Newbie in creswick, 12" sluice too wide?

[UncleNicho]

Good morning all!
How are we?
This is my first post so I think I've driven myself to the right corner of the forum for this question. If not give me a yell and I'll sort it out quicksmart.

I'm planning a maiden voyage to Ballarat in a fortnight to go searching for some colour for the first time with my sister and two mates, I initially was going up detecting but only have access to my old man's detector and he's away in the mines so might not be able to help me dial it in and drive it properly. Mates are bringing two more up.

So... I've decided to knock up a sluice and try my luck in the river! I'm planing to convert it to a 12" high banker after some time But was wondering if a "12 river sluice would be a little too wide for places like creswick? (Although I've never been up that area so have no idea what the river conditions are..)

Any help would be much appreciated, I've already learnt so much from this warm welcoming forum it's amazing!!
One more question sorry.. are places like upstream from slatey creek campground no.3 and Lincoln gully rd good for a pan/detect? Seen them pop up a bit on the forum.

Thanks to all who reply and any help will be much appreciated! Even if I come home with one fly speck I think I'll be grinning!

Cheers!

 

[dam it]

Tell you what
If you only go home with one fly speck I will double that for you and give you 2 more .
Then you should be twice as happy .
All the best and good luck :Y:

 

[UncleNicho]

And that I will mate thanks very much. Before I catch gold fever (which I feel might be inevitable) I'll just be going up for a weekend away to catch up with some good company. Anything else will be a bonus!

Cheers!

 

[golddiggerart]

I think Creswick may be pretty dry ATM mate....Someone else who regularly visits will shed more light on this...

 

[7.62marksman]

And that I will mate thanks very much. Before I catch gold fever (which I feel might be inevitable) I'll just be going up for a weekend away to catch up with some good company. Anything else will be a bonus!

Cheers!

Hi mate and welcome
if you are on here and asking questions then its to late you already have the fever and i am sorry to say there is no cure
you have it for life :lol: :lol:

 

[UncleNicho]

This was my thought golddiggerart, if so I can always bring home a bucket or two of crevice fillings, sluice it at home to get a feel for the rig it then drop the dirt back next time I'm going (presume that would be acceptable/legal?)

If there's no water about there's always the detecting side of things :Y:

Cheers.

 

[ballarat_gold]

Yeh ur gunna struggle to get much of a flow this time of year for a 12" inch sluice. I haven't been out there in a while but so couldn't tell u depths at the moment. U should find somewhere to pan ok still but. Creswicks cool just to wander and look then try work out the old workings.

 

[UncleNicho]

7.62marksman,
I've been trying to to deny the fever coming on but I think last night was the pushing point when I awoke dreaming about panning for gold, can remember if I got any but was enjoying setting up and digging haha

I'll have to post up how severe the fever get when I return from Ballarat!

 

[Occasional_panner]

10 inch is a good size, 12 inch needs a lot of water and if you convert it to a banker it will need a big pump.
You can move quite a lot of material through a 10 inch.
Also when you make it consider getting the size spot on to fit dream matt down the track if you want to go that way.
Most metal fabricating shops can bend it quite accurately.
And like Ballarat gold said the flow probably is bugger all by now.
The gold there is usually small stuff which suits an sdc, what detector will you use?

 

[7.62marksman]

pictures are what is needed on here
the saying is no pictures no proof :lol: :lol: :lol:
everyone loves pictures
yes i sit at home waiting for the weekend to come along like a cat on a hot tin roof
now i am unemployed i have been doing some beaches during the week all rubbish at the moment nothing worth posting

 

[Vombat]

Slaty is hit or miss now with water flow. Was running an 8" GoldRat river sluice fine three weeks ago. Two weekends ago I had to resort to panning - the flow in Slaty was about 4 inches BELOW the Campground 2 ford. Then it rained last week and I could run the sluice last Friday and Saturday with better flows than two weeks before. Come Monday (yesterday) I was back to panning. Flow was barely making it over the CG2 Ford again.

