Just started prospecting this month. I have a A52 keene sluice as well as classifiers and a nice little entry level setup. IE. Pry bars screwdrivers shovels 2 pans ect. Long story short, your vid is great! Great educational video. Im not a geologist or anything and dont know much about gold. I relli like how u take the time to help others understand where it MIGHT be and good ways to plot map and determine results. Very scientific approach. Love the logging. Definetly going to put this info in my tool bag. Northern, CA

Hey Marc, I really appreciate this video. I am in a situation where the creek that I can get to locally is super low at the moment and I am able to hit some gravel bars that are generally under water for most of the season. Went out today and got some powder and came home pretty frustrated but with color at least. This video got me thinking I should be sampling more. Thank you for the awesome info! Seth in Colorado.

To answer some of the questions that aren't being responded to here we go. Gold is not found in every river or stream. But at least 1 ounce of gold is present in every cubic mile of earths surface, even the most barren. You will find rivers to pan in areas historically proven to have been worked before and the rivers edge is merely the starting point for larger discoveries, such as ancient channels or high channels currently well above the rivers current height. A river is a constantly moving and changing thing, a pay streak in a bar can run in several directions as the river changes course and as the water levels change throughout the seasons. An example is in the low water season an back eddy that would exist at high water will not exist. And at high water the low water back eddies are blown out. Adding water to titely pack sediments alone will not allow gold to sink it requires agitation of some kind. The action is called liquefaction and is why you must vigorously shake a gold pan. There are many books written on the subject of placer mining. Historically very few who attempt to make a living off placer mining actually do, it is the swindlers and paper staker's that make the money and you eat beans and like like a dog. For some that is where the magic is, living in the outdoors and seeing a bit of gold for your efforts. Information on gold bearing areas can normally be obtained at a government agents office in your place of habitation. My advice is to try to meet someone with experience and do not buy a claim without sampling it yourself, there are paper staker's out there selling junk and advertising great things wit little or nothing to substantiate it. Good luck and happy digging! PS the video on sampling a bar is a good starting point but there is much more to be learned.

Nice, i really like your video cause you explain cleary where test with pan. Kiitos from Finland :)

marc, thanks for the good information. have been prospecting for a shot time and always leave the mind open to learn more. keep the videos coming appreciate it. ron

Hey - appreciate your time at making this video and expressing your methods at locating gold. Thanks!

brilliant video..im based in south australia and am now in the process of looking to start this as a hobby..ive been doing some research and in all honesty this is the first video ive seen which uses a common sense methodology to looking for gold..well done on a brilliant, clear and informative video..

Thx Larry!! The system I use when sampling works very well for me. I know it will help a lot of people to understand sampling.

I got kicked out of a gravel bar, was too stoned...

Thank you for posting my video. I do not belong to a gold club anymore. I was in a club for many years. I keep all my gold to give to my grandson. When I did sell gold I sold it at a premium in small vials to people in town as a novelty.

Thank you , this is one of my fav. videos.

Nice video! I like that tip of not putting your tailings right on top of your gold pay-streak. That means you have to sample where the streak is. Great demo...

Thanks for sharing your strategy! It beats what I do which is dig holes in random spots

thanks for the great advice, the newbies out there really need stuff like this!

Great info and advice, thanks man hope you strike big eventually :). I've just started panning here in Scotland

Marc- was very interested in your information about how to find Gold in a gravel bed. May I suggest that one piece of equipment that would save you a lot of time and effort, is a metal detector to locate possible nuggets or a pay streak. I hope to be able to get one someday. Even a used one in good running order would be a great help. Put that on your Christmas Wish List!

this is the first video i've seen of yours. it looks like you have a systematic process and sound theory. thanks.

I like the systematic way you go about finding the pay streak.

I've see people do something simular to this with metal detectors. It's a good way to find the streak. Nice work.

Very instructional, Im getting Very excited because my panning kit will be here by the wknd and Im restless waiting for it to get here. This will be my very 1st time going out. thanks for the video .

cool! I am gonna go prospecting on the red deer river this summer! no guts no glorryyyy

Marc, been following your vids for a few years now. I think we mine the same river areas in Colorado. I plan on buying your book.

thank you and I like my gold pan like yours it my favorite by far your very helpful

Good videos Marc.... I'm looking to start prospecting, from Ontario and plan to head across Ottawa river into Quebec to prospect below the green belt....lots of rivers flow down from the major deposits in the north... Never tried it before but def looking fwd to trying! Cheers

That is the best advice!! Thanks man!!

very nice basic gold infi video. i liked it. thanks for sharing

I just GOTTA love it SAMPLE ! SAMPLE! SAMPLE !

I have find out that successful prospectors always sampling hole down to bedrock (or false bedrock) in order to get accurate measurement of gold per unit of material. Following the highest concentration of gold in samples enables them to detect most probable gold streak direction by connecting those high concentration sample dots parallely with the stream. Sample holes are always perpendicular to river flow, most commonly located at inside band of stream where you can find gravel material. Gold is heavy and it goes straight to bedrock, or false bedrock (layer of clay and concrete like material)... so, dig deep, you will not regret

in ireland myself .another great vid marc very helpful thanks for posting and happy hunting

your giving good advice that gos for alot of other things. so thanks!

realy enjoyed your video ....very informative...thanks

good video, Bro! Just gettin started with my sons. Thanks!

Thank you very much! I really appreciate our comments!!

Dude! That is gold prospecting! I have found nothing a bunch. It's the one good time you find something that is worth all the work.

Thanks Marc.... Yes, your advice is very useful; especially to a 'new-bee'.

Good job man! Keep up the good work!

Thanks for showing us the drawings, bery helpful to new prospectors!

