panning in SW washington

Heard the Lewis river has some as well as Capitol forest. Bob
 

What part of SW washington? If you are near the coast you can find decent gold on the beach if you can find where the black sand is concentrated. If you're closer to Olympia I've found a lot of small creeks that hold a decent amount of really flat fines. I try out different locations almost every weekend, some are better than others but I can usually find at least some. My advice is try everywhere you can get to!
 

I'm in kelso
 

Haven't panned down in that area yet, but if it was me I'd start by checking gravel bars along the Cowlitz river where ever you can get to them, and the Toutle river is close by too, and looking at a map it seems to have lots of nice looking spots relatively easy to access. And where the two rivers meet just north of Castle Rock would be a spot I'd like to check out. There's a nice big bend with lots of exposed gravels, but I wouldn't have a clue who owns the land so that might be something you'd want to check first. And looking at the Coweeman River there's some good looking spots on it as well. Just a matter of getting out there and looking. Spend a little time on Google earth and you'll start noticing all kinds of places you will want to check out.
 

ty AlwaysBUSYJ been looking all over just not finding much wish the gas price would drop lol
 

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You might consider browsing Sub-Forums: Washington for information (i.e., clubs, hunts, finds, legends, maps, etc.) directly related to your state.
 

looking for the spot on the washington side of the columbia river that u can prospect i was told there is a big wall
 

thumper7813 said:
looking for the spot on the washington side of the columbia river that u can prospect i was told there is a big wall
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You might be talking about Cape Dissapointment? Right at the mouth of the Columbia river where it runs into the ocean, there is a big jetty and people go beach prospecting there. There is tons of really thick black sand so panning it by hand is a pretty difficult task, best way to go about getting the gold there is with a recirculating setup. Plenty of info out there about beach prospecting.
 

I was told the place is on the side of a clif and it gets washed by the storms
 

Hey there, I’m new to this site and live on the Lewis. I see tons of silver and gold flakes and know the River very well. Can you give me some panning tips? Am I trying to get all the small flakes? I know I’m totally green, won’t be for long, please help! I’m just not sure how meticulous I should or shouldn’t be. I also find Indian artifacts in these areas. There are also several missing vessels, old HBC forts and other treasures!
 

Greenninja said:
Hey there, I’m new to this site and live on the Lewis. I see tons of silver and gold flakes and know the River very well. Can you give me some panning tips? Am I trying to get all the small flakes? I know I’m totally green, won’t be for long, please help! I’m just not sure how meticulous I should or shouldn’t be. I also find Indian artifacts in these areas. There are also several missing vessels, old HBC forts and other treasures!
Click to expand...

Welcome. The shiny flakes you see are almost certainly mica. You will need to actually pan some gravels down to see the small pieces of gold. As far as panning tips I would say get a pan (any pan), watch some videos, and practice. There are lots of good youtube videos that will give you an idea of what you're trying to do. It just comes down to trying it out and getting a feel for it. Just focus on the goal which is trying to get any gold that might be present to sink to the bottom of your pan and then trying to wash off whatever's on top.
 

Since you are looking for all kinds of treasure, you can't go too wrong in finding a geology source
of knowledge - mineralized rocks will get you close, but locations can be claimed, too, so read up on your area, and
follow your nose...!
Don't get disappointed, as a lot of work, get your rewards...!
 

Greenninja said:
Hey there, I’m new to this site and live on the Lewis. I see tons of silver and gold flakes and know the River very well. Can you give me some panning tips? Am I trying to get all the small flakes? I know I’m totally green, won’t be for long, please help! I’m just not sure how meticulous I should or shouldn’t be. I also find Indian artifacts in these areas. There are also several missing vessels, old HBC forts and other treasures!
Click to expand...

Definitely check out some youtube videos on panning. Once you see gold in your pan, you won't mistake anything else for it. Gold looks a certain way but also acts a certain way in your pan. I've never been there, but I've heard the East Fork Lewis River has some gold in it. Not sure how close you are to that but might be worth a try if you're in the area. Never have heard much about the main Lewis River, but doesn't hurt to try. I've found gold in my little urban back yard creek.
 

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