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View Full Version : Panning for gold? Good online resources?




ItsTime
02-23-2009, 07:12 PM
Got a hot tip from a friend and going panning this spring. I have never been so I need to learn. Any good online resources?

puppetmaster
02-23-2009, 10:04 PM
Got a hot tip from a friend and going panning this spring. I have never been so I need to learn. Any good online resources?

where..........:D

puppetmaster
02-23-2009, 10:05 PM
I have a dredge that I am ready to use this summer....California Gold Rush all over again!!

Lafayette
02-23-2009, 10:16 PM
I go almost every weekend, started last year, though i used to do it when i was a kid. I live in Orange County CA, the most popular place around here is the Azusa canyon area, in the San Gabriel mountains.

They've been pulling gold out of the river since the 1860s, its hit or miss. Some people (like myself) maybe pull only a few .10s of a gram out after 4 or 5 hours of work, others may get lucky and find anything from a gram to a 1 ounce nugget (very very rare)

So far after maybe 20-30 sunday mornings of 5 hours of work, i have a total of 2.5 grams :mad: Its great fun though, and once you get that first piece, the gold fever sets in :D

The first 5 or 6 times i went i found a few tiny specs, pretty much worthless, but i learn more and more each trip out.



Where about do you live?

The best way to learn is to go with someone who knows what they are doing. I can try to answer any specific questions you have.

Bman
02-23-2009, 10:58 PM
Gold is where it is found.

There are plenty of resources. Just do a search like "gold found in your state" or do a search on panning for gold.

TN_VOL
02-23-2009, 11:01 PM
Look for the show Gold Fever and Prospecting America or something like that on the Outdoor Channel. You could probably look for it on youtube it as well. After watching a couple episodes of these shows you should have a better feel as for what you need and how to use it.

fr33domfightr
02-23-2009, 11:59 PM
I just want to send a shoutout to all the prospector RP supporters.

I've been on many prospecting trips for gold, silver, precious stones, placer, hard rock, etc. with my father. He passed away a few years ago, and I still miss him. I appreciate the time he took to take me out. You really do get a better appreciation for life by going out there and grabbing it by the horns. Reading about it is good, but living it and experiencing it, first hand, is very rewarding.

Go here for information: http://www.goldprospectors.org/

When you join, you'll get the claims guide that can show you places to go in the U.S. for panning, sluicing, dredging, dry-washing, metal detecting, etc.

In the SoCal area, I see some of you go up to the East Fork of the San Gabriel River. Gold is too fine there, flower, so it's only good for practice.

Some larger flakes can be found at Blue Cut in the Cajon Pass. And actually, there's quite a bit at the summit. Many clubs abound in Riverside and San Bernardino that own those claims.

For the really good payoff, you must go to Northern California, on the West Side of the Sierra Nevadas! For the small timer, I'd probably recommend a gold bug detector, or something similar.

Remember, Gold is very heavy. To find a good pocket, its going to be on the bottom of the creek/river, which means you need a dredge. If you use a gold bug, you might get lucky and find small nuggets in exposed bedrock, or up on the bank where it got deposited long ago.

Even now, recalling back to a time when I was in Grass Valley, I walked along a stream bed with a lot of exposed bedrock. Grabbing the grass growing from the cracks in the bedrock and washing the "grassroots gold" out in my pan, I'd pull 10 good size flakes, amazing! That would be an excellent place to use a detector.

It's very exciting!!

Good luck!!



FF