winter panning

[chevyman75]

Who pans for gold in the winter. I pan up until it gets less then 20 degrees at that point wet hands and air dont mix.

 

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[Oregon Viking]

I do!! I do!!
SealSkinz ChillBlocker Fleece Lined Waterproof Gloves by Hanz
Of course yesterday it was 67 degrees here in the Pacific Northwest!
But the water is still cold.

 

[newgoldfinder]

I got a problem with the cold. Besides the fact that the ground is to hard so not me.

 

[Prospector70]

and me! If you're not wet you're not cold.

 

[DynoGuy]

Here is from my trip to the inlaws over Xmas (Rose City, Mi), 34° on that day 25° the next. That creek runs about a half mile thru his property, 3/4 of which was under ice and knee deep snow. Never prospected there before, found some slight color will have to go back this summer.


The next weekend went out nearer to home, in the Uwharrie NF, which had a little ice build near the banks in places and overnight temps in the low 30's. I just dress accordingly and layer so you don't over heat and sweat to much, also don't forget to hydrate. So just get out and move some dirt.

 

[DynoGuy]

View attachment 932349
and me! If you're not wet you're not cold.

Hey P70 who make those, I like the closures at the open ends as the long gloves I have tend to slide down sometimes when working.

 

[Prospector70]

Oil-Resistant PVC Long Cuff Gloves

7 bucks, can't beat that. Also work all day they stay put. Would buy again. lol

 

[DynoGuy]

thanks i'll look into them.

 

[dashriprock]

I pan all year if I can but as stated above...darn frozen ground. Always have concentrates to run in the winter and I can run them and pan in the warmth of my house when the winter gold bug bites! :-)

 

[Buckshotnc]

Who pans for gold in the winter. I pan up until it gets less then 20 degrees at that point wet hands and air dont mix.

Panned some this past week here in NC, maybe 30-40 degrees, ice beside of me at the creek, but didn't do it too long that's about my extreme for what it's worth, after that carry to garage where it's a little warmer thanks to small radiator heater.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Oil-Resistant PVC Long Cuff Gloves 7 bucks, can't beat that. Also work all day they stay put. Would buy again. lol

buy a size larger than your hands so you can wear an insulating glove underneath since these are very waterproof (I use em too) but they aren't insulated...brrr.

 

[stanjtown]

I was out yesterday with a friend in York County for about 5 hours. we came back with nothing but still had a great time being out in nature.

 

[Bigmanco]

Ill be goin hopefully this weekend/ early next week. Im gonna go fill some buckets and pan em at my house. Prob do my first pan in the stream though if it ant frozen

 

[KevinInColorado]

Here's mine from today, running my Prospector as usual. Lots of snow here yesterday then sunshine and 45 degrees at the high today so the creek was running a bit high and the water muddy. Didn't stop me but I'll confess that after an hour (barely) I had fingers and toes numb so it was a short visit ;-) Still did pretty good. It's drying now so I'll weigh it in the am and post an update.

Edit: 0.17grams in just under an hour ...the honey hole continues

PS the coin is 1/10 oz gold, about the size of a dime. Also got 35 small bullets and a scad of birdshot. Just doing my part to remove lead from the environment ;-) the fine gold in the upper left is all -50 or smaller...BA-ZOOOO-KA!

 

[Colorider]

I think kevin could find gold in the gutters of colfax.
Nice looking gold !

 

[DizzyDigger]

Considering we get an average of 80+" of rain each year, and
"winter" usually lasts from Oct. to April, having god waders is
an absolute must if you're going to be doing much outside, and
especially in/around the water. Glacial runoff is some serious cold
water...even in the summer.

Here's my "first line" of cold defense:

Amazon.com: LaCrosse Men's Brush Tuff Extreme Max-4 1600G Wader Boots: Sports & Outdoors

LaCrosse waders are about as tough as they come. I've had my current pair
handle everything from nasty brush to devil's club, and they still look like new.
Your biggest danger in waders (other than falling in) is from the sharp-ended
sticks that beaver have chewed.

I usually wear a pair of light sweats underneath, but if it's super cold
(as in -0) you can wear poly-pro's underneath, BUT, you need to be
careful about sweating or the Hypothermia Monster will rear it's ugly
head and your day may become miserable.

Lots of good gauntlet gloves on the market, so the key is a dry, warm
body and dry, warm hands. Don't bulk yourself up so much that it
impedes your ability to easily move around, as falling in a freezing
creek with all that gear on ....well, it'd be less than pleasant.

 

[KevinInColorado]

I think kevin could find gold in the gutters of colfax. Nice looking gold !

hmm, might be worth a try!

Seriously, back in the day, the gold leaf on the Capitol dome in Denver was flaking off and people really did pan gold out of the gutters on Colfax near Grant Street!

 

[Prospector70]

I'm bumping this because its cold out, as soon as I can figure out why my left boot in my waders was FULL of water I'll be out in the river again ASAP. I may try some of that Flex Seal, and if that doesn't work I'll step in a bucket of silicon or something lol.

Anyway, another crucial Item for winter panning / sluicing is sunglasses (I'm more inclined to sluice/pan in the winter when the sun is shining). Specifically sunglasses with polarized lenses, that help you see into the water better.
This helps me see where to dig better and feet placement so I don't fall in lol. It can be tricky walking on / in between that bedrock or over cobble even in the summer.

Rock on,
P70

 

[goldog]

Thanks for reviving the thread. Good info for the cold weather prospector. It was down into the 60s yesterday, brutal.

We don't have winters anymore.

 

[Duckwalk]

High of 34 tomorrow in GA of all places. another good tool is a solid beard.