# end of the season



## JustinNH (Sep 27, 2008)

So yeah, prospecting made me hold off refining for a few months 

I bought a 2" dredge, spent a bunch of money in gas, made a few new friends, and found a few grams of NH placer gold. Good times 

I'll have to get some pictures up this week. Found some good pieces, for NH that is. A bunch that are easily picked up and one about a little more than half the size of my pinky finger nail. Hell yeah! :wink:


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## JustinNH (Sep 28, 2008)

Heres a pic of my share (my friend and I split the finds)


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## Anonymous (Sep 28, 2008)

looks nice, I only got out once this year and got skunked.


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## JustinNH (Sep 28, 2008)

Thanks. Yeah, we made it out 7 times with the dredge and 4 times with just pans.... mos tis from the dredge, of course


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## wildbill_hickup (Sep 28, 2008)

Justin,

Where in NH are you? I live in Sutton VT near St Johnsbury. Been pannin' over near Littleton a couple of times. First time out found a speck. Not much, but for me it was a good sign. I like to share stories over a beer if your not to far away. Just got into refining, not quite like being out on the river but it'll do.


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## JustinNH (Sep 28, 2008)

I live in Manchester, but do all the panning up in in the Bath/Swiftwater/Lincoln area. Were pretty much done for the year, but next year your more than welcome to come join us. My friend and I operate my 2" dredge and we meet up with 3 older guys who live up there and operate a 3" highbanker. Panning in New england is a hell of a lot different than out west, so even a speck isnt too bad. 
If your ever around here in the winter, the beer thing soudns good to me haha
yeah, with the end of panning, brings refining (and grouse hunting). Already made myself a couple little buttons bigger than any piece ive found in the river. Not quite the same, but like you said, it'll do!


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## wildbill_hickup (Sep 29, 2008)

Gold is gold :lol: I picked up my huge trophy over on the Wild Ammonoosuc. Found a deep crack in the bedrock. but I didn't have the tools to get very deep at the time. Someday I'll get back there. I'm not very good at it, started panning a couple of years ago, mostly I do it for the relaxation. Used to fish but an ailment keeps me from that  , so pannin' kinda takes it's place  Got an idea for a home made dredge that might help me out with that crack. Maybe I get busy this winter and build it. Right now just about everything is on hold while I do all my prewinter chores :evil: 

Anyway I got into this when a local school askrd if I would take old computers (been scrappin' all summer for extra cash) I started reading here on the forum and decided sure why not, got 35 of them, more to come later this winter.

I've done a couple of experimental batches with pins and fingers in AP, did OK that gold in the bottom of the filter paper looks almost as good as that little speck in the bottom of my pan, sure am glad there is a little more of it :!:. Well daylight's on it's way gotta go feed critters.


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## JustinNH (Sep 29, 2008)

How big is your 'trophy'?
As you can see from my pic, my largest isnt too big. Its about 1/4" by 1/6" and is relativily flat (but still has some body to it, for a NH flake of course). 
All my gold is from the wild am. Ive been to Indian, Perry, and dead diamond (all with pans, no dredge at the time) and found squat... so I have a hard time trying new spots. What other rivers have you been to and how'd ya do? 
I havent found any platinum yet, but i have seen some that someone else found, and its mentioned in a few books about NH/NE gold.


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## wildbill_hickup (Sep 30, 2008)

That is quite the little collection you have there 8) . I jokingly refer to the speck as the 'trophy'. Size? Lets just say I can't believe I actually saw it (takes a magnifier to see in the bag it's in), but against that blue pan it stuck out like a sore thumb. 

As far as where I've been, I've tried several spots on the Lamoile River over here in Vermont with no luck. I did find one spot that had a good quanity of black sand, thought it was promising and returned there a couple of times to no avail. 

Nope my 'trophy' is my one and only find.......so far :roll: . As i said I haven't done to much of this and only got interested a couple of years ago. Very tight finaces kept me from doing much of anything this past summer. I did try my luck (or lack there of) in a local stream here in Sutton. I didn't really expect to find anything....and didn't but it was nice to just get out and sit in the sun, and listen to the water bubble. If we actually make it throght the winter without freezing I take you up on your invite. It will be nice ta actually watch someone that knows what their doing.


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## JustinNH (Sep 30, 2008)

Im pretty sure the Vermont tourism board has infor on panning in vermont you could check out. There is supposed to be a good amount in VT, especially since you cannot use a dredge there at all. I know I remember seeing a lot of sites that listed spots to try there too. its another good way to spend the winter time (along with refining, of course) in prep for next spring!


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## wildbill_hickup (Oct 2, 2008)

I have been to countless websites :shock: and have done quite a bit of the research you speak of. Actually there is a line following various rivers and brooks that winds up very close to Wild Am over in NH. I have tried several spots along this line (mostly on the Lamoile) without much luck. Because of my location it is a shorter distance to gold hunting grounds in NH than in Vermont, so most of the time I go to NH. As I said I haven't gone to much, particularly this past year. No work  =no money  +high fuel price :x =no extra driving :!: :!: Didn't really get to work this summer till end of Aug. between all that rain we had early and then economy(people having second thoughts), my busiest time of year was I dud. I'm working now but spent so much playing catchup we are going into winter with no fuel oil and no firewood. Anyway that's another boring story that you don't want to hear. When thing get really bad I have some placer gold that I bought when the price was right, hope to add to that a little from refining and sell that. I'm pretty well stocked up on chemicals so there shouldn't be much more expence, hopefully I'll make a little something and have some fun in the process this winter  .


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