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03-22-2008, 6:15 PM C-17A Joined on 01-30-2006 Posts 388 Massachusetts Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 21 Mar 08 Greetings Gold Grubbers, It's been WAY too long since I had the privilege of placing a prospecting report for everyone to read... This winter here in Rhode Island has been pretty cold this year, and most night have been below, if not WELL below, freezing since last fall, not to mention 3 or 4 good snows too. So, my "just bought", good used Proline 2 & 1/2 inch highbanker/dredge combo I got last November has been setting, and sitting, and sitting in my garage for months, just waiting for its chance to hit the streams and find some gold....until yesterday. So, after two false starts due to very cold/frozen/windy weekends, I decided to take the drive up to Bernardston, MA, and try dredging on Couch Brook, in the hopes to play with my new used Proline set-up and maybe find some gold too. I got up at 5 AM and was driving at 6 AM, and found the Couch Brook road at 8:40 AM. It was snow covered, icy and very slick, (glad my Jeep is 4WD!) as the wind was blowing 15 gust 25 and the temp was about 25 degrees. Brrr.... Thankfully the brook was flowing fast and the 2 feet of snow around was hard packed. Easier to walk on frozen snow.... After driving up and down the road, I settled upon a stretch of this dirt/ice road that had an old abandoned/ruined home across from it and no "No Trespassing" signs posted. After a quick look up stream, I saw a good level section that was fairly flat, and had a large gravel bar behind a large creek obstacle of rocks and logs. It took me 5 trips to carry up the dredge box, the hoses, the motor/pump and gas can, the shovel and tools, the tubs/pans and everything else about 100 yards up stream from my Jeep. Once there, I carried it all across the creek and set it up. Despite being really windy, cold and my first time I got it all set up pretty fast. Thankfully, the sun was shining bright and warm through the trees. For those that have operated in sub-freezing temps, you know the easy is hard and the hard is almost impossible. The biggest problem was priming the pump to get the water flowing in the pressure line. Nothing seemed to work...at first. I filled the line, pumped it back and forth under water, even set the pump/motor below the water level down stream. After 25 frustrating minutes, and a lot of sweat, I took the hoses off, looked at the impeller for damage and such, I moved the pump way down stream and set it at water level. Finally, I got it to prime and fill the pressure line and start dredging. Yeah! Two hours later, I had suceeded in creating a hole in the stream bed about 3 feet around and 1 1/2 feet deep. I did a clean up and quickly panned a little, and saw a few flakes of gold. So, I was not skunked! And the motivation to really go deep and move max gravel to find more of this glacial gold was there....so on I went despite all the challenges. Over the next 3 hours I dug the hole deeper and wider, threw hundreds of rocks out of the way (ended up maybe 3 feet by 5 feet by 2 feet deep) and hopped up to clear rock jams and clean the sluice box of rocks building up, over and over. Lots of small flat rocks that would get sucked into the nozzle, but then jam in the hose. Gettting out of my hole over and over was a really tiring affair. Sure wish I had a prospecting buddy to split duties, help carry stuff, enjoy the adventure, but I didn't, sadly. In the end, I filled up with both my fantastic orange Canadian arms length prospecting/panners gloves with water inside, as I kept dredging deeper and deeper in the 33 degree water. It came in at the arm pits, as I reached deep as possible with the nozzle. I actually poked my nose into the water a few times trying to get as deep as possible.....going for the gold. As it was below freezing, it was kind of funny to see the ice cicles hanging off my dredge, the hoses and even my jacket zipper pull that kept dipping into the water. I used my handkerchief to dry out my wet golves, and placing it over a log to dry found it frozen stiff as a board! Long story short, I did 3 clean ups total, dredged for about 4.5 hours and drove 2 3/4 hours each way. I intended to spend the night in a cheap hotel and dredge all day Saturday as well, for max gold, but I was so totally exhaused at the end of the day, and all my gloves and waiders were wet (slow pin hole leaks), I was doomed for a second day by myself, so, I drove back home that same late afternoon. My lower back just can't take 5 straight hours of bending over dredging in near-freezing water. No place to set down and no way to relax and float in the water, like in summer in a wet suit running a real dredge. My one delimma all day was concerning my 2 1/2 inch Proline dredge/highbanker combo...what is the proper angle of the sluice box?? I read a lot of advice before I went, and most said in the dredge mode to run it nearly level and use just enough elevation to keep it cleaned out. Problem was I reset it over and over....1/4 inch too low and it piled up with rocks and it overflowed the inlet, and 1/4 inch too much angle and it flushed out right down to the miner's moss with almost no cons/black sand at all left inside the sluice. I could seem to find no happy medium. With this small, fine gold I wanted to run it slower, but it just piled up with small rocks and back washed. So, I had to run it faster to prevent perpetual clogging and felt I was/maybe losing too much fine gold out the back. My pump at mostly full speed would deliver a full 2 1/2 inches of water into the front of the box, but it seemed to flow through the riffles with maybe 1/2 inch to 1 inch over the riffles. Was thei water flow too low?? Suggestions on the proper set up?? In the end I came home with 1/2 a 5-gal bucket of cons, and after screening out a lot of rocks and using a magnet to remove the magnitite, I had about 1/2 a 3 gal pail of cons. I have panned out about 1/2 so far just to see what was there... I posted 3 pics of this adventurous gold outing here on the Forum FYI. It was pretty cold, but I mostly stayed warm due to the work and layering. I was doing in search of any glacial gold. I had fun, worked hard and found a little Massachesetts glacial gold. Ready for next time! Randy    Report

