matt

ICMJ definitely put on a good show. I hope it turns into an annual event. It was nice to finally meet you Montana as well as all the other forum members that were in attendance. Looking forward to a hunt in the near future with you Bob.

Oh, and nice pocket gold too! That is some beautiful stuff.

I am going to find it's twin!

Chris,

Highway 49 is a military route and never closes. I had to take it home from work once this winter already. See you in Placerville next month.

Matt

You bet Lanny!

Steve-You had better not use the quad to plow the driveway this time. Hope you can get a plow for the new toy soon, it looks like it going to rain and snow for the next week.

I am looking to buy a couple of the GRG scoops. If anybody knows where to get them, please let me know.

Preferably I would like either black or green, somehow pink or purple do not seem to fit my mojo.

Those ought to be in a museum.

Way to go Bob. It sure hasn't taken long for you to settle right into the gold. Nice pieces.

Cheers.

Gus posted a specimen for sale in the main part of the forum. What is up with the pinpointer you are selling? I would like to see some reviews.

Very nice!

 

It's quite a treat when you get to sit down with your bottle of water and wash the dirt off a nice specimen like this.

 

I love when that happens, the feeling is like no other. Congrats on a wonderful find Gus. I hope you find many more.

Cheers.

Bob and El Dorado,

 

Off topic but your comments about snow runoff water reminded me of a time I dredged on Empire Creek above Downieville.

The water temperature was 45 degrees.

I got in and was so shocked by the cold

I couldn't remember what I had gotten in the water to do.

We had to built a fire by the water to thaw out.

It was the middle of summer.

 

Anyway, back to felt-lined boots...

 

Nice work Bob,

 

 

Flak

Flak,

Empire, Lavezzola, and Pauly creeks never warm up. Even at the end of summer low water period, a wet suit is mandatory. You can last for about 5 minutes without one and your skin will be bright red. It sure is a beautiful place though.

Those are nice gold nuggets Bob. It sure was a beautiful day in the motherload today. Underwater targets can really take some time to locate and can get frustrating at times. Congrats on the finds.

Cheers.

PM sent.

That definitely looks like leaf gold Bob. It usually forms that way in certain veins around here. I bet there is more nearby and hope you can find the source and get some bigger pieces also. I have found them paper thin and also a little thicker. The edges usually have a characteristic ripple to them. When it is found still in the quartz, you can see that it runs like a sheet through the rock.

You just never know until it is in your hand.

I was digging on a bench up at Mineral Bar on the North Fork American a long time ago and carrying the material down to my sluice box in the river. I had no idea the roots I was digging in were poison oak. It was summer and I was wearing flip/flops, shorts and no shirt. I got it so bad I still have scars on my feet. The doc put me on predizone and I had to take a week off work. Any more, I will just leave the gold rather than get into that stuff.

Very Nice!!! Thanks for sharing. I'd be willing to bet that luck does not have a whole lot to do with it. The three p's come to mind when seeing your finds.

Cheers.

4" Nozzel is like swinging a 8" coil in the middle of the desert and less than 14 days to locate your paystreak before your permit expires! This sucks since there hasn't been a salmon swim up my creek since the 1920's. Just hope my 5" doesn't rust to bits out in the woods?

 

LuckyLundy

I would just put a constricting ring on the nozzle. Most dredge nozzles are less than the hose diameter anyway to prevent plug ups. At least you could have a true 4".

The big nugget looks like it has a little chevron appearance to it.

I hear ya Wes. The creek that I prefer to dredge will turn your skin pink in the middle of the summer in 5 minutes. My wife said "at least you can get up there for a week dredge trip in September." Women, when will they understand. I need a week every month to dredge...Seriously, the water in my creek probably never gets over 55 in the middle of summer and damn if it is not in the 40's in September. And now I can dredge during the time the Forest Circus said the trout were spawning the last 30 years? None of it makes sense, but then again look who we are dealing with...

If these regs get adopted, my dredge season in the very cold high sierra would start September 1st and end January 31st. At least I have a wet suit heater. I can only hope that the stream I dredge on is not considered a tributary to the North Yuba, but I doubt it. If not considered a tributary, I could dredge all year. It is all a little bit confusing. It also seams that nozzle size would be limited to 4" and power winches would be illegal unless specifically approved by the Department. First come first served on permits for the the first 4000. I just skimmed the document so I may be wrong. I am already freezing cold.

Matt

The first is always the hardest!

That's a nice one!

Way to go Chris.