California high banking!

I'm heading out to Sacramento early October and am looking for suggestins as to places to go public or with permission.  If need be just some general places.  I was thinking of hitting jamestown gold mine in Jamestown CA.  Has anyone heard of this place?  If so, should I check it out or are there better locations.  Thanks for any help...     wesley goodnight

Jamestown mine?The mine is private property,and everything aside from a little piece at the 108 bridge is claimed up

Jamestown mine?The mine is private property,and everything aside from a little piece at the 108 bridge is claimed up

Kuger,

I appreciate the heads up on that.  Fortuanately I have already called out and talked to the owners and they are going to let us come out for three days.  I was basically asking for other places that we could check out if Jamestown didin't "pan out".

Wow!I didnt realize they were allowing people in there,thats uncommon.Last I heard the mining corp still owned the land....I do know it has been a big thorn in the side of the county on what to do with it.You will have to be sure and get by Ironstone Vinyards  in Murphys to see the "Jamestown",nugget.My uncle worked there when that was found.If you have an in I would prospect the heck out of the bordering Woods creek(by the sanitation plant if its included in the mine property)Other than that its pretty tough to find a place that isnt claimed up or private property,most landowners are apprehensive to let you in to mine there property unless you have an in which it sounds like you do.....heck I would spend the majority of my time detecting the Mine if I could!!!Good luck.

Just a heads up that according to a member of "public land for the people" the wording of the California anti-dredging legislation also includes high-banking.....any motorized equipment you risk being fined and having your high-banker confiscated.

  STUPID URBAN LEGEND-CALL CDFG AND THE TRUTH WILL SET YA FREE-it's legal as long as you don't dredge and filthy water has a catch basin/hole to drop out most of the solids-John 

I will actually have a highbanking charter for that private claim and will definitely set up IAW the "rules" set forth by the Governator.  I'm not really worried about that as much as all that gold we're going to find.   I just hope the water is up by mid October.  The Sierra's should be raising the creeks by then. I will post the pics of the tons of Au we'll be pulling in so everyone can share in the fun. In the words of the Governator, "Asta La Vista Baby".

That is good news. I apologise for the misinformation.  I was repeating information that was given during my local prospecting club meeting.  I did try to look up the actual SB and any info on the CDFG website and it does appear that all wording is specific to dredging.  So, as long as anyone writing the citations knows the difference between a dredge and a high-banker we should be OK.

Good lookin' out John...

Thanks,
Brian.

The county of Tuolumne owns the mine. Their are private owners on the outskirts but the actual mine was given to the county by the corporation that used to own it because they were not going to clean it up or find anyone else willing to do it. I work for the Tuolumne county probation department and have to take a crew out there to clean up every now and then. The craziest part is that there is a lined pond out there where a lot of the tailings were dumped with the plan to pull the gold out at a later date. This never happened and now I have to look at that thing knowing i can't go in it. Believe me though I am trying.

The county spent an incredible amount of time and money cleaning up out there and have a person that lives there to "keep the water balanced" and report trespassers.

goldfever, are you going with miner john on his claim? It is very close to the mine and has some good gold.

goldfever, are you going with miner john on his claim? It is very close to the mine and has some good gold.

I am actually meeting up with another member out there who has set up the charter for us.  I don't know how much longer I can wait.  I'll be dredging in NC until time to head to CA.  It's been awhile since I've been to the West Coast and my fiance has never been so we're ready to go.  We'll be camping in a tent for four days and cooking all our food by fire. WOOOOOOOO!!!!

    PARTY ON AND ALWAYS BRING THE WOMEN-tons a au 2 u 2-John

    PARTY ON AND ALWAYS BRING THE WOMEN-tons a au 2 u 2-John
[/quote

The only thing better than finding a gold nugget is motorboating a pair of boobies!!

Goldfinger,
What ever happened on your trip to California? Jamestown mine? I live near Jamestown and have friends who own property there where I metal detect. Just like to hear the rest of the story.

my oldest son's best friends family ownes 40 acres in plumas, ca. and according to him it has not been worked as long as they have owned the property. has a cabin and a stream running through the property. the property has been in the family for nearly 50 years and told my son that i would like to spend a week there and check things out.
question, i know ca. has put the brakes on dredging [ for now ] and some folks say that you can high bank and some say that that you can not. would like to get the correct info. if anybody can give it to me. thanks very much and i appreciate any and all in-put.  take care out there      ron

I'm not dredging in California, but, what I don't understand is - how do you do any kind of dredging (even into a basin) if they are not issuing any dredging permits?

