Learning to read beach

[John (Ma)]

I am new to salt beach hunting and have only done it a hand full of times only finding a couple coins at best. I just went to a beach in Me and noticed it to be all smooth with out cuts, very slight ripples if any, etc. Is this what is refered to as sanded in?

I hunted for an hour and a half and only got one crappy signal that appeared to be a piece of a lobster trap. Granted it's winter, but I thought this would be a good time to go. I have been reading a lot to try and figure out what the beach is telling me, but it's hard to know when you don't ever find anything or much of anything. I mostly fresh water hunt, but this year I am really trying to broaden that by hunting salt. Any help would be great.

 

[mudpuppy]

Theres tons written on this subject along with youtube videos. The technicalities between fresh and salt are something to take into account..salt hunters have to be aware of the changing ground balance zones from dry to wet, so they tend to work a beach parallel to the waterline. Reading a beach is a skill best learned. reading the signs of people travel patterns is one key to success..that means all people, not just the droppers, but also the searchers like yourself. You are in a competition between the weather, waves, sand, tide, other hunters, your endurance level..etc. Every little scrap you find is a clue...right down to the gum wrappers and pulltabs..they all say something about this location, what went on here, how long has this been here, is this spot worth some attention? Are these drops fresh or old? you start finding old fishing weights or rotten coins its heads up for gold time...somebody else missed this spot...this is more about hunting specific people and their preferences than just sweeping a beach randomly...you will see how the main area is gridded by somebody, we leave tracks in the sand too, or a lack of junk targets...you try off to the side of the main area and downcurrent in the more private places higher up on the sand and you will find stuff. Just too much to put in one post...try to read all the other beach hunters posts for successful hunting, and pattern yourself after how they do it. Good luck, its a brutal effort that requires dedication and miles of sand in all sorts of weather.
Mud

 

[John (Ma)]

I appreciate the reply Mud, unfortunatly I have dial up internet where I live due to the remote location, but I hear what you are trying to say. Thanks!

 

[Water wizard]

Hi John,
What mud said is right. It is about putting the time in. You can help yourself as well, by hunting in the right places on the beach. Areas that are busy with people are often the best, areas where people play or hang out. Sanded in is when loads of sand has covered the beach. All the gold and decent targets sink in sand fast, so if new sand has come then the good targets well be to deep to detect.
If the sand has gone off the beach then you are in business as the gold will be near the top and easy to detect. Make sure each sweep covers the are next to the last sweep otherwise you are missing more than you are getting. If you're finding coins cheap jewellery then you are in the right area. If you are getting no signals the try another part of the beach. If its sanded in then you are outta luck, if you have a waterproof machine then wading is where I've found most of my gold items. near water swings, pontoons,any area that attracts swimmers or people playing with balls etc. get a decent sand scoop, it will make the difference between success and failure. You can only find what has been lost there, so ask yourself is there anything here? If you think not, hunt somewhere else! Good luck, water wizard.

 

[John (Ma)]

Thanks Water Wizard.

How can you tell that a beach is sanded in by looking at it, though?

 

[mudpuppy]

Yeah, sort of..if you know that particular beach well enough you can see where the wind and waves deposited sand along a stretch, good thing about that is that sand came from somewhere, most likely from the direction the wind was blowing from the day before, so you head up in that direction to find the "cut". It may be out in the water, or down the beach, and it could be a really good cut. Look for where the shoreline is sort of scooped out by the waves. before and after a sandbar. Reading the surf for good indications of where an underwater cut is important..flat water...Sometimes theres a really deep water cut right next to shore before the first underwater sandbar where a rip current raced through. Thats when your detector tells you if you read it right, you start hitting metal, and you are in the spot! It might not be a very big spot either...Our shoreline is in constant motion, with only a day or two chance at what was once buried by 6' of sand the day before. You may only get a day or two per season to jump on that kind of cut, and its usually after a big blow. So you have to pay close attention to the weather, tides, winds, and hit it early! Then it sands back in for who knows how long! If you cant find a cut, sweep higher up on the edge of the sand grass, or look for those little hollows up in secluded areas of the sandgrass...No matter how you slice it, beach hunting is tough duty! You may walk many miles in one day, in sand! What you are trying to do is different than sweeping a beach that was full of people the day before...thats a whole nother game! Find the cuts and blow outs and you may find what you seek.
Mud

 

[dewcon4414]

Try this page .... a lot of information that i always find myself going back to. http://web.archive.org/web/20080202045558/http://thegoldenolde.com/
http://www.mdhtalk.org/tutorials/beaches/metal-detecting-beaches.pdf

Dew

 

[Mel Parker]

http://scidiv.bellevuecollege.edu/gj/WavesCoastsChapter.pdf

 

[John (Ma)]

Great stuff, thanks all

 

[dacton]

Excellent information! Thanks

 

[Dancer]

n/t

 

[NEBeachcomber]

Hello John (Ma),

Judging by your user name I think you are in the New England area.

A book that I found extremely helpful in learning how to "read" a beach is called:
METAL DETECTING ON THE EAST COAST BEACHES (HOW TO READ THE BEACH).
ISBN: 978-0-615-53447-3
The book is written by Don & Laura Crosby.

You can find it on the big book websites.

-NEBeachcomber

 

[bigbaps]

there's tonnes of books about it but it wont be relevant to your nearest beach probably.common sense says.if you look at a beach and see a low area,cut or trough then get in there and have a go.taken me a couple of years but now i do o.k at it lol

 

[John (Ma)]

Thanks for the referance to the book NEbeachcomber

 

[deerman]

If your new to the hobby get clives book "WATTER HUNTING SECRETS OF THE PRO'S" It's a great book with alot of info for both new and old hunters of the surf,i have it and have read it about ten times and still get something out of it every time i read it

 

[John (Ma)]

I am not new to the hobby, I have hunted fresh water and land for quite some time. I would like to get better at detecting the salt, but living 2 hours away makes it difficult to be very intimate with any particular beach. So I am trying to get some information to better my chances so when I get a chance to go, I'll have a better chance at finding something, at least more than the two coins I have ever found at one outing in the salt.