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We jump at the opportunity to search for gold any chance we can get, no matter where.  Recently, the crew of Prospectors Radio had the chance to broadcast live at the American Mining Rights Association(AMRA) December Dinner Fund Raiser in Turlock, CA.  After the event, we got invited to explore and prospect with the crew of AMRA on one of their claims.  So, it is no surprise that I was over-the-top with excitement since all we ever do is prospect in the Midwest and East Coast.

Gone are the wild gold rush days of the expanding west where virgin land was readily claimed and worked to its potential.  Novels like Louis L’Amour’s  “Comstock Lode” give us a chance to imagine what being a prospector in the developing sometimes lawless west meant. There were men looking out for themselves and there were men fighting for justice, surviving to make a living much like today but on a different level.  

As I watched the countryside move past me in our travel up to the Sierra Nevada’s I felt the familiar twinge of yearning that ignites us all to dig and hunt for that yellow stuff; what we affectionately like to call “Gold Fever”.  When I used a simple pan to find pieces of gold where the 49ers prospected, the feeling was both exhilarating and humbling.  The work involved to reach good locations, search, and pan out material is not as easy, as I discovered.  We have more comforts and equipment today than what the old timers did back then.  You cannot help but have tremendous respect for this!

Prospecting in California is different from prospecting in Ohio for obvious geological reasons but also for the laws.  The disparity of state’s laws versus Federal Laws continues to be a source of concern and it is more evident out west than it is on the east coast pertaining to mining.  All of a sudden I wanted to be a part of this world and thoughts of simplifying my city life started to go through my head.  I imagine this was the same urge the pioneers felt to pull them westward.

This journey westward back in the 1800’s during the Gold Rush was a treacherous and unforgiving one, yet many prevailed while others did not.  Some of the small miners of today say “you have to be crazy to want a life like this” yet they still do it.  The drive is still there to mine for gold and the passion keeps them going. 

Though my livelihood does not depend on mining, I appreciate what the small miners are going through out west.  I respect AMRA’s mission to inform the public of the laws for use of public lands with integrity and honesty and defending the right to the end.   Sorting through all the “red-tape” of regulation is a task of itself and it is comforting to know there are experts who offer the time to make sure miner’s rights are protected.  Being able to be a part of the AMRA event this year fulfilled a sense of comradery within me with the small miners of today. I learned so much of the work involved to mine gold and what goes on behind the scenes as well as on the “front” lines.  I cannot wait to go back.  Keep up the good fight and believe in what you do!

Hello all, I am taking my family to California for 10 days starting Feb 23 2017 and was hoping to go panning for a day or two while there.I will be in Anaheim,  Any help or advice as to where to go would be much appreciated.

As many of you  know not to long ago we lost a a great member of the site, Lynn Campuzano to cancer. Lynn didn't want to be buried. She didn't want people crying at a funeral so her daughter had her cremated. Her daughter is going to have a celebration of life event this spring or summer.  Because Lynn liked to travel, her daughter thought it would be a great to let her mom keep traveling so she asked if we could help by sending her some gold vials to put some of her ashes in, so that anyone who wanted to take her with them on their travels could do so. If you knew Lynn and knew some of the places that she loved, she could continue to visit those places or even places she wanted to go to. This way her family could keep a small part of her with them, and some of her friends could also take her on their prospecting adventures. I am asking our members who can, to send Tina Marie a gold vial or two. It would mean a lot to her. You can send the vial directly to

             TINA MARIE

  6221 LARCHMONT DR.

  MOUNT PLEASENT WI.

                                            53406

I thank you guys for being here for each other. What a great bunch of people.

 toledojess 

Hey Everyone,

I just want to take a minute and thank all the fans who have tuned in to listen to us on the show.  You guys are the greatest, but with that said I will NO longer be on the show.  I spoke to Tim G last night and told him my personal reasons on why I can not be on the show.  Like I told Tim, maybe in the future I could return.  Thank you again for being the greatest fans one could have.

MrJim.

I'm stuck in Kansas and was thrilled to win the Nome dredge cons.  

A few years ago, a friend from AZ gave me a finish pan and some black sand.  Even though it had no gold in it, I caught the fever anyway.  For several years, I've been reading and studying prospecting and mining.  

Since we are about to have a long cold winter, I'm going to spend some time really hammering that dirt.

I panned a couple of teaspoons and found out that the gold is TINY.  I quickly realized that I needed to classify it.  First I used a kitchen strainer about 15 mesh.  I was surprised to see a few 1/2 inch rocks.  Another trip to the kitchen yeilded another about 22 mesh but the holes are 1mm.

As I classified the cons, I got cloudy water like clay or silt.  I noticed that some of it settled quickly.  So I captured it for future investigation. After it settled, it looks like even finer sand.  Which means probably finer gold.  

There is very little magnetic material and little black sand.  Doc makes it look so easy, backwash and tap. My panning skills are improving.

Jet Dry is your friend

Oct 16th

I've finished the cons, panning it twice.  Tiny bit of TINY gold.  All the gold went through the 1mm screen
Sorry about the crappy pic.  It's really hard to take a picture of something so tiny

A friend is coming over, we'll pan some gold( his first time) and grill some burgers.  So much fun.

just got of the phone with him :D( BILL) .  as far as I know this is the scoop but TIM G will be going over everything . just got of the phone with Bill :)
 it should be no issue we can only fit in one or two directly at the primitive claim site but further up on the claim as well as on the other 2 properties more then enough room and everything is within a half a mile walk. now if you need electric or such . you would need to talk to him(BILL). directly I know his other half was cutting down people directly on his house property but I don't know for this event and on the primitive futher up there is a larger area to park as well

.9083 state rt. 41 N, bainbridge, Oh. 45612"
bills place in ohio good gold and camping
 740-649-1394

remember I am not a one of the hounchos here I am just a member . :) and just trying to find out some info for everyone who was asking

A friend pointed this out to me today on page 49 of the ICMJ magazine. 

http://www.minelab.com/usa/accessories-1/pro-gold

I have been using blue gold pans for a year or more after first seeing this explanation in Golden Colorado at Gold-N-Detectors Shop. Thank you Bill and Don Finley.

