(02-19-2026, 06:32 PM)Michigan Swamp Buck Wrote: Well, the creek started flowing again at the end of December and has been flowing ever since. With the melt going on, the creek is open, and I started back to running the sluice.
The drought last season had the creek dry up in June rather than in August, but I made some improvements to my prospecting camp and had the sluice ready as soon as the water flowed again.
I dug up and screened 1/2 a 5-gallon bucket worth of creek sand the other day, might have spent half an hour. Now, today, I messed around tweaking the sluice to try to slow the flow and then ran the half bucket through the sluice. That might have been another hour. When I got down to the last scoop of sand, I decided to pan it up and found a nice-sized flake right off the bat.
A think this is a good sign for the season ahead. I intend to stray off the reservation and prospect some federal land here abouts this year. Because of flooding in the spring, I will try the smaller creeks like mine first, then work up to some streams by fall.
Anyway, my vial of flakes is starting to look like something. Maybe I can make it look really good by next November.
Feeling a bit motivated by your previous posts my son-in-law and I set up a sluice in the creek down the back of my selection. Hot day and I end up to my chest in water digging out sandy gravel from a hollow. Several buckets worth. After a couple of hours we loaded it all up and drove back to the house.
Sluice revealed nothing as did the buckets. I still have a few more to go. I was thinking that we'd hit some paydirt but alas nothing turned out during the panning. Could be I was digging in the wrong spot. Busy litttle exercise.
Cheers,
Bally.)