Still not getting it.

[OwenT]

I went out panning a bit ago with high hopes of finding some color. We went to three gold producing creeks (Shaser, Peshastin, and Scotty) in a great gold producing area in central WA, right near where all the claims are too, and nothing. The only thing I can think of is that the material I'm putting in my pan doesn't have gold in it. I just watched the panning video with Freddy Dodge again to see if I could figure out what I was doing wrong and the only big thing I saw is that his material was way different. What I'm starting out with in my pan is usually just a pile of pea gravel, really hard to stratify and work with in general. Freddy went up on the hill and found some nice dirt. So does this apply to little creeks as well as big rivers, can't take dirt from the creekbed? Or do you just have to dig really deep or what?

 

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[huntsman53]

While I am not familiar with the area there but if you are panning in a National Forest, digging outside of creek, stream or river banks is not allowed unless there are different rules and regulations there that allow it. If you are only getting pea and other sized gravels, you are not digging deep enough. You need to get down on average 10 inches to several feet or more to get into the older sediments (soil, mud, clays and other material) to get to where the Gold has settled or sunk. The material will be soil combined with smaller and larger gravels and rocks and there should be quite a bit of Black Sand in your' Gold pan once you have panned off the lighter materials. If you get fair amounts of Black Sand and the lighter materials are all but gone, then slow down and rotate the pan in a circular motion to reveal the Gold underneath the Black Sand.


Frank

 

[OwenT]

Here in WA the rules are no excavating in the water, at the toe of the slope, or on an unstable slope. You can excavate in part of the creek bed that isn't in the water or on stable slopes where sediment can't enter the water and woody vegetation is not disturbed. But it sounds like I need to dig deeper.

 

[dvdtharaldson]

OwenT,
Make sure you are looking through your heavies/cons with a magnifying glass or better yet a loupe. I don't know how much experience you have but a lot of inexperienced prospectors are surprised just how small the colors are. Where I live, they are between the size of a grain of flour and a grain of sugar. Also classification is key, are you classifying? Best Colors.

 

[OwenT]

I'm classifying with the 1/4" screen that came with my pans. I'm really looking hard for the tiny specs but I'll try my magnifying glass next time.

 

[KevinInColorado]

I'm classifying with the 1/4" screen that came with my pans. I'm really looking hard for the tiny specs but I'll try my magnifying glass next time.

1/4 is for classifying raw materials in the field.

For finish panning you need much finer screens. Start with an old kitchen strainer - they are 18 holes per inch "18 mesh". That'll help a lot. Then get a 40 or 50 mesh and you'll be amazed how much easier it is to pan each portion separately!

PS almost all the pay dirt I've ever dug was IN the streambed.

 

[snakejim]

I went out panning a bit ago with high hopes of finding some color. We went to three gold producing creeks (Shaser, Peshastin, and Scotty) in a great gold producing area in central WA, right near where all the claims are too, and nothing. The only thing I can think of is that the material I'm putting in my pan doesn't have gold in it. I just watched the panning video with Freddy Dodge again to see if I could figure out what I was doing wrong and the only big thing I saw is that his material was way different. What I'm starting out with in my pan is usually just a pile of pea gravel, really hard to stratify and work with in general. Freddy went up on the hill and found some nice dirt. So does this apply to little creeks as well as big rivers, can't take dirt from the creekbed? Or do you just have to dig really deep or what?

Try to get material lying on bedrock and in the cracks. Gold works down until it can't go any further, especially in a flowing stream. Sometimes bedrock will be visible and sometimes it's 100 feet deep to bedrock. Clay can be a false bedrock. Look at the banks and see if there are layers of clay with large rocks and gravel on top of the clay layer. If so, dig there on top of the clay.
You don't need to use screens and classifiers if you really know how to pan properly. The old timers never used them. See if you see them in the old photos.

 

[dvdtharaldson]

While I respect SnakeJim's opinion I personally think it is much easier to pan your cons if they are all the same size. Like Kevin says you classify your concentrates. When I get my cons home I use a 20. then 50. then 80. then 120 mesh screen. I started doing this because I noticed it was possible for -80 colors to wash out when your trying to separate them from +50 black sands.
Best Colors,
David

 

[huntsman53]

Here in WA the rules are no excavating in the water, at the toe of the slope, or on an unstable slope. You can excavate in part of the creek bed that isn't in the water or on stable slopes where sediment can't enter the water and woody vegetation is not disturbed. But it sounds like I need to dig deeper.

If you can't dig into the stream bed, then that severely limits your prospecting! I know that there are pans only areas in some locations but even then, you can excavate what you can with a Gold pan.


Frank

 

[OwenT]

From what I understand, I'm only allowed to excavate in the water during certain times, usually from about July-Sept.

 

[TerryC]

Do not despair! It'll come to you. Latch up with someone who can show you exactly where to dig. You may have to join a club... always a worthwhile move. If you are classifying down to 1/4, in the field, pan down a 5 gallon bucket of the stuff right there at the creek. I like to use pans with DEEP riffles, such as Garrett Gravity Trap pans. Work the cons down to black sand then use a smaller (10 inch) finishing pan. Luck is not part of the equation.... just good sound practices. It's there, just find it. TTC

 

[bfloyd4445]

if your not finding black sand your not in pay dirt.....and go real slow cause its easy to loose flour gold