SGS-1 on the July 2017 NH river gold trip

[Sluicedog]

I had fun for a week on the Ammonoosuc River. There was a Huge flood there on the 4th and the river campground area had to be evacuated total. On this past Monday 17th we had a mini 4 foot food that also churned up the river. All week long people where getting very little color. I used my SGS-1 Goldsnare with a 100 A/hour battery. Easy set up..carry down to river edge, place battery on dry bank, SGS-1 in the water, connect the battery clips and turn on the switch for the adventure!. The SGS-1 is very persistent in its processing and classification.

I tried a clay layer near shore on the high water day, did a 9 sq foot area (2-3") of float material (6 hours) at the waters edge and did a side bore into packed material in a 3 foot deep big boy dredge hole. This actually was not the best take of any trip to the Ammonoosuc River. Most of our group using high banker dredge combos were skunked too. My low banker did poor too. The SGS-1 worked great with ample black sand and garnets and pyrite collected.

I have a gas powered 2" sub-dredge and it did poorly with the take...got to try a different river!

Here are some pics. My green pan is total SGS-1 take for the week. The river had never been the same since Irene storm (August 2011). I got a little finger pinch between a melon sized rock and a hard place...not broken ..but great colors!

 

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[russau]

At least you were out doing it!

 

[nh.nugget]

Glad to see some one on the Wild Am not the Am two different rivers so you know. Whereabouts were you I dredge up there almost weekly. You should of done better than that. Not to insult you but we get that in test pans. That river from what I have learned has one specific layer that has color. If you were at the camp ground it's been dredged. I was there for the flood we were skimming the top 2'' of dirt after the water went down and did well, flood gold. To do well on that river you really need to study the geology of it.

 

[Sluicedog]

Three activities there at the Wild Am. Worked at high water to the bank and sub-dredged (electric) underwater to the clay bed. Sub-dredged (gas) underwater behind stream boulder below Split Rock to @ 40" down. After flood on 17th I figured a great time to sub-dredge the top 3" from center gravel bead (@15 sq feet of material processed). Sub-dredged (electric) a near shore a Gas dredge hole and worked deep toward the shore into very hard packed material. I was getting black sand and pyrites but very little gold this trip. Other years it has been easy to get flakes and fine gold. My 2" gas sub-dredge processed much material, however the the four clean-outs were a shock. This is my 10th year pulling some gold from this river and I have seen many changes to the Wild Am river. The equipment I have built out a PVC is designed for sub 1/8" and since there is no water/air interface with a sub-dredge I don't lose gold to surface tension capture.
Dredge out of the water for photo shoot

A sub-dredge needs less of a water pump, since it moves material only underwater. It's fun listening while underwater to the sand, gravel and small rocks moving up from the nozzle to the sub-dredge. The sound gives you an indication of the speed of the nozzle capture and tells you when you are overloading the flow rate (clog coming up).
Sub-dredge underwater working for the color

 

[brianc053]

Sluicedog, thank you for relating your story. Like nh.nugget I'm a little surprised by your results, but it sounds like you're experienced (10 years) and know what you're doing, so maybe it was just a "bad" week. I say "bad" because to me, any week dredging is a good week, even if there's only one speck of color.
That said, I think we all want to see more gold - as much as possible. I was up there with nh.nugget just after the first flood; he and I dredged on July 4th when the water was coming down. (I posted separately about that). I did just as well or better than I've done on the Wild AM, and figured it was because the flooding had moved in new gold.
By the way, I love your sub-dredges. I have an SGS-1 also, though I have to say that it's collecting dust in the garage ever since I got my 3" nozzle.
- Brian

 

[Sluicedog]

Brian-Thanks for the encouragement. The SGS-1 gets very fine gold, black sand garnets and pyrites...so it will get flakes and pickers. I dredged along the shore and clay layers above Split Rock where I got flakes and a nice picker two years ago...this time it could have been better! I really enjoy semi floating in my wet suit working a small hole and seeing those pesky fish move in to see whats going on. They sure move in fast. I hit that very dense red sand in a non worked area and had to use my grizzly point to loosen the side wall. The gold was staying in another spot nearby....quietly smiling.

Have you used your MXT to find black sand pay streaks on the Wild AM? I just got my GMT and didn't have enough hours to make it work for me on the Wild AM. I did check those clay beds(with the GMT) that I cleaned with the SGS-1 and did not find a target of value.-Bill

 

[brianc053]

Bill, I should have mentioned earlier that a few years ago I also used my SGS-1 Goldsnare up there on the Wild AM (before I bought my 3" nozzle) and like you I found some flakes and fine gold (no pickers yet). I used it and a screwdriver to clean some cracks opposite Split Rock - you know the area. Had some luck, but I suspect it's been worked to death.

Lately I've been working....other areas (PM me) and working near the bank down through the overburden to the gray/blue clay layer. That clay layer still has gold.

I have not even thought of using the MXT and looking for heavy mineralization - that's a great idea! And something I should try before the end of the season. I hope to come up one more time while it's warm. Let's see if we can coordinate a time (and include nh.nugget - he's a great guy and very knowledgeable).
- Brian

 

[N-Lionberger]

I always understood sub surface dredges to be not so great at fines retention, what kind of trap does it use?

 

[Sluicedog]

N-Lionberger
I have two sub-dredges. One in the SGS-1 Goldsnare, info can be found on YOUTUBE


My other one I built myself based on a design by Reggie Gould, called Bazooka Gold Dredge Gould engineering(Gould Engineering Advanced Gold Recovery Systems)


It has an inner pipe with slits in in to capture heavies as they pass by, with an outer tube to collect the material. Reggie Gould has his power jet in the front. I found this makes the fine material get to agitated to settle before it hits the collector tubes. Remember sub-dredges just need enough speed to move the material NOT lift it out of the water, so the gold and heavies go slow enough to drop through the slits. I have my power-jet after my "Zooka " collector so all the fine heavies settle down and the big stuff continues as waste.
View attachment Sub.bmpHere is simple view of the sub-dredge. I put a boat drain plug in the bottom to easily flood the "Zooka" and then pull the drain plug over a 5 gallon pail to empty the "Zooka" after a run. My Build with my paint job with drain plug under the lower tube

 

[russau]

I like the stabilizing legs ! Good idea!

 

[Sluicedog]

Top handle for haul out. 25Lbs of material grabbed before clean-out , lower two legs for leveling and rock pin down, rope tie down for water current placement, legs are separate from unit but bolted on. Legs have small holes drilled in for drainage. "Zooka> must be underwater to the top of the large tube housing, top handle can stick out of water. This unit is designed to capture smaller gold (sub 8). The nugget trap attachment is another story in it self.

Maybe I should start a sub-dredge tech build thread-Bill