Find's Treasure Forums
Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!
You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.
Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.
Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.
Click here to register!
Need Support Help?
Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you
Changed email? Forgot to update your account with new email address? Need assistance with something else?, click here to go to Find's Support Form and fill out the form.
Laying out underwater grid
- Thread starter togamac
- Start date
I typically go by water depth when working a sandbar...the front edge and back edges have given up some stuff...but really, depending upon when and where an item was dropped, it could be right on top too...although in the Spring I do prefer the back side on account of our sandbars up here sort of move inland, so what was once the top is now the back, and the cycle seems to repeat every year from the winter storms. So I wade the thing and try to pay attention to the water depth I'm hunting and then turn and go deeper or shallower depending. The forward edge is good Summer and Fall zone because people play in the surf and thats where they get tumbled the most. Its a lot of open barren sand for the most part and not uncommon to hunt for a long time with nary a chirp.
Mud
Mud
Thanks Mud. This is a small lake. The biggest waves are probably 1-2 feet, so the sand bar doesn't move and there's no frolicking in the surf. There's no sandy beach, just forest right up to the water. It's been built up over the years by the prevailing winds and is only accessible by boat. I guess I'll follow the shore line and work my way out. Let's see, 10 sq. ft. per swing, 180,000 sq. ft., I'll be there for awhile.
I think you're in the Great Lakes region, right? That's a big playground!
I think you're in the Great Lakes region, right? That's a big playground!
oh, a nice lake! I remember a forum member posed an idea a few years back regarding this, I wish I could remember who and give proper credit, but what they did in your situation was take 2 lead sinkers, some line, and two small floats...they would start to wade and drop one of the floats at one end, and the other at the other end, so as they progressed out deeper, they would move the floats out too...sort of gives a fellow a visual to line up on and try to completely cover an area....yeah, I'm trying to grid Lake Michigan!
Mud
Mud
Water wizard
New member
It depends on how detailed you want to be. if its for example a wreck site you need to grid it out with pegs and string in to lots of box's, number each box and then sift through 1 by 1. It takes ages it is very time consuming, but it is very actuate, as you can record exactly where each item was found, and that can help piece together how stuff got there etc.
If its just to help you search a large area without going over the same bit twice then MUDs crafty method is perfect, it's quick and easy. Good luck hope you find some decent stuff
If its just to help you search a large area without going over the same bit twice then MUDs crafty method is perfect, it's quick and easy. Good luck hope you find some decent stuff
I thought about using some 4 foot long garden stakes and tie some red tape on the top, but I just wander around and find stuff and it works for me. It's not exactly a grid, but I just try to work back and forth from shallow to deep and then I work parallel to the shore. The deeper I go in the water, the less trash I find in most cases. I've found some gold rings up around the wall at the lake and once I learned more about what my At/Pro was telling me, I pulled some good rings out of the trash. This isn't much help, I know. GL & HH.
I'll tell you Fongu..whatever works, works in regards to finding gold eh? 
I will confess I try to read as many of the posts I can and try to discern what all successful gold hunters do. Just trying to shorten my learning curve and all. Sure its location specific, but I pretty much razzle dazzle and if I do find a target, I analyze its age and weight and cut a tight circle, try to hunt the deepest water the closest to shore, etc. I keep my eyes on the shoreline too...is there a reason somebody would be swimming here for instance...is it off to the side of the main and sort of private for a late night skinny dip? Bottle caps encourage me since drinking and swimming equate to LOSING gold. Pulltabs and old beavertails really jazz me up! I pay close attention to the weather, and try to get in and work prime spots right after a big blow, a fellow might only have 1 day where a cut opens and then its sanded back in under 6' of overburden. Old inland locations that have not seen a detector would take days to work properly..and I've gotten into a few with great short time results, but they are hard to find...Anyway, the fellows that find a lot of gold and find it often look for certain things...working the tops of fresh sandbars like I do is pretty much a fools errand, unless somebody lost something in the last few days, its gone and buried! I'm still learning everyday, and trying to make up for lack of knowledge with loads of effort!
Togamac, if you can find where somebody has been camping on the bank thats the location I'd try. If you start hitting sinkers, tabs and caps, you are in the right place...!
Mud
I will confess I try to read as many of the posts I can and try to discern what all successful gold hunters do. Just trying to shorten my learning curve and all. Sure its location specific, but I pretty much razzle dazzle and if I do find a target, I analyze its age and weight and cut a tight circle, try to hunt the deepest water the closest to shore, etc. I keep my eyes on the shoreline too...is there a reason somebody would be swimming here for instance...is it off to the side of the main and sort of private for a late night skinny dip? Bottle caps encourage me since drinking and swimming equate to LOSING gold. Pulltabs and old beavertails really jazz me up! I pay close attention to the weather, and try to get in and work prime spots right after a big blow, a fellow might only have 1 day where a cut opens and then its sanded back in under 6' of overburden. Old inland locations that have not seen a detector would take days to work properly..and I've gotten into a few with great short time results, but they are hard to find...Anyway, the fellows that find a lot of gold and find it often look for certain things...working the tops of fresh sandbars like I do is pretty much a fools errand, unless somebody lost something in the last few days, its gone and buried! I'm still learning everyday, and trying to make up for lack of knowledge with loads of effort! Togamac, if you can find where somebody has been camping on the bank thats the location I'd try. If you start hitting sinkers, tabs and caps, you are in the right place...!Mud
You're right Mud. Love finding those beavertails-tells me the guy ahead of me is missing the gold! I may get a chance to try my luck today. I'll post the good, bad, and ugly.
I have some fiberglas rods for marking the driveway in the winter I'm taking along for setting up the grid. They're about 4 feet long with day-glo tape at the top. Should work OK. Thank you all for the tips and conversation. Oh yeh, I'll also be taking a float with a mesh bag for the cans I expect to find - hope it's big enough!
I have some fiberglas rods for marking the driveway in the winter I'm taking along for setting up the grid. They're about 4 feet long with day-glo tape at the top. Should work OK. Thank you all for the tips and conversation. Oh yeh, I'll also be taking a float with a mesh bag for the cans I expect to find - hope it's big enough!