Cotty is a bare trickle. Sawpit is all but stagnant. Mopoke ran for a few hours after the downpour last week and is back to dry.

 

[AussieChris]

OP is right, it's amazing how much more water you need for that extra 2" between the two standard sizes. I have found that I have been cobbled a bit in some of the areas I have worked lately due to low water levels. I find myself inclined to head towards gravel runs at the end of pools just to get a bit of flow happening. It can mean hauling optimum material that you have test panned a long way or just working as much as you can get right beside where the river lets you sluice. Even 8" might be more viable.

 

[UncleNicho]

Yeh ur gunna struggle to get much of a flow this time of year for a 12" inch sluice. I haven't been out there in a while but so couldn't tell u depths at the moment. U should find somewhere to pan ok still but. Creswicks cool just to wander and look then try work out the old workings.

Thanks mate that's what I was thinking, might just bring a pan and try my luck crevicing or swinging the detector.
Thanks mate.

 

[UncleNicho]

10 inch is a good size, 12 inch needs a lot of water and if you convert it to a banker it will need a big pump.
You can move quite a lot of material through a 10 inch.
Also when you make it consider getting the size spot on to fit dream matt down the track if you want to go that way.
Most metal fabricating shops can bend it quite accurately.
And like Ballarat gold said the flow probably is bugger all by now.
The gold there is usually small stuff which suits an sdc, what detector will you use?

This is true, didn't think about pump sizes. And I was going to go the dream mat straight off the bat.. had a good look at them and all the reviews seem to check out.. do it properly, do it once! I was just thinking the wider the sluice the more material I can process.. then again It's really no big deal to be processing a little bit slower and having to buy a cheaper pump.. especially if it dies down the track.

To be honest I'm not sure on his detector at the moment only seen it a few times. Was the best of the best a couple of years ago. He's got a huge coil on it (maybe 350-400mm) might be too large for bush but then again I have no idea ill just have to have a look to see if I can find out.

Thank you very much mate, you've given me much to ponder :Y:

 

[UncleNicho]

OP is right, it's amazing how much more water you need for that extra 2" between the two standard sizes. I have found that I have been cobbled a bit in some of the areas I have worked lately due to low water levels. I find myself inclined to head towards gravel runs at the end of pools just to get a bit of flow happening. It can mean hauling optimum material that you have test panned a long way or just working as much as you can get right beside where the river lets you sluice. Even 8" might be more viable.

Definitely mate,
I'll have to rethink my strategy and what I'm going to be doing with it down the track.
Still what looks like an infinite amount of information out there for me to try and grasp haha I'll get ahold of it in good time.

Cheers mate.

 

[Occasional_panner]

Keep in mind the dream matt needs a lot more water to run than conventional riffles.
This size pump will run a 10 inch conventional setup just fine http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1-5-Inch...tion-/252770072960?hash=item3ada453980&_uhb=1
But won't run dream matt @10inch
An 8 inch will run fine with that size pump.
That scenario is actually bloody annoying!!! The small pump is so handy to cart, but can't run 10 inch DMatt
8inch Dmatt banker would probably do your head in as it just doesn't take much material.
So if you think about running dream matt you probably may as well go 12 inch as if you run 10 inch dream matt you need a bigger pump anyway.

I still have my old v matt and miners moss, so if there is ever a need to hike in somewhere I'll run that with the std riffles and be able to carry my small pump easy as. That just isn't an option with the dream matt and a big pump.

So do consider where you use the banker as the extra water flow dream matt requires really does come into the equation.

 

[UncleNicho]

Cheers occasional_panner makes a lot of sense.
Yea I'm looking to pump through a bit of material down the track so I'm sort of heading away from an 8" might go 10" instead of 12" just for a tiny bit of weight convenience, can always rig it upto a wheelbarrow frame that can hold my pump and hoses too.. or There's always the 4wheeler haha.

I'll have a look for a pump and finalise the plans for my hopper and I'll be laughing!

Cheers mate.