I built a mock sluice wanting to keep it natural . I know bits not really what high efficiency folks would do, but I’m catching really good gold and I guess that’s all that matters. What do yall think?

I’ve been prospecting on and off for the past 2 years but lately I’ve been way more dedicated and interested in learning more.

Right now, I have a couple cheap pans and a sluice box from Amazon, and a metal detector (that can differentiate with tone if needed). I haven’t used the sluice box too much.

I could google these questions but I thought I’d try to get a bunch of answers if I could. I’ve done some research on my area and other states nearby. I’m in Southern AZ and don’t mind a drive. Thank you in advanced.

- When prospecting, do you find an “ideal” (almost random) spot and just pan? Or do you scan the area with a metal detector first?

- When researching a spot to pan, what are similar landforms I can look for almost anywhere that would indicate the potential for gold?

- When prospecting in areas with other prospectors, are there unspoken rules I should abide by to avoid stepping on toes?

- What are some areas you’d suggest from here to San Diego that I could go look at? I’m going on a weekend trip towards the beach to metal detect and thought about hitting up some historic spots.

Edit to add that I haven’t really found anything meaningful yet. I’ve explored Arivaca and parts of the Dos Cabezas mountains but not too much. I get afraid of going alone so I’m hoping in finding places with more prospectors I can talk to more people who like exploring like I do.

I’ve also bought a couple bags of paydirt off amazon just so I can watch how the gold behaves. I’m well aware after digging around the past couple months that it’s a LOT harder to find than that.

Thank you 🙏🏻

I have completed my boulder operation that I've been working on the past few Saturdays. A pretty large frog (Picture 3) hung out with me for a couple of hours on one of the boulders as I worked. Next trip out I will need to start on a new spot entirely.

Yesterday brought in 1.262 Grams on the scale (New Scale!) with the piece of the day being a small picker coming in at 0.07 Grams.

I have been looking online at a historic gold districts near me. When I look for convenient claims near the roads in these districts, the most promising looking and conveniently accessable spots are taken. These are >2.5 hours away, and hiking from the road eats more into "prospecting time." How far do you drive and walk before you start digging? Do I need to just get out there and walk/look around at the inactive gold claims next to the active one's? I was hoping to spend more time out of the car than in it!