Gold sluicing

[Girlsfishtoo]

Hey everyone anybody do this in alberta, where can a person camp and do this at the same time, and I've got my miners liesence I take it I can sluice any river in alberta ??

[troutbug]

Originally Posted by Girlsfishtoo

Hey everyone anybody do this in alberta, where can a person camp and do this at the same time, and I've got my miners liesence I take it I can sluice any river in alberta ??

There are rules to sluicing, better look them up.

[TimeOff]

This gets you started. You would be using a High-banker and pump, not a sluice, as sluice boxes are not permitted in waterway's in Alberta.
http://www.energy.alberta.ca/minerals/704.asp

Also need to find out when and where it is allowed per waterbody classification.
http://aep.alberta.ca/water/legislat...crossings.aspx

And if you dig a big hole, Make sure you fill it!

Don't forget to have a good shovel and pan as well. Test with you're pan until you find a good indication of "Color" around 50 or more specs of flour gold, then set up you're High-Banker.

It's a fun hobby, but don't expect to quit you're day job!

[Girlsfishtoo]

Mine is a high banker sluice with a pump yes but my question is who owns the river bank? Am I allowed to go sluicing on open rivers anywhere

[HalfBreed]

Maybe you should check if there is a forum for gold prospectors in Canada, and specify Alberta. Or use the search on this site for past posts. Good info either way.

[cccan]

scoot down to River Gold Supplies in Sherwood Park....the fellow there will help you out.

[D4l3k]

the best gold in alberta is in the north sask river around the Devon area

but there is gold in the Athabasca river too

alberta only has flour gold in its rivers, so make sure your sluice can capture the very fine gold, so if you think your going to get rich, you should get into a different hobby if you plan to sluice in alberta

here is some of my gold from the Athabasca river up by Smith last year, this is the stuff you can expect to get

[Red Bullets]

Your miners licence allows you to prospect any public land. You can lay a claim for only 2 weeks.

From the gov't website:
Before placer mining can be carried out within a city, town, village, park, recreation area or historic site, permission must be obtained from the appropriate administering agency. The placer miner must also get permission from a surface owner if access is not Crown land.

Geologists believe the most gold in the north saskatchewan river is between south of Stony Plain to Fort Saskatchewan. The McLeod river north of Peers is another place people focus on. My belief is gold is where you find it. That's how gold rushes start.

So you know... it takes about 144 shovels of gravel in a yard of gravel. You might find 5 or 10 dollars worth of gold in a yard. Lots of work ahead. Also remember that your sluice should not have more than a 3 inch grade over a foot or you will lose the gold you shovel. Have fun.

[KegRiver]

I used to pan for Gold while waiting for my hunters when I worked as a guide.
I also have a friend who sluices.

I don't know anything about the legal issues involved but I do know a bit about where one can pan or sluice for Gold.

I was told there is Gold in all rivers in Alberta. That is not true, but there does seem to be Gold in all of the larger rivers in the province.

To the best of my knowledge the North Saskatchewan has the best deposits.
I panned in the Peace River, there is gold in the river but it's very fine and there isn't a lot of it.

Back in the 1930s there was a dredge that worked the Peace close to the town of Peace River. I'm told it barely made enough to pay the men wages and it went broke after two years.

My friend sluiced the Peace for a few summers then moved to BC where he could make a bit of money with his sluice. Last I heard he was doing okay, making decent wages bit not getting rich.
He said he never even made expenses in Alberta.

BTW, my total for five hunting seasons of panning was about 1/10 of an ounce.

[1 eye]

I have run a highlander on the NSR under the bridge at Devon, plus there is a camp ground on the south side I do believe. Have found lots of flour gold, but you won't get rich, but it a great hobby. Also have found it in the Red Deer river. You can also go on the gold prospecting forum and find a lot of information, hope this helps.

[MrDave]

Originally Posted by Girlsfishtoo

Hey everyone anybody do this in alberta, where can a person camp and do this at the same time, and I've got my miners liesence I take it I can sluice any river in alberta ??

