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Colorado -- Sluicing the Ark with Ron -- 3 Mar 2016

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Post by Admin Fri Mar 04, 2016 11:54 am

Hey Gold Adventurers...

Well, I decided to try a few hours out on the river with a buddy up from C. Springs. The day looked to be sunny, nice, not too windy.

We hit the Ark about 10:30AM, but I was really surprised to see it so low. Looks like the water authority are holding back winter water now, as the river looked to be about 180 CFS, at the Granite Gauge, as I estimated it...

SO, with the water so incredibly low, it was out in the deepest part of the channel, lined with big boulders on both sides and REALLY hard to try and pick out both a place to dig material AND safely setup a sluice.

After some sample pans, walking the dirt road looking at the river below, I finally decided to hit a spot I've in winters past..............a place where a feeder spring flows out of the hillside and into the river. Maybe we could get a little sluicing in, even IF it was going to be a very small flow, have to hand wash our material, take our time...

A picture of the Ark upriver and downriver:

Colorado -- Sluicing the Ark with Ron -- 3 Mar 2016 DSC08242_zpswdikjom3
Colorado -- Sluicing the Ark with Ron -- 3 Mar 2016 DSC08243_zpssmxvpk0s

After trying a long time trying to get Ron's Le Trap running in the spring flow, he decided to switch over to he smaller Angus Mackirk sluice. We did get it running O.K.:

Colorado -- Sluicing the Ark with Ron -- 3 Mar 2016 DSC08244_zpsoakupvai

I was able to get my Le Trap setup up above Ron's sluice, with the min flow needed to make it run:

Colorado -- Sluicing the Ark with Ron -- 3 Mar 2016 DSC08245_zps3qdrfwr8

We were looking for some of the old Cache Creek glacial clay material, but finding a good spot to dig was hard to do. Sample pans mostly showed a few specks, but no bigger flakes or really good color.... One of our dig spots:

Colorado -- Sluicing the Ark with Ron -- 3 Mar 2016 DSC08246_zpsgnji2bne

Well, even IF we weren't going to have a "Bonanza" day we dide have some "hard fun"..... Wink

We had a sandwich and chips on the river about 1 PM, enjoyed the sound of the rushing, clear, cold water... By 2 PM I was just whipped. Still recovering from the Flu. We cleaned up, walked back to the trucks, had a nice cold beer in the afternoon sun. So, another fun couple of hours on the river. Yeah. Smile

On my way home I drove by the local Heckendorf Wildlife Mgt Area and spotted a nice big herd of Elk up at the North end, all strung out. This is the most Elks I've seen all winter. Probably about 125 in all:

Colorado -- Sluicing the Ark with Ron -- 3 Mar 2016 DSC08247_zpsv4yqnarx
Colorado -- Sluicing the Ark with Ron -- 3 Mar 2016 DSC08248_zpsei6cmgvx

Back home I cooked dinner, went to bed way early. Got up this morning early, panned out my black sand cons, dried and weighed my fine, fine flood gold. Got a whopping 2.1 grains or about .14 grams. Ha. Well, didn't get skunked!

Colorado -- Sluicing the Ark with Ron -- 3 Mar 2016 DSC08249_zpsuskblpna
Colorado -- Sluicing the Ark with Ron -- 3 Mar 2016 DSC08250_zpsbefewrqb

Well, again............another day out with a prospecting buddy is better than a day behind a desk.... Wink

Hopefully the Ark will actually come up some, make it easier to find a spot to sluice.....and you will get out, find some gold, post a Trip Report of your own for all of us to enjoy!

Randy C-17A Smile
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Post by dickb Fri Mar 04, 2016 12:18 pm

Man the river really has those cobbles stacked tight. That looks like it would be hard to find dirt under the rocks, without them falling into your hole. Glad to see your getting out. Come on Spring! Very Happy

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Post by Chief05 Fri Mar 04, 2016 5:21 pm

Sir:

Had a great time as usual yesterday, it was nice to see Gary again even though he didn't get to spend a lot of time with him. OK I got my cons cleaned and weighed (.21 grams) will try and get a picture taken and sent tomorrow. Hope you did well this afternoon fishing some of those nice holes we saw yesterday. The river may be down restricting sluicing but sure looked like it opened up some nice holes to fish. Thanks again for a great day.

Ron

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Post by Admin Sat Mar 05, 2016 6:19 am

Chief,

Well..........almost a 1/4 gram day for you. I knew you did better than me just from seeing the gold in your Vortex matting as we cleaned up...

No Bonanza, but you didn't get skunked! Wink It was a nice day on the river. I sure was whipped by 2 PM. Thanks again, as always, for the cold beer and camaraderie.

I went back yesterday and fished up that section of river in all the big/deep holes and pools... NADA! Not a strike, not one hit, not a fish. I suck. Oh well, still spent an hour on the river vs. behind a desk...

Can't wait to get out again.

Randy C-17A Smile
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