Need help with my prospecting trip setup...detector? Sluice? Pump? etc..

[jssbastiat]

Here are some random ideas for my prospecting setup, not set on the exact setup...all ideas are welcomed...

I'm going to be prospecting in a clear mountain river on the banks with alot of rock and gravel, some sand...then the river is 2ft to 8 ft deep and I need to get into that to see if it is worth me buying a dredge...

This is my first detector, so, I would like some feedback from anyone that has used one doing what I'm doing....the AT Pro by garrett keeps coming up since it be submerged up to 8 ft???

and for $800 with the shipping and extras, not bad....

Also, the fisher Gold bug pro and the Gold bug 2 have been mentioned....about the same price.....any better than the Garrett?????? And a few people have said whites is a good one also....

Should I get a small and large coil? I guess the smaller coils are for pinpointing adn go deeper????? and the larger ones for a broader, quicker search?????

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Now, on setup for prospecting...i have a jet boat to get up the river.....1/2 mile of the river is accessible by boat, but after that i gotta walk up the valley heck up to 18 miles have been known for gold....when I start digging an area, I usually have a big gold pan and pan into 1/3 of a 55 gl plastic barrel that I cut off........then I dump my concentrate off into a 5 gl bucket...this is probably good for teh first 1/2 mile, but....

But, I've never prospecting mountain rivers, I've only done the nome beach with a big beach sluice....3 in water pump, miners moss, ribbed rubber, expanded metal, etc...

So, for a light setup to travel with, should I just get a $100 prospecting sluice with a header so I can put in in my big back pack with the detecotr and go up into the valley? I'll probably have to walk any where from 1/2 mile to 3 miles through a canyon that I can't boat through....

what about the 'back pack' dredges? any good for this kind of thing?

So, any ideas? I have never used a gold sluice in the water before, always had a pump..... It looks like I'd need to be light to travel...so, should I just axe the sluice and take jsut the detector and pan? Locate a good spot, then haul in my light weight gold sluice and put it in the water instead of hauling a pump up?

Let me know how you worked things out in a situation like this....all ideas are welcomed, the more the better...pics are great!....I can run a sluice in the water on alot of the river, but in teh canyon I'm not sure if it is too rough water to do it, never been into the canyon yet..

AND, what about a good sniper??? I need to use my pick axe and lift up the large rocks and look under it with a, ????? An dthen pull up a sample...I've seen these tools, but never used....ifyou have a good brand name, home made one, etc, let me know.....all this I'm new too, beach mining is MUCH simpler!

Can I take a 6 ft, 2 in pipe and pound it down under the submerged rocks into the sand and wiggle it out to take a sample? Or will the sample just run out?

[Rock_skipper]

Well it sounds like you might be spending some time out there, so food and supplys would be the first things I would be thinking of.

The pipe thing is a good idea,( if you had something to pound it down) however you are probably going to hit a rock and then that will be the end of that.

A little sluice and a gold pan is probably the best plan to go in with what you have in mind, is my opioion.

(What you can suck up with a 2" backpack dredge, you can dig out with a shovel just as fast with a lot less weight to pack in)

[Dirtofak]

IMO - A 2" dredge is worthless UNLESS you have a known hot spot that a larger dredge cannot function in due to low water, tight cracks etc.

I have mounted a shovel on a 48" sluice and carried it quite a ways. It isn't too bad. Under the right water conditions, you can process quite a bit of material.

I only wish I had an area that wasn't previously prospected by a thousand people to search in.

[goldminerj]

Now, on setup for prospecting...i have a jet boat to get up the river.....1/2 mile of the river is accessible by boat, but after that i gotta walk up the valley heck up to 18 miles have been known for gold....when I start digging an area, I usually have a big gold pan and pan into 1/3 of a 55 gl plastic barrel that I cut off........then I dump my concentrate off into a 5 gl bucket...this is probably good for teh first 1/2 mile, but....

But, I've never prospecting mountain rivers, I've only done the nome beach with a big beach sluice....3 in water pump, miners moss, ribbed rubber, expanded metal, etc...

So, for a light setup to travel with, should I just get a $100 prospecting sluice with a header so I can put in in my big back pack with the detecotr and go up into the valley? I'll probably have to walk any where from 1/2 mile to 3 miles through a canyon that I can't boat through....

what about the 'back pack' dredges? any good for this kind of thing?

