Any metal detector folks here?

Caught the bug awhile back. Enjoy the Nevada and Arizona deserts. No earth-shattering finds yet. Primarily gold nugget shooting and meteorites.

Tesoro Lobo Super Traq.

Would like to do a Rye Patch fishing/gold trip this spring. I have been to Majuba a few times and fished Rye Patch once. Would like to get the kayak over there and try for walleye and wipers. Walker/Pyramid fishing/prospecting trips might be interesting as well.

Went to the Franconia meteorite area in Arizona last fall on a road trip to Vegas. Interesting place, but I had issues with aggressive bees and wasn't able to put in much time there.

 

Bro my buddy has found some impressive nugs using his finder!

Novofish,

Why don't you hook me up with him!   

I enjoy the hunt as much as a find. Just a lot of fun digging in the desert and researching areas.

 

  is right!
Tight lips on the where, but I was curious to know if the "gold sensitive" models worked, he assured me that they did.
I'm not patient enough to be a miner, but I know there are some good finds to be had if you are in the right spot - kinda like fishing I guess

Post a hook up if you plan a road trip to nev. I've always wanted to do it too. I have a kid brother that's a cop up there and could some intel

Yep, it's very much like fishing. You can troll or you can study and focus on what you think is a potential hot spot. Mind games as well.

Some detectors are designed just for gold. They are able to get through the highly mineralized ground where gold is most often hidden.
Some of the machines are better at small gold and others (MineLab/PI's) go more for depth and the few larger nuggets.

I enjoy the desert because there is much less hassle and there is often less junk nails etc. to dig. Easier for a rookie like myself and there is always that chance at a good find.





 

 
 

Just imagine all of the eroded slopes on our near empty gold country reservoirs now. Years of wave action removing the
top layers of soil and exposing...  THE GOLD!!!   The prospectors didn't really work these slopes. Get your metal
detectors tuned up. Get in your kayaks and go for the GOLD!!!

Lots of fishing sinkers to be found as well....

Am I just a wild-eyed nut or is this a once in a lifetime chance?

Here's a video of me out in the Arizona desert looking for meteorites before swarming bees chased me out of a dry creek bed.







 

Weve found some pretty cool stuff in the sand dunes in Marina. A couple army pins and lots of lead from the old army shooting range.. Mines A cheapy but really enjoy using it.

Made the mistake of going to sand mountain thinking thousands of peeps camping loosing stuff spent hours digging up burned garbage/cans 
Never done it again.

Just about to pull the trigger on a Fisher Gold Bug Pro.

John

I have a mid-range priced detector with 3 or 4 coils including a gold hunting coil.  I know nothing about using it other than playing around the low water marks at local lakes and picking up free fishing tackle.  Also have found a few musket balls around the Coloma area down stream from the Sutter's Mill.  Oh, and a few coins under the play grounds at parks. 

If you ever want company I'd be game to go.  I head to Nevada for dirt bike riding and considered hauling the detector in a back pack to really explore the mines I come across, but so far I've not done so. 

John, I've heard good things about the Fisher GB Pro. Very similar to my Tesoro LST as far as operating frequency. Both units are designed for gold but can do very good work on coins etc. as well.

Jerry, yep I bring the MD when I go to Nevada (Rye Patch etc.) I also bring a small gold nugget to baseline the tone. If you are sounding off on small lead split shots then you should be able to find a gold nugget if your coil swings over it.

Wilderneshunter, was that Sand Mountain over in Nevada (Highway 50 past Fallon?) I've driven by there and watched all those quads etc. racing up and down the hills. Amazing to watch.

FishMaster1, It's a great sport for a change of pace. And the cheaper units still work quite well in the capable hands of someone who knows what they're doing. I haven't done any general detecting in parks etc. yet but I have found several machine gun bullet clips in the Arizona desert. Hope you don't stumble onto an old Claymore Mine out there! 

Make it a combined Pyramid fishing trip and I am in. There are a lot of abandoned mines accessible with 2WD trucks north of Nixa.

Been at Melones and McCLure 8 weekends in a row and am watching things come up out of the water I have not seen in 20+ yrs.

I have been metal detecting off and on for several years now, mainly gold but some relics. I am not very good but really enjoy it. My latest detector is a Whites TDI Pro which is a pretty powerful PI and hits targets super deep. I really like it a lot but it is not a beginners detector. All I have been doing lately is fish fish fish! So I have been considering selling it on ebay but can't seem to part with it just yet.

I'll announce a hookup if I go over to Nevada. If there's any interest we can meet at the Cabelas in Boomtown (I-80) to get a Nevada fishing license and gear etc.

I stay in Lovelock when I'm at Rye Patch or Seven Troughs. Cheap rooms, small casino and a good breakfast. Interesting bar out by the Rye Patch dam with good pizza and Ruby Mountain Pale Ale. Just wonder how much water will be in the lake this year.

ppickerell, I've been to Pyramid once but didn't get a chance to fish for the Lahontans. Nice place. And it would be fun to bring the whole AI set-up but also increase the hassle factor. They have a LOT of rules there. Good trip for future reference. And with the kayaks we wouldn't have to bring ladders.   

Big Buoy, don't sell that TDI Pro! I almost bought one awhile back. Nice machine. Buy a small raw gold nugget to bring with you into the field for testing. Tape it to a poker chip and put it in the ground to test your settings. That way you KNOW that the machine will work for you in the ground you're on. This is a head game much like fishing. I know I get much more confident when my machine makes that nice, soft gold tone sound off the test nugget. Keeps me going when doubt taps me on the shoulder.