Metal Detecting discussions and finds

NOPE! NO GOLD IN THE INYO'S!!!

Well, there may be little bit... The old timer's did a lot of work in different areas, but it is getting more and more difficult to find. I know of quite a few people that have been detecting here since the 1990's. Some of them very experienced using high dollar machines. We are working harder and harder to find scraps that were left behind.

 

If Hobbs ever tells anyone where his gold is at, they will be havin a meetin’ with his buddy, Slim.

 

There were four good places to go near San Bernardino that were known for good gold prospecting, but you can’t prospect them anymore- East Fork San Gabriel River (Jeff Williams did a educational program about it in 2016- see link below), Lytle Creek, Santa Ana River and Holcomb Valley (there are some others on rhe SBNF and ANF with historical value that were closed too).

One place you can still can go is on the North side of the San Bernardino Mtns just north of Holcomb Valley. The Mojave also has lots of places on BLM land, like Randsburg. It is supposed to be good, and the “Mojave Nugget” supposedly came from there, but most of the canyon bottoms are on claims now- but there are open areas there still and many say the hillsides are where the best gold is up there, not the canyon bottoms. Check the websites below for maps to old claims and mines, that’s what my friend did to find the site I have been visiting, he even posted a claim on it and has done well from it.

Also consider buying “Three Hours to Gold” by Jim Straight. He wrote a bunch of great books on prospecting and detecting, and Three Hours to Gold covers the Randsburg area, but has great info for other places too. Another great one is “Follow the Drywashers” by Jim. Most of his books are out of print now, but Rob’s Detectors is printing and selling a new run of them here: https://www.robsdetectors.com/three...ic20pYVZHLrllQlw-sAZILDy52phWvi3dFPJMSftd9GCk


Claim Map Sites:
http://www.mylandmatters.org/Maps/ClaimsCa/GetMap

https://www.mindat.org/

East Fork San Gabriel River:
https://youtu.be/Hkmup9VMVzE

 

Here’s another good one of Jeff’s:
https://youtu.be/vAn1sCp6m7Y

 

I was talking to members of one my prospecting clubs. We would like to plan an outing with our members to the Inyo mountains. Can you recommend places for us to prospect? Maybe not your best places just places we can go not under claim. Also places we can camp. Most of us have trailers and motorhomes. There will be at most 25 members an there families.

 

@Taco Munchin I live not far from Bakersfield and Im a member of Taft prospectors. We are always looking for new places to have outings. If your club plans an outing that way PM me and maybe we can do a group outing with our clubs.

 

I called one of our member a retired BLM dude. He knows his way around the BLM website. He said if we can provide him an area like the Inyos he can point us in the right direction. Tell us where current and previous claims are. Also if they are placer or lode claims. Not quite sure what is different about those. I know the members in my club have dry washers and metal detectors. What should I ask him to look up for an outing? I think it would be great to get a bunch of us together.

 

I got a few of those things!

 

Did you look at the map link I posted? It is the BLM files. I know it looks hard to use, but try it out, its all map based and quite easy once you see what the tools do.

as for placer vs lode- lode is where gold is in the rock formations, quartz veins usually, and placer is where it erodes out of lode deposits and ends up in stream gravels and water deposited soils.

 

Fake!! Looks like old yellow gummy worms you stuck to that rock.

Nice! Is it from the mother lode deposits?

 

It was from a spot in Butte County in northern California. It was found with my gp3000 and I was almost running because it was raining so hard. Then it turned a bit more orange in the fire in paradise. Almost lost that one.

 

Was it the gold or the quartz that turned color? Thats a beautiful specimen!

Have you tried using a conductivity tester to see if it is all connected inside the rock? It’s interesting to see how gold is deposited like that.

 

The pieces I find are usually to fractured to cut or cab so we crush them. This one was a lucky swing and made it past tge crusher.
In that one I haven't done anything. I crushed about 68 pounds of quartz and got 23.3. ounces troy out if it all. Also took 27 pounds in nuggets off of a hill side near by. There's still big gold out there, just have to slow down and learn your machine and dont be afraid to spend money to make money.

 

Oil field worker or retired oil field worker? I've spent many an hour at what is not call CRC.

 

Buttonwillow for a year... only things that kept me alive there was 1 good Mexican Restaurant and weekend trips in the Sierra!

 

Wow, full time for sure. You must be laughing at what I posted above, but at the same time I am sure you understand what it feels like to be out there just enjoying being somewhere nice and doing something you like. Plus it’s really good for mind and body. Heck, I hate gyms and places like that, and its great workout if you don’t overdo it and wreck yourself! Plus it’s fun finding the stuff, even the micro bits Ive been getting.

 

Was professional for four years. Only worked a part time job to keep things looking normal for financial reasons. After the Camp Fire I lost all my detectors and had to go to work fill time again. Just haven't been able to recoup after that. Now it's stupid governmental covid thats got us down again. Just can't seem to get back to it! It's really getting kicked while your down.

 

ok, who was it???

https://www.whio.com/news/trending/...and-officials-say/VPP7RQHSPZCB7LQ2HHGSJ5IYGQ/

 

Ask Hobbs.

I do know a guy that lost his snuffer bottle half full of gold when he fell and floated down a river, and I don’t think its the same but someone else found one lost on a river like that on Youbube also.

I guess all good detectorists go down with their gold!

 

Whites prizm iii