Welcome Scotland!! Thank you for all of the great comments. I also want to thank everyone for the great comments on my book!! I appreciate you guys. Thanks again.

Great video and thanks for the education.Good luck on your search peace....

very informative,,thanks for sharing i will take a look at your other videos,,

Thank you for the comment!! That is a very important point. I do not like working any harder than I have to. Hope it helps a few prospectors.

Thank you I really appreciate your comments!

Wow that is so cool!! I'm glad to hear from you. I have no idea whats in ireland as for the gold! I have never looked into it. Rivers creeks and streams all are natural collection point for gold from there source. water slowly pushes gold down into them.

I would like to know what research is done off season. Could you make a video covering this subject.

Excellent approach headed to Sulivun creek NE Wa. State 3 day trip,long creek, gunna be a good idea to poke around a day n sample b4 2 day fun, ty 4 the vid excellent!

Very cool brother.

Great vid thanks for the effort hope you find some pickers on that bar!!!

I love the rush you get when you find some color.. I have a friend that helps me sometimes, but here lately he only wants to go after I've done all the sampling and doing what you're doing as in marking it all off, and then when I find it he wants to help.... Lol.. Well needless to say, I quit calling him.. He wants me to do all the work and still split 50 50 even know I'm the one that bought all the equipment and he hasn't even bought a single pan..

nice video, love how interesting geology can be :)

i used this when i went prospecting a wash that appeared during a huge flood. And wouldn't you know it, it's all on top! When I went past a few inchs, I didn't find any color, so I invited some friends with drywashers and metal detectors!

Awesome video.

thanks, we are here in nevada and we'll let you know if we have some luck!

Thank you!!!! Very much!!!

Im with you i sample like crazy ..sample sample you will find it sometime great tip thanks

Fantastic vid. Keep em coming. Crom

Well great vid. Full of information, well im from asia, and im prospecting gold nuggets on a virgin river stream, never been panned, so i expect much of a yellow friend here

As a long time gold prospector, I would like to thank you for this video as it is pretty clear and informative. I do a lot of "float gold" prospecting in N. Calif. and use the same procedure. You can see my videos by typing in larry laverne on youtube

Thank you very much!

Hey Mark I got a question for you have you ever tried to use a metal detector to see if those tiny little flakes will be picked up if you have what were the results thanks

Thank you!!

A nugget is a large chunk of gold, generally 1oz or bigger, a picker is a piece of of gold big enough to easily pick out of your pan with your fingers, any thing (flake) smaller is referred to as color.

Thanks man

Those pans are the best for working your fine material down. I've got a large one and a small one. I found that your can work the black sand down pretty far on the small side.

I have tried a lot of pans. I like the blue one I use now.

hy man thanks for helping me i founld my first nugget today

Great vid, i'm a rookie so this was really helpfull. I like your pan, haven't seen one like that before, only the boring green ones. Do you have a site where i could order from? Hope you find loads of gold!!!

Good instructions.

Good vid hope you hit the big one.

Gravel bars in my area are absolute hell. BIG rocks and piled HIGH. 😢

Thank you!!!

That is a good question. I have know idea thought.

Was up in colorado last weekend ..found a bit of color,waiten for rivers to go down.

Thank you! Thank you for watching and subscribing.

COOL GUY THANKS A LOT

great vid nice views

Yes you can size it how ever you want. I use google earth to get maps. It's awesome.

It depends on your system. Classification is the key to getting the gold. There can still be a lot of gold in that area if you work hard and look. Most small weekend miners just dig one hole straight down and without finding the streak or following the layer.

Hey Marc! Good information. But one question I have is in your sample holes, how far down do you go?

how deep you dig for finding gold in a river or creek, thanks for this video.

Hi just starting to pan river in spain not sure if thair is gold in it but a lot of the water comes from the mountain

Best advice he said "It's all in your head, sample sample sample, don't stop"

nice video! I learned a thing or two, I have a question- how deep do you dig for a sample?

Gold will settle just inside of the slack or low velocity areas after high velocity flow areas.

Pioneer makes the blue pan with the side riffles. I also like the Proline gold pan. You can find one at my web site

Thanks for that comment!! You are right I did not mention that in this video! I do talk about this in other videos! Please watch and let me know what you think!

In your opinion where might someone start looking for gold,im from Dublin/Ireland and interested in gold mining,is there any geological preferences where gold is found or is it anywhere and why is it always in rivers?cheers,keep up the good work

I hit so much black sand upriver at a rock bed I didnt even want to pan the gold out lmao seems like too much black sand is no bueno it's so hard getting those last bits out

informative

With the time and effort I have spent in prospecting for gold I have slowly come to the mindset that gold is found, not so much where it gets washed to but more like where it doesnt get washed from. There is a good chance that most gold you find is stuck there for a good deal of time unless a storm unlike that which you and I have seen, comes along and maybe it gets plucked from its place of rest to find the next one. Maybe.

you found 10 colors from a sample on top that could mean bigger flakes down deeper and better numbers which is the highbankers guys dug down....

Is there anywhere you can freely pan for gold? many areas i've found that have high promise, are marked off no prospecting.

Good strong effort on your part.. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... hehe..

nice video! wish i could find a good spot for my canoe!

Do you also sample the depth, or just X-Y axis?(Or do you go down to bedrock / clay).

thanks

is there gold in most rivers and streams or just certain ones?

I have a question, if you were to find a descent amount, what about the states, or goverment trying to get there cut? Or is this not something to worry about?

I noticed on your map that a lot of the areas you tested were on the back side of the bends. do you find gold in those spots more often than on the front side of the bends?

I personally do not sell my gold. However If I was going to sell I would sell it in pay dirt or to tourists. Hope that helps.

good tip