Dredge Tailings Question

[WesD]

Jason, My experience with some of the new generation is they are more paranoid of liability issues, whereas the old timer nearing the end of the road, dont care no more, and says have at it.  Of course there are cranky ol codgers too. Had a few go frothing mad just for asking permission.  Its a funny wold.

[Gerry in Idaho]

I don't feel a different coil is needed for nuggets vs specimens.  I think (could be wrong) the original source of the gold from thousands of years ago is what dictates if the gold is in nugget or specimen form.   On many occasions the specimens when slowly working their way down the river systems, start breaking apart to allow for some smaller solid nuggets coming off the larger specimens.  For example, in Southern Idaho we have thousands of tiny picker nuggets and 100's of ounces of the well known flower gold or dust.  Our potato specimens eventually turn to dust over time.  

In Northern Idaho and Eastern Oregon, they had bigger veins of gold so the chances of bigger nuggets and more solid specimens have been recovered with detectors.  We still prefer the faster and lighter VLF type detectors with stock size coils.  Realize a small pea nugget will eventually work it's way down into the tailing piles and be out of reach of most VLF types, so that's why I normally spend my time in tailings chasing bigger gold.

As Steve mentioned.  Study the area and know the kind and size of gold being recovered in that area.  Then match the coil size to the size of gold you wish to hunt and match the size of gold to the size of tailings.  Big cobbles are the least productive, but on a rare occasion the biggest of finds.

It there is exposed bedrock, that is the site I put the small coil to get the little pickers.

It does not matter is it's a specimen or nugget, a VLF hits them both well.  3 gram nuggets and up, I feel the stock coil on most detectors is sufficient, unless you know your buddies have cleaned it with stock, then try something different.

In the pics, you'll see I'm detecting golf ball to fist size rock piles using a VLF EQ-800 with the larger 15x12" Coil.  I typically use the stock 11" coil for these piles, but my hunting buddies spent a summer on it with their stock coils so I had to try something different.

You can see in the rock piles, trying to find a grain of rice piece of gold is almost worthless, so I don't even attempt it at this kind of location.

Good Luck.

 

[MSC]

Thanks Gerry, hope that rock taste good.  

[Cascade Steven]

Gerry:  Thank you for our insight and advice.  Greatly appreciated.