Digging a gravel bed

Hi everone, I mostly pan crevices, tree roots and potholes etc, but would like to try some of the gravel beds on my local creeks.

Im going to start on a stretch where the bedrock is not too far down. I have a couple of questions. Firstly should I disregard all material until a foot or so from bedrock? Also, as gold is considered lazy, is it likeky the gold will be on the first part of the gravel bed on the inside bend.

Hi Newbie
Welcome to the forum.

Firstly there are a lot of variables that will determine where to start your dig like , is it a fast flowing or slow flowing, dose it flood often or very rarely, tightness of the bend and any obstacles in or around the bend, dose the creek renew its gold often, etc etc. It can take a long time to really learn how to read a creek properly. But at the end of the day gold will always find its way to the bottom if its not caught in crevices on the way down.

happy digging, its more about the journey than the destination when looking for gold. lol

HGB

Gents there are a lot of stories about "GOLD" being found by whatever means. Sit down for a few hours and read the forum Main Page Topics.
There are You-tube topics in a variety of forms, Videos and they say how hard it is to find gold unless you have a lot of luck and a deeper seeking detector.
Hope it helps.
Jaros. ]

sample as you go, depending when it was deposited it could be at any level. good luck

bazxa said:

sample as you go, depending when it was deposited it could be at any level. good luck

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This pretty much, personally I tend to start at the most likely looking spot and work outwards. Try looking for patches of heavies in the surface of the bar (runs of ironstone etc.) and work around there. It usually isn't directly under them, but it does tend to be nearby.

I'll tell ya what!
Tone, an old member here wanted to get out and look around, so I had a new lease that we'd pegged for someone else. I still had the rights to be there so said to tone, come on up....

We pulled up on a corner, a big corner, with a big main creek and smaller feeder creek.
We went crevicing and dug out some holes and rock bars etc....got some colour...

Tone said "lets try the corner sand for flood gold.."

I say, " no way man, that's just overburden, deep sand..."

Anyway, we panned that sand, and yes, there was gold where I thought it should not have been, the gold must be flushed down turbenantly (sic) and sit there.....

Now, if it can fit in the bucket, it goes through the plant!!

I've been walking and digging up rivers and creeks for god knows how many years now, and thought I am not bad at reading the waterways.
I've dug places where I was sure gold would be, and found nothing. It's not always where you think it is, sampling is the only way you will know.
As simmo has said, it can turn up in the strangest places, OH simmo, I've herd that story before somewhere