Thanks,

B

mrs. oro, instream suction dredge permit.300 feet from active waterway not considered instream.thus dredge permit not pertinant.was at the redding dfg eir scoping meeting,the only non-redundant thing that mr stofer(rymes with gofer)said was that this would still be considered legal.he referred to this method as booming.i just call it highbanking.as if i am 300 feet from a creek around here,i would be high up on a hill.may just have a place to give this a try though.my claims are mainly canyon claims,so when i go 300 feet away, i am 100 feet above the creek.hard to boom on a 60 degree slope who knows,maybe this ban will force us to think outside the box,and cause us to find overlooked/ignored deposits.got any puppys for sale?

CDFG website has the info-highbanking(dredging)300' from a creek/stream is absolutely 100% totally,unequivically legal-even the scum suckn' dog Stopher was forced to admit it in the illegal public meetings. Dredging,as codified, is the operation of a INSTREAM SUCTION DEVISE--THATS ALL. You pump/pipe/or build a huge catchment for rainwater and awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa you go all nice and legal like-I'm having a ball and the gold is soooooooooooooooooo much better-albeit a mite cold-but at $1,050+ I'll persevere in my nice warm and toasty wetsuit---John

yeah hoser, my wallet says recirculate,but my heart tells me to drive up to armadillo and buy another big honda pump.and run clean water through my cliffside highbanker hole.will need some 2inch hose as well.sigh hope ya knockem dead.

i have 2" firehouse,maybe 100' each.this is the real-firehouse,not plastic-or cheap.very tough and durable.would be willing to trade.

Patches,

So, are you saying that you don't need a dredging permit to highbank that far away from the stream?  And they don't bit*h about water going back into the river - in that particular case?

Thanks,

B

By the time any water can travel that far it's cleaned up pretty well and a few lil'ol'pools settles everything out completely. I'm not within a mile of a creek/river/stream so no matter. Just a bone dry canyon i've detected on private property for 5 years or so. Worked many hours cleaning up the canyon and decided to utilize mother natures bounty to get'r'done's all--and I must admit it's a sweet thang to stick it to the man--never got to say that in 60 years,and CDFG has earned it-DREDGE FREE KALIF-John

hi mrs o, has always been a matter of turbidity.as i interperate the regs,is permissable for a highbanker to discharge directly to creek,if the creek is not muddied up much.of course that is rarely possible,because most bank materials have a lot of clay which leave a long plume.but were i skimming a gravel bar for flood gold would not hesitate,as most of that gravel is pretty clean.settling ponds,in series if necessary work quite well.a certain amount of turbidity is permissible.measured in parts per million,not sure of the exact amount.there are no specific laws about highbanking in cali,other than turbidity.its at the judgment of the operator to keep things clean.we are cleaning up our claims,removing all sorts of iron trash,lead,mercury,etc.when working bank materials,i dont want to move any material into the creek,as i expect/hope to be dredging there soon.old ground sluice flumes,properly dammed with cobbles make fine settling pools.and by moving those cobbles,may find a patch or two with the md.

Thanks Patches63,

So, you wouldn't even need to apply for a dredging permit, correct?    (we have highbanked in California, but never even thought about getting a permit), but, never dredged, mostly because of all the regs they had on when, where, how, size, blah, blah blah (as with most California things).

B

no, no permit required for an actual highbanker.whether streamside or hundreds of feet from water.what john and i were referring to above is a little different.the cali dredge permits issued until the alameda injunction were for instream suction dredging.after arnold signed sb670,dredges were illegal within 300 feet of any active watercourse.booming or using suction devices further than 300 feet from water has never been regulated in ca.viable deposits that distance from water are harder to find.but there are some.not just a deposit,but a deposit workable with that method.(booming)highbankers are usable most anywhere.the discharge water can be run back into the stream,but must not carry solids with it.(turbidity)good luck.

I understand the turbidity and solids issue, completely - I worked as a Water Treatment Plant operator for P&G - my questions were because, in some personal emails, etc., people have told me that the suction dredge laws include my highbanker, so I was wanting a little clarification.

I do not, personally, think that California should be banning it - actually, I even have an issue or two with them even putting out permits, rather than just controlling WHEN someone can dredge.  These environmentalists have everyone in their grasp convinced that turbidity and solids are detrimental - and they can be during a certain point (like spawning), but after spawning, and during other times, roughing up the water with elements that are natural (like dirt) is actually beneficial to many, many species of fish - it turns up food, softens spawning beds and allows easier access to oxygen-rich water along with tiny elements (like algae and other things) that new fish have to have.

I am certainly against dyes and chemicals being dumped directly into the water, but, unless you are a huge operator, most dredge operations do not make enough turbidity to cause any problems with anything.  Even in the Federal laws for large firms - it is a really high number for it to be an issue. 

Pretty soon we will be like parts of Canada (Yukon) - take all the water out you want, but don't put any back in.  Stupid.

