Setting a sluice in a small stream and leaving it.

[watersteps]

I would guess that most people would say "that won't work" . Well here is my idea, I want to place 1,2 or 3 sluice's in a small stream on my own property. Now, I live in Potter County, PA. and the stream is about 600' long. I don't have a sluice or know which type to build, but what the heck if it works while I metal detect other areas, why not?
The last thing is, is there any gold in Potter County, PA.?
Anyone got any ideas?

 

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[kenstein]

I like the idea . What could it hurt? I found this info about the possibility of gold being there. Sounds like it's worth doing. https://www.goldrushnuggets.com/goinpe.html

 

[brianc053]

I agree that it can’t hurt. However, gold is heavy so if there’s any room for river gravel to go under the sluice then the gold will go under. That means the sluice would have to sit on bedrock, and I suspect that configuration would be hard to set up (but possible I guess).
In that area of PA I would guess there’s some glacial gold (small flour gold placed by glaciers thousands of years ago). I’ve spent a lot of time in eastern PA streams (Lehigh area) and you can find gold like this (do you see it? Can you pan down to gold that size?)

 

[Goldwasher]

just like mining culverts... it's a hopeful legend.

Any hydrailic event that would move gold will rip out your sluice boxes.

Your only hope is to prospect using tried and true methods.

Add to that you are wasting time if you don't even know that theres gold present.

Just look for natural catches and slow spots.

There is no such thing as productive passive absentee prospecting.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

I left two sluices in western Wyoming. Both are on seasonal washes that only run after big storms, or during the snow melt. Haven't checked them for two years. I'm after diamonds. But, if I had it to do over again, I would have made individual riffles that I could stake at any interval I wanted along the wash. Maybe make them 3 inches tall, and 12" wide, or as wide as required to have all the water go over them. I'm going to go over this summer and see what gems may have been caught. I know sluices aren't the best for gems, but nothing else can be left to work by itself.
Jim

 

[roconnor]

I had a claim that I dredged . When I finally got to bedrock I found where the old timers had staked down railroad ties to act as riffles. Full of hardpack between them And gold ! Thank you Old Timers !!

 

[watersteps]

Thanks Guys, I will build a sluice and install at least one as soon as I can find a good design. I am looking for a simple design, that I could make out of aluminum and metal.

 

[watersteps]

brianc053, I can see the gold but I will have to learn how to pan this small stuff.

 

[brianc053]

brianc053, I can see the gold but I will have to learn how to pan this small stuff.

Here’s the silver lining: if you learn to recover this small stuff in PA, and then you get a chance to go to New Hampshire/Maine, or to VA/NC, or to Colorado, or to California - the gold is “bigger” (relative statement, still not huge) and more plentiful (absolute statement) in those places and the skills you gain in PA will make you very capable and confident in those other places.
This has been my story. I learned in PA and I’ve had the good fortune to travel and prospect (feel free to review my older posts; I usually published a trip report of some sort after each trip), and what I learned in PA made me confident and capable around the country.

And once in a while in PA you’ll find a decent flake (found in the Lehigh area):

 

[RTR]

Ive seen guys place carpet (weighted down w/rocks) in a stream ,coming back months later,retrieving the carpet,then hauling it off to be processed....and Yes it works

 

[N-Lionberger]

How about burlap soaked in fish oil? I read somewhere that works.

 

[smokeythecat]

Around here we get enough floods it would have to be pulled once a week. Anyway, I've heard you can take a metal coffee can, put a hole in the opened end and tie it to a tree with steel wire. Submerge it with a big sinker (huge sinker) or rock in the bottom and have a few 1/2" holes in the old base of it near what is now the "top" and set it on the bottom. Check it occasionally for gold. I have not tried this.

 

[watersteps]

Thanks for the info guys, OK brianc053, I am really hooked on this sluice in the stream project. I will have one built in a few days, I will post pictures when it is ready.

 

[Johnnybravo300]

I dont even mess with sluice boxes anymore. I just leave snuffer bottles at the bottom of the creek and the gold jumps right in. No point in dealing with the cons and the extra work.
Reminds me of the legend of the Lost Gold Mine of the Garrett Super Sluice. Supposedly a hard luck prospector left his super sluice in the creek overnight only to come back in the morning to find the riffles full of gold and not a speck lost. He left the pan in the creek again and the next morning the same results and without a speck lost.
He mined the passive methods for years and made a fortune but when he died the location was lost.
To this day they say a super sluice is still waiting with the riffles full of gold and not a speck lost. And so the legend was born and the masses exclaimed that ain't no gold getting past those riffles.
Just a thought but not giving away any secrets.

 

[Johnnybravo300]

Double?

 

[Underburden]

Johnnybravo300...You are absolutely right about the sucker bottle.

 

[N-Lionberger]

I have actually found snuffer bottles with gold laying on the bank... I thought I was bad about scoops.

 

[watersteps]

What is a snuffer bottle ?

 

[placertogo]

I have heard of putting a heavy iron sluice in a streambed and leaving it for a period of time. I think any heavy flow from rain or other source is going to wash your rig away unless very heavy or anchored down.

 

[placertogo]

If you had a known gold catching area on bedrock, you could drill the rock during the dry season when the rock is exposed, put some anchor bolts in, and lay a large piece of Astroturf anchored to bolts at the four corners. Come back after a time, remove the Astroturf, and wash it out into a large mortar tub.