Safety precautions when working in the river

[NuggetN8]

Hello everyone! So I've been prospecting/sniping in creeks forever and I'm just now starting to try sniping in the river. What safety precautions could be taken to make sure you don't die out there? Right now where I'm going the current is strong and the water is cold. What gear would you take? I was considering stringing a rope from one end of the river to the other the tying a safety cable to that so I could work where I normally couldn't but that doesn't sound too convenient.. Especially when some rafters come down the river and get beheaded... Lol

 

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[Hoser John]

10 lb boat anchor and a 15' dog chain leash. You swing in a arc front the anchor pivot point back and forth. Keep your head down,trench if possible out into the current. Wear more weights,ankle weight really help you stay in place in current,used gym exercise lead shot style. Mini bungee on mask helps also. ALWAYS tell someone who,what and where as in extreme conditions death comes fast and I been to waaaaay to many funerals from mistakes,so don't feed the crawdads and invertabrates . John PS kayakers MUCH worse than rafters real caution urged then!!!!!

 

[MadMarshall]

I bring SPOT GPS with me..Someone is always aware of where I intend to go. I do not do anything I don't feel comfortable with!!No matter who is with me telling it will be ok..I speak up when I see my brother or someone else doining something stupid..Be prepared for injury...I have taken CPR and a 2 day wilderness first aid class and hope the gold will be kind this year so I can pay for the Wilderness First Responder and Swift Water Rescue classes..I have my brother with me allot of the time which is a huge bonus as safety is in numbers.Injury can come from everywhere I had a backpack strap break and throw me off a 5 foot ledge..Know your partners ability..Most people do not spend days at a time on the river..So what you consider normal walking may be akward for others..And when I am by myself I am very paticuliar on my river crossing exspeacially in the winter..Even in the shallow places that are rushing all it takes it for you to get knocked down and you may not be able to get back up..And carrying equipment makes it hard.It never ever worth it to walk around barefoot on the river...Know your river what rapids are in the area ect ect ect..For me almost everytime I get hurt some thought went thru my head telling me it a bad Idea and I dismiss it..Anyway be safe get the gold...

 

[sceptre]

If you're really worried, Mustang Survival makes some good safety vests. We used them when fly fishing in heavy water. For metal detecting you would want one that doesn't inflate when it hits water but only when you pull the cord. Also, if you wear waders you can belt them at the top, this will keep some air inside and help you to float, always keep your feet pointed downstream if you fall, and forget about trying to save your MD if things get serious. Last bit of advice is be careful of outside bends in the river, they don't look bad but they will form a corkscrew type of whirlpool effect that can drown you easy and you can't see it.

 

[63bkpkr]

You can not breathe water! Gold is nice but being alive is better! The water level is falling and you know where to go for that information and I for one would not want to tie myself down and then get the rope snagged on something just when the pressure of the water flow catches me and pulls me under. Or, wait for the water level to go down as it IS going to go down..........................63bkpkr

 

[NuggetN8]

You can not breathe water! Gold is nice but being alive is better! The water level is falling and you know where to go for that information and I for one would not want to tie myself down and then get the rope snagged on something just when the pressure of the water flow catches me and pulls me under. Or, wait for the water level to go down as it IS going to go down..........................63bkpkr

I don't really want to wait for the water to go down. I mean I will go when it's lower too but right now all of my good creeks are drying up so the river is my only place to go at the moment. I guess I could just pan on the sides until its lower..

 

[Fullpan]

Some snipers have a philosophy about rivers during, and just after spring runoff. Depending on which river, just after the highwater point, when the water
is actively "lapping" at the bedrock banks, it is doing the panning/concentrating for you! The slope is important as you can visually see black sand concentrating
in these places in the course of the day. I have spent all day with just tweezers, a vial, and optivisors (3-5x mag.) crawling around these slopes on bedrock
and sand beaches with good results. When the rivers calm down, all bets are off, and normal sniping takes over.

 

[NuggetN8]

Some snipers have a philosophy about rivers during, and just after spring runoff. Depending on which river, just after the highwater point, when the water
is actively "lapping" at the bedrock banks, it is doing the panning/concentrating for you! The slope is important as you can visually see black sand concentrating
in these places in the course of the day. I have spent all day with just tweezers, a vial, and optivisors (3-5x mag.) crawling around these slopes on bedrock
and sand beaches with good results. When the rivers calm down, all bets are off, and normal sniping takes over.

Hmm that's very interesting. I'll have to try that some time. Probably have to time it just right though.

 

[Fullpan]

It's a little known "trade secret" so don't go blabbin' lol.

 

[NuggetN8]

It's a little known "trade secret" so don't go blabbin' lol.

Haha of course not! Don't want people cleaning out my spots