So, any ideas? I have never used a gold sluice in the water before, always had a pump..... It looks like I'd need to be light to travel...so, should I just axe the sluice and take jsut the detector and pan? Locate a good spot, then haul in my light weight gold sluice and put it in the water instead of hauling a pump up?

Let me know how you worked things out in a situation like this....all ideas are welcomed, the more the better...pics are great!....I can run a sluice in the water on alot of the river, but in teh canyon I'm not sure if it is too rough water to do it, never been into the canyon yet..

AND, what about a good sniper??? I need to use my pick axe and lift up the large rocks and look under it with a, ????? An dthen pull up a sample...I've seen these tools, but never used....ifyou have a good brand name, home made one, etc, let me know.....all this I'm new too, beach mining is MUCH simpler!

Can I take a 6 ft, 2 in pipe and pound it down under the submerged rocks into the sand and wiggle it out to take a sample? Or will the sample just run out?

So how did it all work out? Did u ever get a dredge? I have a 5 and a 3. Always looking for places to use it.

[MacGyver]

Before I would buy a $800 detector I would find out more about the area. Are the rocks in the area “HOT”? If they are “Hot” most detector are useless another question is what type of gold is there nuggets or flakes? Just because a detector is called gold this or that does not mean if the best one to buy, I'm not say there anything wrong with Fisher I do not know, just saying do your home work.

[kasilofchrisn]

Before I would buy a $800 detector I would find out more about the area. Are the rocks in the area “HOT”? If they are “Hot” most detector are useless another question is what type of gold is there nuggets or flakes? Just because a detector is called gold this or that does not mean if the best one to buy, I'm not say there anything wrong with Fisher I do not know, just saying do your home work.

On the same note not all detectors are built for the same thing or the same way.The PI (pulse induction) detectors work differently than a VLF(very low frequency or sometimes called induction balance)Machine.
For instance in the really hiighly mineralized ground found in places like Australia or Arizona the $3500 minelabs really shine. The gold is typically bigger and ground is "Hotter".
Here in southcentral Ak the $750 Fischer Gold Bug 2 is the machine to have. It does a lot better on the smaller gold we have here that the minelabs would never find.
Then again I find so much more flakes and fines in my prospecting than I ever find nuggets. I own a Gold Bug 2 but mostly use my highbanker or other gear.
This link by one of Alaskas best gold metal detectorists explains a lot.
http://www.akmining.com/forums/showt...ons-for-Alaska

[kasilofchrisn]

jssbasstiat I hope you did well and found some gold.
If it were me I would have first learned to use what equipment I had and was legal before I traveled that far.
By that I mean research what gear is legal where you plan to go. Also make sure there are no mining claims on the ground you want to prospect.
If sluice boxes are legal there then set one up somewhere closer to home and learn how to work it. If you can find sombody knowledgable in their use to help you learn ask for their help.
As was said those backpack dredges are not really all that productive.Most places also require a dredge permit.
A good sluice box and a good gold pan can find you a lot of gold. Do not buy those el-cheapo black gold pans or the old style metal ones. The newer style green riffled pans are definetly the way to go.
Only once you have verified there is gold there with a pan and/or sluice would I buy more expensive gear such as a metal detector,dredge,or highbanker.

[Daveinthebush]

I don't know if the original poster will chime in or not but here goes.

For backpacking up streams I usually carry the following:
A52 Keene sluice box.
Gold pans. One large and one small.
#2 shovel.
Small ss trowel.
Small crevice tools (spoon, screw driver, chisel, hammer, tweezers)
Gold bottles.
2-3 snuffer bottles.
TOILET paper.
Bug dope.
.44 Mag.
Pack that holds all but the shovel.
A sieve that fits in a five gallon bucket.
Five gallon bucket. Sometimes two.
Snacks and water.
One large dog. (Does not go into the pack except for snacks.)

[goldminerj]

Dave- Get an old saddle bag and make the dog carry his own snacks and yours too.

[jssbastiat]

Goldminerj, need a buddy that has a dredge!

So how did it all work out? Did u ever get a dredge? I have a 5 and a 3. Always looking for places to use it.

Yeap, I need a buddy that has a dredge! PM me, or email me at jssbastiat@aol.com....I'll give you my cell....

scotty