The "Prospecting" Forum

Heading out soon on the last fishing trip of the year and I'm planning on bringing my MXT w/my 4x6 and 6x10 coils along. I'll be in Plumas Co. near the town of Chester and was wondering if anyone has some good advice as far as places to hunt, groups to contact etc. I've been detecting for awhile but have never prospected. I'm planning on fishing the a.m. and p.m. and detecting the afternoons. If anyone has a good suggestion on a spot(s) that's open to the public and would be a good place to cut my teeth at I would appreciate it. I will be strictly MD'ing and not panning or dredging etc. Thanks in advance.

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HH
Scott

MXT Pro w/DX-1
MXT 300 w/DX-1
M6 & Garrett P/P
Dual Field P.I.
Excal ll
Sunray Pro Gold HP's
Jimmy Sierra Maxiphone ll HP's
R.T.G., Lesche and Predator force multipliers

"Digging holes 'til they dig mine"

Hello, i live in Paradise CA about an hr and a half from chester.. I read that rich bar is a good mineing area, also above chester they were finding patato sized nuggets in the day.. I bet anywear along the feather would be good to detect. Just look for bed rock. Well let us know how you did. Id love to see some pictures.

Thanks for the advice Jessgo33. I had an old surfing buddy who used to live in Paradise Ca. and he loved it. I still have to research and see where I can legally access some spots. I"ll definitely take some photos if the trip goes through. Weather has started to get bad....

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HH
Scott

MXT Pro w/DX-1
MXT 300 w/DX-1
M6 & Garrett P/P
Dual Field P.I.
Excal ll
Sunray Pro Gold HP's
Jimmy Sierra Maxiphone ll HP's
R.T.G., Lesche and Predator force multipliers

"Digging holes 'til they dig mine"

I, too, am in Paradise. So just so you know, Rich Bar is a very rich area. As such, it's been claimed up tight for years, as well most of the river up and downstream from it. However, there are some areas along Hwy 70 through the canyon that are open. There are also some old diggings on the hillsides throughout the canyon. Get out the topo maps and look closely. You will run into private property more so than claims there, but again, there is some open Forest Service land in the area. Good luck. The area has a lot of potential but one needs to do the research first.

Digger Bob

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Digger Bob
I, too, am in Paradise. So just so you know, Rich Bar is a very rich area. As such, it's been claimed up tight for years, as well most of the river up and downstream from it. However, there are some areas along Hwy 70 through the canyon that are open. There are also some old diggings on the hillsides throughout the canyon. Get out the topo maps and look closely. You will run into private property more so than claims there, but again, there is some open Forest Service land in the area. Good luck. The area has a lot of potential but one needs to do the research first.

Digger Bob

Thanks for the heads-up Bob. It looks like I probably won't make it up soon as planned but when I do I will definitely make sure I am not on private land or someone's claim. Thanks again.

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HH
Scott

MXT Pro w/DX-1
MXT 300 w/DX-1
M6 & Garrett P/P
Dual Field P.I.
Excal ll
Sunray Pro Gold HP's
Jimmy Sierra Maxiphone ll HP's
R.T.G., Lesche and Predator force multipliers

"Digging holes 'til they dig mine"

Just a quick update on this. I was up to Chester last weekend. There are a couple places you could try.

Right now the water level is down all through the Feather River canyon. There is a lot of exposed bedrock next to the highway that could produce a nugget or two to the persistent hunter. Also across the river if one can get access.

And from Quincy, take the Bucks Lake road about 5 miles out and you will see Gopher Hill on your right across Spanish Creek. It's a huge old hydraulic diggings. Cross the green bridge and park along the road and hike up into it. There is an abandoned dump in the middle of it but lots or good ground all around. Lots of brid shot on the old bedrock but it still produces a small nugget or two if you are persistent.

Digger Bob

Im sry i ment quincy.....

Thank you again Jessgo33 and Bob. Very much appreciated...

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HH
Scott

MXT Pro w/DX-1
MXT 300 w/DX-1
M6 & Garrett P/P
Dual Field P.I.
Excal ll
Sunray Pro Gold HP's
Jimmy Sierra Maxiphone ll HP's
R.T.G., Lesche and Predator force multipliers

"Digging holes 'til they dig mine"

digger bob, do you prospect around paradise? or what kinda of detector do you have? Im kinda new to the hobby panning, but love it. Just wanted to know...

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Jessgo33
digger bob, do you prospect around paradise? or what kinda of detector do you have? Im kinda new to the hobby panning, but love it. Just wanted to know...

I do poke around Paradise a bit, but most of the good ground close by is owned or claimed. I have permission to hunt some of it but have had limited sucess locally. Most of the better ground (and more accessable) is higher up in the hills and away from the roads and civilization.

I have 3 machines that I use regularly; Whites GM3, Whites TDI, and Minelab 3500. I've found a lot of gold with all three. Which I use depends on the terrain and type of gold typically found. Lots of factors enter into what to use.

It's tougher to get started now and be successful. There's still a ton of gold out there to be found, it's just harder to put a loop over it.

Digger Bob