don't want to post anything until I know for sure

Update: never mind. Oddly, a supermini was listed on eBay today for 85 bucks or best offer.

Just to give you a heads up on its popularity, it's no longer listed lol. If you get lucky to find one used, it won't last very long. I'd personally prefer a brand new one from the shop anyways.

 

[UrbanProspector]

Honestly, I just got my Gold Hog Stream Sluice in the mail and have had it out about 4 times so far. I absolutely love it! It is an easy clean up and easy to set up!

 

[Aufisher]

I recommend a Bazooka sniper for backpacking and low flow. For high production a Bazooka Prospector or Miner.

 

[Jeff95531]

The supermini is just that, pretty small. After much use I calculated about a bucket and a half was all I wanted to put through it before dumping the trap. You need to make a solid cradle and then you can dump it and get it back cradled in about 15 seconds but lots of dumping you will do. A prospector on the other hand can maintain two guys digging all day and dump at the end. The sniper was an outgrowth of the dump to often problem and has a larger trap on basically an extended supermini. I have a prototype I am testing that is built on the sniper frame but is 48" long. It allows a wider arc around it for shoveling at distance and hitting the plate with the toss while still being lightweight. The prospectors take more flow to run but the prototype actually helps break up the clay due to the long run. The supermini still is my go to sluice in about 90% of the sluicing I do.

Thanks Buddy. Explained much more clearly than anything I've ever read on them! Good luck on the project!

 

[Jeff95531]

The Le Trap Sluice works pretty well, even when you are not classifying the material.

It is flexable in that it can be used directly in the stream, or you can mount a header to it and use a pump.
The gold generally catches in the first 5 riffles. Clean up is easy - just tip the box up and wash it into a bucket. You end up with one pan of concentrates. I don't mind losing a little gold because I didn't classify the material. Got leave some for seed.

It is ultra light weight. Just depends on how much material you want to shovel.

Being a LeTrap owner I agree with everything you said but wtf How do you not classify? You treat yours like a BGT?

 

[Goldwasher]

Being a LeTrap owner I agree with everything you said but wtf How do you not classify? You treat yours like a BGT?

Most people are wimpy sluicers Jeff.
You can run flatter with fast flow and shovel into most sluices and run unclassified..

The le trap will do so with less flow than a keene or proline because there are no riffles to slow down cobble.

Next time you use it set it up to move 2 inch rock and see how much more material you can run.

 

[et1955]

The Bazookas are indeed the most kid-proof. Get the little Supermini if low water flows or scale up to the Sniper or Prospector on bigger rivers. I ran a 30 inch Prospector very successfully two summers ago on a river near Issaquah and it worked great. I plan to be back this summer with more time, more research done and more gear....hoping to get more gold!

Kevin if you need help in locating places to mine up here in Wa.' I'd be glad to help. Also if you are interested in gem quality quartz crystals, they can be found not to far from where you mined, that area is not a good gold producer. Spent many years up in that area exploring with a friend who was a geologist. Learned a lot, little gold but the crystals are awesome.

 

[Jeff95531]

Most people are wimpy sluicers Jeff.
You can run flatter with fast flow and shovel into most sluices and run unclassified..

The letter trap will do so with less flow than a keene or proline because there are no riffles to slow down cobble.

Next time you use it set it up to move 2 inch rock and see how much more material you can run.

Yeah but mine is unsupported plastic...is it really that tough? Is it tuff enuf for me to cut out the end so I can use it in-stream and then plate it back up for use when it goes back in my high banker? I've never run it in a stream before (not supposed to of course). When I think of no classification, I think just that but yeah, I could limit it to 2 inch rocks IF I thought it could handle it. Hmm.

Spot on with the flow observations. Very forgiving with flow (depth as well) and very stingy with letting the gold go.

 

[HMiller]

The bottom riffle of my Le Trap cracked when I was walking through some brush. Fixable but the BGT is bomb proof....unless I run it over with my truck.

 

[goldenmojo]

My prospector got the front fin cracked loose when my buddy got stuck up on a ledge and tossed it down onto a cobble bar about ten to twelve foot drop. No cracks to the main box and an easy fix.

 

[Goldwasher]

Yeah but mine is unsupported plastic...is it really that tough? Is it tuff enuf for me to cut out the end so I can use it in-stream and then plate it back up for use when it goes back in my high banker? I've never run it in a stream before (not supposed to of course). When I think of no classification, I think just that but yeah, I could limit it to 2 inch rocks IF I thought it could handle it. Hmm.

Spot on with the flow observations. Very forgiving with flow (depth as well) and very stingy with letting the gold go.

The Le trap actually has names/configurations.....Uncut its called the " bank robber"....cut its called a "stream robber" you don't see it in advertisments any more.

You could make a frame for it in the creek. It'll be difficult to put head back on it. You could make a hi banker frame ith the hopper attached. Drop the cut le trap in it vvouldn't be hard to make the hopper feed the cut box.

I'd just get a Mckirk for stream sluicing and keep the le trap for a banker.

I like the le traps riffle design but, every time ive picked one up Ive imagined myself breaking it pretty easily and i don't like the flex but, those are fixable issues.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Le Trap

The Le trap actually has names/configurations.....Uncut its called the " bank robber"....cut its called a "stream robber" you don't see it in advertisments any more.

You could make a frame for it in the creek. It'll be difficult to put head back on it. You could make a hi banker frame ith the hopper attached. Drop the cut le trap in it vvouldn't be hard to make the hopper feed the cut box.

I'd just get a Mckirk for stream sluicing and keep the le trap for a banker.

I like the le traps riffle design but, every time ive picked one up Ive imagined myself breaking it pretty easily and i don't like the flex but, those are fixable issues.

I actually have not shoveled material into the Le Trap. Currently, I clean up trommel concentrates with it, which are classified, <1/4" and <3/4". However it runs the 3/4 material through just fine. 3" dia. rocks shouldn't be in your sluice box, those are easy to pick out by hand. If your going to be hammering material through all day, shoveling from 15 feet away, it's probably not durable enough. Just depends on the quality of your material and the quantity of black sand.

 

[HardHatMatt]

Unfortunately I am in the market for a new sluice myself. My 30" Prospector has mysteriously gone missing (perhaps wife had enough of my playing in the dirt and "accidentally" slipped it in with the garbage last week?!?) Had it in the back seat of my vehicle, which I occasionally forget to lock...but it would be quite a coincidence for a would-be thief to see it as anything other than a random piece of black ABS. Who knows, maybe it will turn up but it certainly felt like a bit punch in the gut when I discovered it was missing. To make things worse, feeling generous, I loaned out my little A51A to a guy I had just met who had been panning for a couple months and was saving up to get a sluice. I had practically retired the Keene once I got the Bazooka so I was pretty cavalier about loaning it out...unfortunately, now I can't get in touch with the guy.

Ah, well. What can ya do? I love(d) my Bazooka and I'm sure I'll end up ordering another one (wish they would develop a bit of inventory so the turn around time wasn't so long - my timing couldn't be worse!), but I wondered if anyone had experience with the Aurora fluid bed products?