The best color pan to use is the one that works for you...blue works for me, and I know why. :-) 

mdv

High Contrast Blue for Optimum Gold Visibility

Hi everyone- Kate here from the gold prospecting/mining show. Just wanted to give anyone who is interested an update! The team has received hundreds of submissions and is working hard sorting through all of them and trying to get back to people. Please be patient! 

The show is moving along quickly, and the casting will be CLOSED as on next week, so if anyone is still interested in applying, there's still a chance to do so and be considered if you apply before the holiday weekend.

THANK YOU all for the interest and support! You guys have been really great :) 

I listened to Shannon Poe, President and CEO of AMRA, for well over an hour tonight on GPS Radio. The lines were busy trying to call in. There were promises of things in the pipeline for AMRA, but nothing specific. If this org works for small miners, then God Bless.

I would like to see more outreach to lawmakers; educators; fishing clubs; Four-Wheeler and Off-road clubs; elementary, high school, and college presentations/lectures; and lastly the print and electronic press.

Right now the entire focus seems to be on "uniting the miners" which sounds great, but preaching to the choir mostly fattens AMRA coffers and does little to educate the public and the lawmakers and judges deciding how/if we will mine in the future. Making AMRA healthy isn't a bad thing, if you agree with how your donation is used, and you can make it to one of their claims on vacation. 

I have been pretty hard on MMAC, PLP, and AMRA. I don't like focusing 99.5% of donations to Court Costs. Everyone thinks Mr. Poe is for real, so I think I need to slow my roll, take a breath, and see how this plays for a while.

I thought it was a great show tonight, and I look forward to hearing more on the new Tim Grimes line of casual dredging pants for gold prospecting studs! Big Gold to you All.

Sun the wife and I were able to sneak over to Cottonwood Trails and check it out for the first time. I didn't have any equipment and was not dressed for panning, but I was able to look the place over and spent about a 1/2 hour talking to Jim McI about the place and access. Looks like I will have to plan a trip back and give it a try. It had been raining and the water was high, fast and muddy. Surprised to see that there were no other folks working the creek,

this is how I found this article and someone brought this up last nite during the show :

kelvin lee matthew (author of orginal post on facebook )
This is for all my gold prospecting friends
It's time for Action if you are LDMA member you need to call out west and let them know that you're not happy with them closing all our mines in the Southeast for the winter. They will only be open 6 months out of the year I did not pay full price for the membership just only have access half the year this is not here say this is fact I just came from vein mountain camp today the caretaker known as Rod is no longer there  the company said they want to go in a different direction and there is now a new caretaker his name is Scott. If you feel this is unfair to be closed in the winter please give California a call or email  and let them know your opinion if you don't attend these camps in the winter then please consider the ones that do please share this and help get the word out thank you

this will not allow meto post the 2 pics he had of the article up on here  having issues with trying to figure that one out lol

http://www.outdooralabama.com/proposed-dcnr-rules
Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources has several new proposed rules coming up. Im sure you or someone you know will be adversely affected by some of these new "rules" You should contact your Senator and/or Representative addressing your concerns.
Document 220-4.-15 is the one most of you should be concerned with as it will affect you in some shape, form or fashion, so please share this. Paragraph (L) in particular needs to be omitted or changed.

Thank You  Jimmie E and Ron Harrison for sharing and posting this information

As the father of three interracial children, I am very angry at our President for not being a LEADER. It only took eight years to completely erase 50-years of hard work and physical sacrifice in Race Relations. Why doesn't our President just come out and say RACISM - Black, White, Yellow, Red - Will Not Be Tolerated. We are ALL Americans, not "Irish-Americans," not "Polish-Americans," not "African-Americans," we are AMERICANS!

To other parents of children "of color" I say, when you have the "talk" with your children about how to act in a police encounter, be sure to tell them that if they don't treat that officer with respect, and comply with everything that officer tells them to do without hesitation - YOU will kick their ass when they get home.

We have begun making thugs, known criminals, and outright crazy people into martyr's "executed" by the police. Please America, stop allowing poorly educated (by choice!) trailer park trash and the 24-hour news cycle set our national agendas.

Pray for our children, and the police men and women who protect them with their lives.

As of 10-13-2015 this river is off limits to dredging, as "precious metals" was added to the law.   Because it is a navigable waterway, the bottom of the river is owned by the State of Alabama.                                                                                                                            This is the law: 220-4-.15    Regulation of Certain Conduct On Lands Under State Lands Division Jurisdiction

(1) Except as otherwise authorized in writing by the Director of the State Lands Division, it shall be unlawful on any state-owned lands under the jurisdiction of the State Lands Division:                                                                                                            (l)    To damage or remove any trees, crops, plants or other vegetation, minerals, precious metals, dirt, gravel, stones, artifacts, fossils, firewood, mulch, leaf litter, sod or pine straw.       

the North Dakota GPAA group went on there second outing for the year. We went to a river that I grow up one fished all most every day. I said there no gold here one of the member looked at me and said watch and learn. He took his pan scooped up some sand right off the top of the sand bar and panned it out. right there in front of me there was gold it was small but a lot of it so we set up one high banker and two gold cubes and we went to work for six hours, on the clean up off the high banker we got about 50.00 bucks witch I thought was not bad for no gold being there LOL. So now we have a nether outing at the end of the month. Ho I dont now how much gold the cubes got I will find out soon.