# Panning for Gold



## BondCoCoyote (Feb 14, 2012)

Just wanted to see if any of you guys do any gold prospecting. I have been panning a little this year but gold is pretty scarce in Illinois. I just like the thrill of the hunt. Anybody else?


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## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

I have done it in the past, found a little but nothing to brag about.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

I've done a little, but I had about the same results as Prairiewolf !


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Done lots of panning, sluicing,dredging,diving and using equipment for placer mining. Cindy has been bugging me to take her out panning etc. so we're down sizing our market garden venture for this year and will only have a normal garden next year which will give us more time to spend in the mountains.


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## bones44 (Jan 7, 2011)

Have never done but always wanted to try it. Sounds like fun.


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## BondCoCoyote (Feb 14, 2012)

I have enjoyed what little I have done. Haven't found anything yet. I'm getting ready to build a sluice box so I can run more material. I was watching an episode of Gold Fever the other day and Tom (the host of the show) went to Home Depot and bought 3 bags of play sand and run those thru his sluice and found about 30 dollars worth of gold. I took a few home that we had here at work and panned about 4 pans full and barely found any black sand...my luck. I did find a bunch of black sand in the creek below my house a while back. Might get lucky and find a flake or two.


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

I have found some small peices and lots of flour, I have not been bitten by the gold fever bug as much as I have the predator hunting bug. Or any hunting bug.


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

BondCoCoyote said:


> I have enjoyed what little I have done. Haven't found anything yet. I'm getting ready to build a sluice box so I can run more material. I was watching an episode of Gold Fever the other day and Tom (the host of the show) went to Home Depot and bought 3 bags of play sand and run those thru his sluice and found about 30 dollars worth of gold. I took a few home that we had here at work and panned about 4 pans full and barely found any black sand...my luck. I did find a bunch of black sand in the creek below my house a while back. Might get lucky and find a flake or two.


 You have a good chance of having some flour gold if you have black sand around and maybe even some platinum!!!!


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## Rick Howard (Feb 25, 2012)

I have not done it. However my father in law has been doing it for years. He has spent his summers for the last 10 years dredging for gold in the Bering Sea. (before they made the TV show)


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

itzDirty said:


> I have not done it. However my father in law has been doing it for years. He has spent his summers for the last 10 years dredging for gold in the Bering Sea. (before they made the TV show)


 Ya watched that show a few times, like most reality shows Hmmmmm!!!. Have done the dredging like on the show but on a smaller scale, our laws are that dredging can only be done if the water etc. can be contained in a settling pond in order to protect the fish habitat.


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## BondCoCoyote (Feb 14, 2012)

hassell said:


> I have not done it. However my father in law has been doing it for years. He has spent his summers for the last 10 years dredging for gold in the Bering Sea. (before they made the TV show)


That would be cool to do. One of these years I would like to get to Alaska and try it, not necessarily in the Bearing Sea but just do some panning up there.How much does he usually find?


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

BondCoCoyote said:


> I know that black sand is a good sign thats why I was wanting to get a sluice made. Not sure I would know what platinum would even look like. I will have to look it up. Should I be digging deeper down in the creek or stay shallow?That would be cool to do. One of these years I would like to get to Alaska and try it, not necessarily in the Bearing Sea but just do some panning up there.How much does he usually find?


 Up north where I was doing this kind of stuff a person could dig beside a creek pretty well anywhere and come up with black sand and flour gold, if there is any gold around and you have a creek -- imagine where the high water would be - then look for the larger rocks and dig on the downstream side of them as the large rocks act like a riffle in a sluice box and its where the high water gold will settle.


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## Rick Howard (Feb 25, 2012)

He says the show had some reality it in, but a lot was just for TV. He never tells us how much he finds. When we ask..... He just smiles and says "Enough to go back but not enough to keep me from going back".

He gave my wife and I a nugget that made our wedding rings.


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

Bed rock is also a good place to look for gold, even if the bed rock is on the top of the hills.


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## Antlerz22 (Apr 18, 2011)

I have watched that show as well. And on it they on occasion use a MINELAB metal detector thats made in australia. They are the best by farand there is a model made specifically for gold and it penetrates the ground deeper than all the other brands too. http://www.minelab.com/usa/products/gold-detectors


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Antlerz22 said:


> I have watched that show as well. And on it they on occasion use a MINELAB metal detector thats made in australia. They are the best by farand there is a model made specifically for gold and it penetrates the ground deeper than all the other brands too. http://www.minelab.c.../gold-detectors


 Just cut a forked branch off a willow and witch for the gold-- a bit cheaper!!!!!!!


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## Rick Howard (Feb 25, 2012)

Another gold nugget......


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

They had a local tv news story about a nugget that was found in the 80's that weighs 56 oz. and is valued a .5 million, the 1/15 largest one found in the state.


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## Antlerz22 (Apr 18, 2011)

Ok--lay off the sauce, 1/15 largest--what kind of measurement is that LOL


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

ok translation it is the 15 th largest nugget found in the state.


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

knapper said:


> ok translation it is the 15 th largest nugget found in the state.


If that was the 15th largest--- how much did the Largest weigh???


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## Rick Howard (Feb 25, 2012)

You know with those big nuggets. They are worth more than their weight in gold!


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## BondCoCoyote (Feb 14, 2012)

hassell said:


> If that was the 15th largest--- how much did the Largest weigh???


20lbs-2.66oz is the largest nugget ever found in the state of Alaska.


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## Rick Howard (Feb 25, 2012)

BondCoCoyote said:


> 20lbs-2.66oz is the largest nugget ever found in the state of Alaska.


It makes a great paper weight too! LOL


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Ya about 1/2 dozen of those for paper weights a fellow would have to start building tables.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

WOW !


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