03-22-2008, 7:56 PM GasCan/SW-GA Joined on 01-25-2006 Summerville, Ga Posts 656 Re: Massachusetts Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 21 Mar 08 C-17A, outstanding story and pictures, as usual. You have more guts than me, it was about 70 here in N Georgia, but the water is still to cold for these old bones, LOL. Keep up the good work, and have a wonderful Easter! GasCan/NW-GA, Formerly SW-GA    Report

03-22-2008, 8:07 PM Gold seeker Joined on 06-03-2006 Bluffton South Carolina Posts 481 Re: Massachusetts Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 21 Mar 08 BRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!! Randy, You got the fever worst than I do, Great Story, and some nice "Cool" GOLD, one of those pieces looks like if you let your fingers thaw out, LOL, you could pick it up, that a "picker" right? CONGRATULATIONS on your first 2008 gold!!! No better way to "Christen" your new (used) combo, then with GOLD!!!! Skip Email: den7cubs"at"hargray.com Seek and Ye Shall Find, and when you find It thank GOD!!! Treat the Earth well It was not given to you by your Parents, It was loaned to you by your Children.    Report

03-23-2008, 2:11 AM twig/al Joined on 01-24-2006 Gadsden, Alabama Posts 4,629 Re: Massachusetts Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 21 Mar 08 C-17A, Nice gold!!!! Great story as usual... Looking at the photos, makes me hurt from the cold!!! lol... But ain't the hobby great!!! Hope you get to go again soon... twig/al Alabama Prospecting Supply www.alabamaprospectingsupply.com Email: tom@alabamaprospectingsupply.com Southeast Treasure Hunters Forum www.southeasttreasurehunters.com    Report

03-24-2008, 6:52 AM Dixiedredger Joined on 11-18-2006 Charlotte, NC Posts 897 Re: Massachusetts Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 21 Mar 08 Man that looks cold!!! I've gone when it was sub-zero... but never with snow on the ground!!! I have a highbanker just like yours (only in the 3" model). I have never been able to get it to run "just right". It either piles up or runs too clean... the in-between where it is "just right" is so small I have never found it. It does great when I shovel feed it... it's just when I use it in "dredge mode" that it wants to be difficult. I personally think too much water goes in the box when you dredge with it. I don't use mine a lot, I normally run my 4" or 5" Keenes. If you figure out the magic setting let me know. I've been doin' so much, with with so little, for so long.... I can do almost anything, with nothing!!!! WWW.dixieprospector.com    Report

03-24-2008, 5:55 PM C-17A Joined on 01-30-2006 Posts 388 Re: Massachusetts Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 21 Mar 08 Dixiedredger, Thanks for the info.........I have only used it once and have decided it's best to have a buddy there all the time, if possible, to tend the sluice, make adjustments, clean big rocks out of the box and help unclog the line when it jams with rocks. It's a lot for one guy to do all by himself and still stay in the hole sucking gravel!! I was wondering if a buddy could slowly shovel in gravel from a bucket thru the screen the same time a guy was dredging, this way maximize the water flow and gravel processed in a day. Have you tried this? I ran my pump close to full speed to get a full 2 1/2 inch inflow into the front box to try and keep at least 1/2 inch to 1 inch over the riffles and try to minimize jams in the inlet hose. Any slower and it seemed to fill up with small rocks too easily and jam too easily. How much water flows over your riffles when you dredge? Another thought, it seemed the inlet water to the sluice box overshot the front screen and hit back at the rubber flap area, so it looked like a diverter rod of something at the inlet would disperse the inflow and make it fill more evenly over the front screen?? I have heard in highbanker mode to run it full blast for max water to wash and run the sluice effectively. Thoughts? Will let you know after my next outing in 2 or 3 weeks. Practice makes perfect!! Randy    Report

03-24-2008, 7:31 PM twig/al Joined on 01-24-2006 Gadsden, Alabama Posts 4,629 Re: Massachusetts Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 21 Mar 08 C-17A, When you set up your highbanker, the top of the "hopper" should be level, front to back, and side to side... That should give you the proper drop on the box... If it cleans too much, slow down the engine speed, a little at a time till it gets the way you want it... It works for me.... The difference is I used a suction nozzle and jet, like is on a dredge... I think you are getting too much water pressure with the pressure nozzle... The water should be flowing in the front of the box, not making a jet to the flap!!! Wish I was there to help... twig/al Alabama Prospecting Supply www.alabamaprospectingsupply.com Email: tom@alabamaprospectingsupply.com Southeast Treasure Hunters Forum www.southeasttreasurehunters.com    Report

03-25-2008, 5:09 PM C-17A Joined on 01-30-2006 Posts 388 Re: Massachusetts Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 21 Mar 08 Twig/al, I am using a suction nozzle set-up. I don't have a jet set-up. I wanted to keep the water speed up to minimize the rock jams in the hose... this creek seems to have a LOT of flat/long stones that will suck in easily, but jam even easier. Oh I wished it was all round pebbles there! Thanks for the advice. I'll try it next time to vary the water pressure up and down and see what happens as to flow and clearing. I think it will help to have a helper too! Randy    Report

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