B

Ms O-Your highbanker cannot be used as a dredge INSTREAM and thats the difference. Moving water of coarse and CDFG has codified the highbanking rules and are available from CDFG website. Patches--I learned a good lesson yesterday-the bears are NOT asleep--munched my dredge hose and mashed my headerbox sunday night,bummer--no mo' flair crash no where?? Isn't there any dealers left in We?? Called all the keene distbs and 0--keene no mo' either?? Any 2 1/2" boxes around?? 4" ready to go now but water(clean) never lasts for more than a few days bud-COLD here last night--W???John

seems to me i saw one on a craigslist posting.can't remember what state but i believe it was cal.

far as i know, the keene boyze are making the big boy stuff for export,africa, phillipines etc.am sure they could supply small stuff for us here,but when did they last fabricate a crash box?would be a local job.will keep my internet eyes peeled.hope you whup that bears ass.member i was telling you about bacon grease+ac/dc?lightemup

winter early 09, left my remote claim for 3 weeks.triple trashbagged my 4horse honda pump,stacked a thin layerof cobbles over it.something nobody would mess with.upon return,bear scat,upside down pump.bags in tatters.bears conditioned to seek/destroy trash bags.no matter whats in em.all bears are trash bears.engine upside down=siezed up/cylinder full of oil,nowhere to go.no gold that day.lesson learned,no more trash bags.

Hey, now, Patches,

2 big inflated tires and a 2 x 12 tying them together, and putting everything on top, makes my highbanker a good dredge!

 


B

  get r done MS O and party on     John

i have 2" firehouse,maybe 100' each.this is the real-firehouse,not plastic-or cheap.very tough and durable.would be willing to trade.
hey strickman,what would be the $ amount value,shipped however convenient,to 96024?am very interested.how many 100 foot sections are for sale?love that double lined firehose.already have 800 feet inch and a half firehose,but need more volume. tx

If you all really think about what you are talking about and the nature of the discussion in some ways are paving the way and giving reasons for the forces against us the mining community to formulate an assault on high-banking.  It wouldn't be surprising if some of the fodder here is bait and you all are eating it up.  Hope I am wrong but think about it.

you must be reading in this too deep ...they are using firehose to pump water on dry ground for puddle jumpin.and running high banker.with retention ponds (i'm sure).not hurting the hobby.just thinking outside the box.trying to help-people oppressed by the governator.some are doing this miles away from any water way.on thier claims.totally legal.

well buck,i had given that some thought.as am sure these sites are watched.but they cannot include these activities under the 670 eir process.as only instream suction dredging specified by the bill.sure,they have tried to trail it on already during closed door discussions.but the wording of the bill requiring the eir was specific.POSSIBLE deleterious effects of instream suction dredging upon adramous fish populations.close enough.notice i capped the word possible.meanwhile,krook clan,too few to be a tribe,thus no rez,thus no fishing rights,will continue the illegal slaughter of many thousands of salmon per year.with full complicity of the state/fed. what we need is a string of casinos,and lobbyists passing money around. highbanking,fishing,and hiking should be safe for a few years.if done responsibly.even metal detecting looks shaky long term.times change.enjoy today

I will be posting a Primer-LEGAL DREDGING IN THE LITAGEOUS STATE OF KALIF. Patches nailed it right on the head. There are of coarse bloggers,trollers and many forms of lowlife scanning all posts all the time. This is just a nice little dig at the bloody lying dog who has deliberately failed to properly run a EIR. How can anything be bad for a industry that doesn't exist in any form legally both JUDICALLY AND LEGISLATIVELY--what a laugh. TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LATE-your rights have been sold down the river by the carpetbaggers,just like this once great nation is being systematically looted and ruined too. 37 years a constantly maintaining your rights and a couple a years of taking care of my life and family and IT'S ALL GONE--John 

Tesify,,,brother!!!

patch,

aha!(glug,glug,glug) how long strick?

1oo' feet,    2"  hose

 Mine is many many years old and it works just fine. Most important issue with canvas hose is properly drying,NEVER store wet--keep out of the sun whenever possible--and have some fun!!!!!!!!!!!! RECLAIMANATE------tons a au 2 u 2 -John 

hit paydirt on craigslist yesterday.brand new,300.00

nice!  you got the pump?   

err no. pump not included.keene sells the combo hopper alone for 295 i think.plus tax and shipping.it was on redding craigslist,hour away,but the seller was five miles up the road from me.son of a guy i have known thirty years.didnt change the price,but i got a kik out of it anyway.sold one,bigger model 3 months ago.been using a g-1 banker for a year,bit slow for me.this new one,sitting next to the g-1,run em both off a gated y ,6.5 honda/p-180 pump.should work well,bout 170 gpm for both.maybe get something done.happy birthday johny cash

i have an old gold king,dredge that needs a pump and motor.thinking of converting it to a highbanker. :icon_scratch:but not really wanting to shovel that much.but it would be great for tailing piles and bench gravels.

