Should I Test Pan a New Area?

How do you test pan a area that was an old digging. Do i get dirt from the bottom of the diggin which is no doubt full of old dirt and leaf matter. Or do i dig a hole in the area which they have thrown out up the bank. the area has a lot of diggings, on the side of a hill. some are up to five foot deep, but open. lots of overgrowth.
The creek is a good 50 to 100 meters away down the hill.

Jamie

Thanks. Unfortunately the road was closed past the falls- but Turtons creek and I definitely do have unfinished business!

kilter wrote:Great tips- thanks. I was wondering though, being a complete novice, if somebody could actually describe the process of digging a test hole. I understand that inside bends are a good area to start- but is it necessary to dig down to the bedrock with every test? Cheers

Yep it is you start at ground level taking note of the gold in each test pan which is taken out of each level {the length of your shovel head}. By doing so you find will find out just where the best gold is sitting. cheers

So tomorrow and sunday I'm going to the creek, hitting an inside bend and digging a trench from the high water mark to the water; test panning the soil when I get down to the bedrock- one test for every shovel head of distance along. My limited experience tells me it's difficult to actually dig in the water- so I'll probably give that a go and then give up- is this reasonable or is there a trick to it (other than dredging?) I understand that gold will travel straight from inside bend to inside bend, so if unsuccessful should I then head to the next bend- or continue where I am on the outside bend up to the high water level? I know you guys said from high water mark to high water mark, but I've also read the outside bend doesn't normally attract the gold....
Sorry about this- just trying to get my head around it... To answer my own question... maybe the inside/outside bend change when the water is at its highest level.... making it necessary to do the afore mentioned?
Apologies again but please help!
Hamish

So tomorrow and sunday I'm going to the creek, hitting an inside bend and digging a trench from the high water mark to the water; test panning the soil when I get down to the bedrock- one test for every shovel head of distance along. { mate when I test a new area it will take quite a few trips to do so, two days …. Not a chance} My limited experience tells me it's difficult to actually dig in the water- so I'll probably give that a go and then give up- is this reasonable or is there a trick to it (other than dredging?) { there is you must dig with the current not against it} I understand that gold will travel straight from inside bend to inside bend, so if unsuccessful should I then head to the next bend- or continue where I am on the outside bend up to the high water level? I know you guys said from high water mark to high water mark, but I've also read the outside bend doesn't normally attract the gold.... { it all depends on the 100 year flood? At times it pays to think out side the square}
Sorry about this- just trying to get my head around it... To answer my own question... maybe the inside/outside bend change when the water is at its highest level.... making it necessary to do the afore mentioned?
Apologies again but please help!
Hamish

Hamish you only have two days, one the first day you will be looking around, on the second day you will more than likely head home after lunch. OK so what do you do? Well if I was in that situation I would look at working the rock bars take a few screw drivers an a brush if you have a small pinch bar that too and work all the cracks in the rocks and you will get gold.
Cheers and the best of luck.

p.s take the wife’s little garden spade …. You may get into a bit of trouble there but it will come in handy.
cheers

Thanks James. No more questions, I promise... for now. I have a trowel and a narrow paint scraper that seems to work pretty well on the bedrock. Screwdrivers will be taken as well. May gold shower on you like sunshine on a summers day!

kilter wrote:Thanks James. No more questions, I promise... for now. I have a trowel and a narrow paint scraper that seems to work pretty well on the bedrock. Screwdrivers will be taken as well. May gold shower on you like sunshine on a summers day!

Thanks mate you will get a bit, just take your time and see what your looking at, that is also very important.
cheers
James 101

Some of our water ways that once had gold simply don't anymore! If it was a gold vain crossing the water, It's already been mined!
Gully's that were once feeding gold into the main water course have been dammed! Some water ways simply don't have sufficient slop even in flood mode to disturb and re-distribute new gold to that area?
If your not finding any gold when panning the inside river gravels, and the flats between bends I'd be moving else where!
Most of the guys that do any good with pocket placers, discovered the locations when portable dredging was allowed, discovering pot holes and cracks in the bed rock then mapping the locations. You don't have that privilege!
All the same. Good luck, but I think your flogging a dead horse!

Ah... but the scenery! To be honest with you, I'm not that fussed if I find any gold or not for the moment. Golden triangle's a bit too far for a weekend so this gives me something to do while camping and enjoying the creeks (not to mention good exercise if I do a bit of that there trenching caper.) I'm planning on moving to western victoria in a 18 months or so (not for the gold!) and so hopefully in that time I can pick up the basics of prospecting with my 3000. When I get there I'll invest in whatever is the latest release machine and hit the triangle more frequently and hopefully make some pocket money for my troubles. Anyway- thanks for giving realistic expectations!
H

Bump ..... good info in this line of post. cheers James 101