Non metallic long handled scoop?

[Steve from Ohio]

Does anyone know of a non metallic, sturdy, long handled scoop?

I was thinking of using something like that with my new Vibraprobe 570. I love that thing on the land and seeing how it is waterproof, why not use it to speed up water detecting.

I have been cleaning up the swimming holes lately and I would like to streamline my digging by detecting once, dig and then probe.

That is far faster than detect, dig, detect again to see if there is still anything there. Then sift through all the mud and gravel to see if anything of worth is in the scoop.

I figure that if I can use the Vibraprobe 570 in the scoop, it would speed things up quite a bit.

Been using the Fisher 1280X and it has really made water detecting a lot of fun!

Any help would be appreciated !!!!!

 

[Cupajo]

There are no such scoops available to the best of my knowledge and if they were they would probably not take much wear and tear. I have used the Vibra-Probe and a plastic/floating sifter for a while now and NOTHING gets lost!!! My sifter is the flat bottom of a large plastic barrel and very durable.

I drilled a few hundred small (3/16") holes in the bottom and float it using a large diameter floaty/noodle that kids use for swimming. It is attached to the tub/sifter with plastic electrical ties. It floats along nicely tethered to my belt with a snap and cord long enough to keep it at a working distance (out of the way until needed).

My home built scoop is very large (Less digging) and I don't even try to find the target in it anymore. Dumping it in the sifter makes the whole job faster and locating the target in the sifter with the Probe is a breeze!!!

The only problem is heavy wave action tossing the sifter around. I have a long cord with about a pound of (2- very large) fishing sinkers attached to the rear of the unit to keep it under control at a distance (the length of the belt tether) so I don't have to struggle with it. On those rare days when the wave action makes it impossible to use I head for the wet/dry beach and hunt in comfort.

Lake hunting is free of those problems unless you are in one of the Great Lakes.

I usually drag my scoop behind me to keep clear of my detector's coverage area and avoid lifting it as much as possible. Some sifter users float the scoop along on the sifter behind them. (Care must be taken not to lose the scoop!!!)

Sorry I don't have any pictures. If you need to contact me, please do.

One frequent poster, Kaptain Kosmic, has nice pictures in a post back a month or so.

I hope you find this info useful!!

GL&HH Friend,

Cupajo

 

[kaptainkosmic]

here are the pictures that cupajoe was refering to

[attachment 101848 scoopsifterampvibraproberesized.jpg]

if its sandy this is how easy it is to recover your targets

[attachment 101849 sifterwithtoeringandclad1resized.jpg]

and here is how i transport to water from vehicle.

[attachment 101850 straighthandledscoopwithsifteronshoulderresized.jpg]

also i would add that the recovery rate on very small targets will increase significantly. i float my scoop on my sifter to the great relief of my left arm! i attach a mesh bag to sifter for trash, my vibra probe and sometimes some drinking water. wave action along with strong wind can present a problem but can usually be overcome. if the waves are so rough that the sifter can't handle them, i don't want to be in them anyway.

hh steve

 

[Steve from Ohio]

Thanks you guys for the info. It was a great help and it straightened me out on my thinking. Sometimes I over think things when the answer is so simple.

Again many thanks!!!!!!

 

[Cupajo]

Hi Fellow Hunter,

We all have had great ideas that were less than perfect in the light of day. Just a slight change of perspective can make all the difference!!!

You have a huge amount of helpful information on these forums and all you have to do is ask for it. That is how I found out about using the Vibra-Probe from kaptain kosmic. That and many other wonderful hints and observations have really made a difference in the success of my hunting efforts.

GL&HH Friend,

Cupajo