Between the banks is legal. Must have a settling pond. Stain the river water, you can be fined. Most rivers have closures limiting use. Digging into the banks is bad news, as Alberta Environment isn't liking the damage being caused.
Lots of campsites along the major rivers, that put you closer to the panning spots. North Saskatchewan River has lots of spots to camp

[Big Grey Wolf]

If you are looking for oil then prospect in Alberta. If you want silver go to BC, if you want gold go to Yukon. If not you will be as successful as the Hoffmans.

[HyperMOA]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

If you are looking for oil then prospect in Alberta. If you want silver go to BC, if you want gold go to Yukon. If not you will be as successful as the Hoffmans.

Don't be so negative, with just a pan and the little gold in the NSR anyone would be more successful than Todd Hoffman.

[Girlsfishtoo]

How the rules go for quading and camping along a river shore

[TBark]

Some I got from BC, chunky compared to AB river gold.

TBark

[Big Grey Wolf]

T Bark, nice pan still some gold left in BC, but most probably in Cariboo and Atlin.

[TBark]

Ya, that's from the Cariboo area.

TBark

[TheHotChili]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

If you are looking for oil then prospect in Alberta. If you want silver go to BC, if you want gold go to Yukon. If not you will be as successful as the Hoffmans.

Hahaha nice dig at the Hoffmans....but i do agree, incredibly inept...

[Red Bullets]

Here is some info to look thru regarding Alberta's gold. Probably the most in depth info I have found. Gives some ideas of where to seek gold.

http://ags.aer.ca/document/OFR/OFR_2011_01.PDF

http://ags.aer.ca/document/OFR/OFR_1985_11.PDF

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

If you are looking for oil then prospect in Alberta. If you want silver go to BC, if you want gold go to Yukon. If not you will be as successful as the Hoffmans.

Historically speaking of gold in Alberta, Alberta does have minable gold.
A quote from the publications I mentioned in my last post.

" Between 0.84 and 1.06 tonnes of gold were produced during the 100 years since 1887 (Tyrrell, 1915; Allan, 1920, 1924; MacGillivray et al., 1984). Activity peaked in 1898, when approximately 300 miners worked a 200 km stretch of the river centred on Edmonton and up to 12 dredges were in operation; 233.28 kg of gold were recovered between 1895 and 1897 (Morton and Mussieux, 1993; Edwards and Scafe, 1996). "

Presently Alberta produces up to 100 kg of gold per year. It is commercially extracted at one location, Villeneuve, from an old river channel they are mining for gravels.

[pikeman06]

Hey fish girl. From central alberta too. You gotta watch the size of water body and manage the silt you release as well. I prefer screen my stuff before I run it thru the sluice and rinse a lot of the silt out. There are seasons too. Give me a p.m if you want to tag along. I get lots of petrified wood and geMs tones and other neat things. Wicked hobby.

[TBark]

Total take over 3 seasons in BC, 7 grams, about $300 worth,
Didn't cover the gas of one trip, ha.
But it's fun to be out there.

TBark

[Big Grey Wolf]

The gravel producers at Villeneuve are washing high volumes of gravel to produce concrete sand without clay or coal. They end up with small quantity of gold byproduct similar to the Hoffmans from enormous tons of gravel.
Sherritt in Ft Sask also produces significant precious metals/ gold as byproduct from nickle/cobalt and copper production.

[neilsledder]

You can pan for good all you want with out a license, but can't sell it without a license. But if you have a sluice then you need a license and follow the rules.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Knot Rite]

Originally Posted by neilsledder

You can pan for good all you want with out a license, but can't sell it without a license. But if you have a sluice then you need a license and follow the rules.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I bet if had had some good I could get rid of it without a license.

Bobby

[cgs01]

Originally Posted by HalfBreed

Maybe you should check if there is a forum for gold prospectors in Canada, and specify Alberta. Or use the search on this site for past posts. Good info either way.

General Gold Prospecting Forum
http://gpex.ca/smf/

Hubby's been panning/sluicing the NSR for decades. This is the site he goes to.
He also suggested that maybe you, Girlsfishtoo, could do a day with us this summer. We are kindred spirits, I fish too.

Later.
cgs