# Gold nuggets from California



## Reno Chris (Jun 29, 2011)

I spent the last few days in the goldfields of California doing a bit of nugget detecting. It was nice to be back, fun to visit with everyone, and the weather was just great, except at the very end. On the last day I was there, a storm rolled in. We still got in most of a days detecting in on Tuesday, but I was chased back home to Reno a day early by the heavy rains (I was in a tent and it was pouring down in sheets with waves of water rolling across the ground). When I saw the storm, I figured there would be no more detecting for a while, and I decided to beat it home rather than spend the night trying not to get soaked in the tent.

The photo shows 4 smaller gold pieces I detected with a Fisher Gold bug Pro and one 2.1 gram nugget picked up with the Minelab GPX5000. With the GPX5000, I was using the 11 inch mono in sharp mode. It was down a good 8-9 inches. If anyone wonders about the GB Pro, it certainly will hit the small ones. The smallest of the 4 weighs only 0.014 grams (worth 67 cents at $1500 gold, assuming 100% purity).


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## element47 (Jun 29, 2011)

I find both finds pretty amazing; that 1: You could get those teensy little sub-gram nuggets and 2: the big boy was 8-9 inches down. 

Were the four very small ones on dry land or out of a stream?

I have only gone detecting once, with a pal, on an 1890's house that was demo'ed and the debris hauled away. He found a merc dime, I found about 22 cents in 1990's era coins in the roots of a tree. And about a soda-can worth of square nails and endless bolts, nuts, screws, and iron crud. My initial impression is that it requires a hell of a lot of patience. I should mention that the day before, I had gotten $1000 worth of half dollars (2000 coins) from my bank and found 4 qty 90% silver ones and 11 qty 40% ones searching through them, plus 2 SBA dollar coins! A different type of prospecting, I suppose. But, no equipment required. Two further attempts at doing that with the halves yielded NOTHING, zero. Really brought down my average!


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## Reno Chris (Jun 29, 2011)

I should add that I dug loads of trash as well, mostly iron junk like square nails or fragments of square nails, some boot tacks, and one cap and ball type bullet. 

All of the gold was in older steam gravels that was once part of a river, but erosion has worn the current river level down so that these gravels are now stranded high and dry. 

If you own a detector, guaranteed that it wont find anything while sitting in your closet! I've done OK even in parks and schools - lots of modern coinage, and the occasional piece of gold or silver jewelry.


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## darshevo (Jun 29, 2011)

NIce finds to be sure. Definitely a good plug for the Gold Bug, much closer to my price range. I did have a shot at both a Minelab 3500 and 4500 a few years back, but not knowing anything about them I let them slip through my hands. 

-Lance


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## Hephaestus (Jun 30, 2011)

Sweet finds. 8)


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## philddreamer (Jul 6, 2011)

We arrived sunday the 26th of june to Colfax, CA & enjoied good weather until that storm came thru! It was a "lulu"! :shock: 
I think it dumped 1.5" of rain, plus the snow melt... The river went up about a foot in 24 hrs. I was digging on the opposite bank & left my gear, but heard the rain was coming for sure, so the next morning I crossed & picked it up in time. So I moved to the big gravel bar down stream & have been digging there. I have recovered about 2 dwt. Now the problem is the heat, so I start digging around 7 in the morning. 
We head back home on saturday the 9th.
I'll try posting some pic's of the gold dust tomorrow.

Phil


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## Reno Chris (Jul 6, 2011)

It was a very big storm for a summertime occurrence. Thats why I ran away in front of it!

So where are you working close to Colfax? Near Mineral Bar on the American River or over on the other side of the divide on the Bear River? (or somewhere else)

Hey two pennyweighs is pretty good! Congratulations!

Chris


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## philddreamer (Jul 6, 2011)

Thanks Chris!
We're @ the Bear River campground. We took the day off because it's hot, & we all needed a brake. I've been digging for 9 days in a row & enjoying every minute. Maybe the nugget is in the next bucket. 8) 
We used to dredge down river from the bridge @ Mineral Bar, but since they closed the dredging, & also raised to $25.00 / nite, I tried Bear River, where is oly $10.00/nite. 
Some locals helped me out with some tips last year, & I figured where to dig. I just helped 2 guys that came down for the first time to pan & sluice & I looked around a spot for them, & it turned out to be better than the one I was digging! :shock: Lucky for me, they only came down just for that day last week. :mrgreen: 
I have tomorrow & friday for digging some more, & saturday a.m. start heading back home.

Phil


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## drodgers82 (Jul 7, 2011)

when you say goldfields are you talking about in the yuba sutter area?


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## Reno Chris (Jul 8, 2011)

> *when you say goldfields are you talking about in the yuba sutter area?*



No, I meant the whole of the gold bearing areas of California in general. I was purposefully being non-specific.


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## philddreamer (Jul 8, 2011)

Our trip has come to an end, & I tell you, everything was fine until some kids got hold of my gold pan with all my gold so they could trap little fish.  I lost more than half of my gold... I found a trail of flakes & carefuly scooped them with the shovel & "recooped" most of it, I think. :roll: Learned a lot more on how to pick the better spots for digging. Just as I was shoveling my lost gold, I found another good spot for diggig on the next trip.
Earlier in the day, as I was chasing that ever elusive nugget, guess what I found? Nope, not the nugget, but a scorpion!!!  :shock: It was the color of a earth worm & about 1.5 in long. 
Anyway, already dreaming of the next trip down here. Maybe mid september, after a trip to some silver mines, & a mission trip to Haiti.
I'll post more pic's when I get home, I tell you the story of the drunk that took a swim @ 2:30 a.m. & his ordeal. :lol: 

Take care!

Phil


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jul 8, 2011)

philddreamer said:


> Our trip has come to an end, & I tell you, everything was fine until some kids got hold of my gold pan with all my gold so they could trap little fish.  I lost more than half of my gold... I found a trail of flakes & carefuly scooped them with the shovel & "recooped" most of it, I think. :roll: Learned a lot more on how to pick the better spots for digging. Just as I was shoveling my lost gold, I found another good spot for diggig on the next trip.
> Earlier in the day, as I was chasing that ever elusive nugget, guess what I found? Nope, not the nugget, but a scorpion!!!  :shock: It was the color of a earth worm & about 1.5 in long.
> Anyway, already dreaming of the next trip down here. Maybe mid september, after a trip to some silver mines, & a mission trip to Haiti.
> I'll post more pic's when I get home, I tell you the story of the drunk that took a swim @ 2:30 a.m. & his ordeal. :lol:
> ...



Patience, it's all a leraning experience for you and them. At least you didn't have to drag that new dredge you got a while back. 8)


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## philddreamer (Jul 8, 2011)

Speaking about the dredge, I met a guy down here one moring that was panning a few yards from me & he happens to live a few blocks from where I live I WA., so we might try that dredge this year before the season is over! :mrgreen: I hope...


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jul 9, 2011)

You might have something in the making of a team project there then. 8)


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## Reno Chris (Jul 9, 2011)

Sorry about loosing some of your gold - gotta keep close tabs on that stuff and keep the kids playing with their own toys.

Best of future success,

Chris


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## philddreamer (Jul 10, 2011)

We made it back home safe & sound! 

Now, going thru the pic's, having seconds thoughts of what could have been done better & so on... 

This was the little critter that was @ my feet while I was digging.

I'll dissolve the gold in AR since a lot of it is so fine & flat that is even hard to brush off the pan after drying it.


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