Working The Wet Sand On A Dead Beach

[Dancer]

Panama City Beach can get extremely busy during season.  The roads are stand still, hour plus waits for food, beaches are jammed.    Cameras tucked into bikinis,  no limit to body art.   And before the crowds come in the morning and after they leave is the time for hunting.    Sometime after Labor Day things start thinning out.  They say November could be the best month to clean up.     BUT, it's not November it's January, it's sanded in and unseasonably cold. On top of that when I arrived, too rough to wade.  So here I was looking like a nimrod, pushing my Tar up the surf zone.    Must've been only a hour or so, 4 tent pegs and a pull tab, hunting in AM. I heard a very faint tone, different from what I've been hearing.  I'd taken a couple steps before it registered that I better check this out.  Back tracking a bit, I found it just where the Surf crests.   As soon as the turmoil recided I plunged my scoop in to the hilt.  Nothing, but the distant target still buried in the hole. The hole itself filled back up by the following wave.  Finally after several scoops , I spotted the target as it surfaced still in the hole. A mad dash of the scoop and the prize was mine.   Just a quarter, green and crusty with sand not even all that old but.   That old feeling came back, not just a quarter but a hard fought for Treasure.  Turned out, it was the best find from a dismal lot.  So, as the song goes  "The Road goes on Forever and the Party never ends"

[JCR]

Often times my detecting is more about unlocking a site's conditions than cleaning up pesky good targets.

Glad you had a triumph!

[HardPack]

5 hours ago, Dancer said:

Cameras tucked into bikinis,  no limit to body art. 

.. and spreading quarters on the beach. My kind of people. 

[Rick N. MI]

Good to hear you were using the Tarsacci. Nice deep find.

[Dancer]

Very early  this morning 2 huge storm cells hit the area.   Not where I'm staying but just a few miles east of us a disaster!  Couple marinas, stores motels, couple hotels, private homes, you name jt.   Power lines down, can't get in or out.     Somehow no one badly hurt.   Got to hand it to the weather and local stations for calling this early.    One day I'm fighting a bad cold feeling sick, next day bunch of people losing their homes and lively hoods.        Life is just a spin of the wheel.    There will be donations needed and wife and I will help out.

[Dancer]

Along with better weather a few of our hunters are picking up some finds. Got a younger hunter (62) who has been here since November.   He's hunting a lot except in the worst conditions.   And compared to older guys (over 70) he is setting the bar.    Their are some shallow cuts popping up up and down the beach along with a safe place to wade here and there.   The most part though is the long stretches of mind boggling dead areas.   A couple of 3 cell phones have been the best fines ( being sold from $25 to $75).   Breaking a buck in change is a big day but our younger has broke $5 a couple of times.

Two guys using the At Pro and AT Maxi , they seem to be holding up good. The rest are hunting the Labs. Except me with the Tar.     Which continues to be the most trustworthy on the beach in my opinion.  With a few easy adjustments the Tar can run as smooth as ever.   Only thing working against it is deeply sanded local conditions and my 75 year old body.

[Dancer]

 So my buddy's with hard work have been getting their share of coins and a few cell phones.    (best find) guy sold his dug cell phone at a kiosk $250.       Early on I dug a thin Silver ring with a black lynx stone.    Yesterday, after having little luck up on the dry, started working the surf line.    After a dry distance I hit the Wave ring, a quarter, than the Silver Diamond ring all within about 10 yards.   It is a trap shoot.        I been hunting in AM pretty near all the time.   I just think that do to the lack of targets, it's best to check everything out. Oh, the Wave ring had me fooled, turned out junk.