Darn Patches ya beat me to the punch again. Glad ya jumped as 1 heck of a deal. After talking with many MANY folks about my little legal primer I've decided not too. The stinkn' cdfg/bloggers/trollers would DEFINATELY use it against us and why help the lying dogs bury highbanking too. So I will only release to folks I've know for years or by reputation. I have never done anything to harm mining and after 38 years a fighting for miners rights it's not time to screw up--so I err on the side a caution--and will be HIGHBANKING    tommorrow when the sun shines-tons a au 2 u2 -John

hmm just saw this reply john,yeppers,time fer say nuthin,but saw wood.was a great idea that primer,ya must be decended from generous folk.but hard times=hard measures.if the peeps been listening here,ya gottem well primed anyway :notworthy:am improving my water system/increasing storage,when done will recommence bedrock ops at pump water far cafe.not too rich, but good anger control outlet.time fer me ta shut up an dig. arrooooo.

    GODS COUNTRY THE TRINITYS' ARE--keeping the hands busy mining in any form sure runs them lousy winter,and antimining ,blues away--tons a au 2 u 2 -John LOWTONE MUFFLERS FROM BRIGGS REDUCES YOUR NOISE 50% AND SUPERLOWTONE 80%   

plan b. rrrrr no clink.

was hiking a claim yesterday,had six of my eight chihuahuas with me.was gps ing hose lenghts/head losses/elevations.at a optimal streamside pump location,was waiting for the satelites to load.the creek was a muddy flooding mess,would not care to fall in myself.hearing a splash,i eventually turned and saw one of three 5 month old pups,(star) being swept rapidly downstream.winter born,she had never been in the water.she was looking me right in the eye,already 100 feet away and then out of sight.after two hours of fighting briars and abusing my voice box,gave up and went home.while composing my whoops,kinda lost a dog toay speech,yeah right,kids will understand.star was already there,shivering and pretty pissed that i had not showed up already.how a 3 pound doggy does that is beyond me.would post a pic of her,but them mutts ate my multi-card.guess i will call it a training day.all is well when ends well. luck

  YAHOO A--never underestimate the power of a rat dog. My Mom had them nonstop for at least 50 years by photos. Most loyal tough as steel lil'ol'yappy alarm dogs ever!! As you well know. Lookn' forward to coming out for a visit as soon as I cough up this lung and WOOHOOO under a 100 this am. Looks like we could throw in a couple a 8"ers with water to spare and ungodly intense storm yesterday about washed our butts off the hill and I know things have been BAD in the ville too-take care/stay dry and luv them lil'ol'dogs-tons a au 2 u 2 -John 

tx john,that puppy was giving me the old thanks a lot,jerk,look.or,the why dont you do something?! look. or,deleted you,and your minig claim look. she was down the chute and gone before i could register.was sure she was toast.yeah,fer sure a good 5,probly a real 6.like with footvalve thru starboard pontoon.and a raker in a bikini.100 not good.grapefruit juice.luck.

Doesn't the spark arrester cut back on the noise also?  I know ours seems to muffle it more. (though it also seems to slightly lower power, too).

B

Low tone mufflers from briggs brings'm w-a-y down and by doing away with the higher pitch the sounds just die a quick death and MUCH easier on the ears in a canyon too     -John

Hey patches63, what are the chances of getting you tp post some pics of how your header box is built on your highbanker??  Still looking for ideas on one I'm going to build.

hmm, my hoppers right now are pretty boring.stock keene,and us prospector stuff.trying to get a hop/head done for my 16 inch box.all bankers have one prob.i solve by running an 8' wood flume from dig site to crossmember atop stock hopper.results dissolved clay,classified heavies.like how a suction noz hose sorts compared to a power jet when dredging fines.length=$.or so said a stupid porn star.i design hoppers everyday,in my head.but suck at welding.heres a kali storeboughten hopper i like.luck to ya.

btw, we had just lopped off 12 inches of box,to work high river flow.i cut off the extra carpet before the battle.aye.

uhhh, not too modest.heres me,barking up wrong tree.word.

lance ak,heres some header pics,took this am with a laptop webcam.dogs chewed my multi-card,havent been able to upload new pics.this newer keene combo header has an adjustable grizzly(angle)is also easily removed for dredging.only big issue now,the 2.5 hose inlet is undersized,as in hose over flange tube,outdated setup.will have to enlarge the hole,and eliminate the tube adaptor.who needs plugups.hope these load up ok.