Well, I've got a lot to learn on how to hunt a rocky-bottomed stream. I think that the sniper coil is the wrong tool for this stream. The rocks vary in size but most are 4-6 inches in diameter so to keep from banging the coil up I was sweeping above the rocks and any targets were probably out of the range of the coil. I also think that a magnet is definitely needed. I'm going to follow Aquachigger's example and put one on the end of my digging tool handle.
I water-proofed the Pro-pointer by putting it into a section of a 1.75-2.125 inch diameter bike tube and sealed the ends with rubber cement. That seems to have worked OK, i.e., the ProPointer hasn't stopped working yet so me thinks it is dry.
Any advice from creek hunters out there?
Thanks and HH, Mac