How to at water's edge?

Seaking406 · Mar 13, 2019

Quick question and hopefully quick answer but this one has bugged me several times.. I normal don't hunt at the water's edge for various reasons (freezing water or rough surf) but on my last trip to the Panhandle, PCB area, I hit a big target at the water's edge that caught my attention. I'll dig anything to learn what the signal is giving me. This one was in the high 20's if I remember correctly. Armed with the NOX 600 and pin pointer and shovel, I could dig the hole, scoop out the sand and toss it to the shore but the waves kept sweeping in refilling the hole before I could get much out of it. The detector kept telling me the target was still in the hole but nothing I could do would get me to it. The pin pointer would rattle off as soon as I put it in the hole before the next wave flowed over it. After a while I had to abandon the hole.. still bugs me not knowing what might have been down there (most likely garbage?)..

In ankle deep water, waves coming up another foot over the top, how would you successfully get to this target?!

Bayoutalker · Mar 13, 2019

I would like to hear this too. We had it happen to us a couple of weeks ago.

Cliff

Charly-in-CT-RI · Mar 13, 2019

My guess the bottom of an aluminum can and it was down around 15 to 20 inches.

If you are using a scoop, you need to dig faster...it happens to me all the time.

Mud-puppy · Mar 13, 2019

Trying to dig a target in fast close waves and rip currents?...Its Just like Comedy,............... Its all about Timing!............. :laughing:

By that I mean, sometimes is simply impossible to try to hunt those zones, so a guy has to try to be there just when the waves begin to slack and before the sand begins to slump...Not easy, sure the webcams and the Windfinder sites sort of help a guy TIME a hunt on a certain stretch that you know should be blown out to the hardpack based on the angle of the incoming waves and wind, but its not a guarantee....It takes knowing a beach and how it reacts, and that takes study of it and experience....

Sometimes a guy drives all the way out there and takes one look and turns around to go someplace else until the TIME is just perfect! Sometimes a guy only gets a few hours to work a treasure heavy down to the hardpack blowout...6hrs later its under 2' of slumped in sand...Its frustrating...But it does payoff every once in a while so a guy gets intrigued on how to better time a place for full benefit, and know when its a waste of time......

Sometimes, at certain places, the Primo targets are only exposed one short span of time in 50yrs...So if you are there when that happens, it makes up for all the wasted times...."The right Man in the right Mind, in the right Place at the right Time!" Thats the ticket... Beach/water/surf Hunting is TOUGH duty and tough to Time!! It aint funny at all...Webcams and Windfinder.com...

Bayoutalker · Mar 13, 2019

We don't see those kinds of shorelines here on the upper Gulf coast. I wish we did.

Cliff

FelixtheCat · Mar 13, 2019

Charly-in-CT-RI said:
My guess the bottom of an aluminum can and it was down around 15 to 20 inches.

If you are using a scoop, you need to dig faster...it happens to me all the time.

X2!

Mud-puppy · Mar 13, 2019

Bayoutalker said:
We don't see those kinds of shorelines here on the upper Gulf coast. I wish we did.

Cliff

I dont know if you want this or not.....it you look closely at pic 1 and pic 3, especially off in the distance background you can see they were taken from the same spot...this place here is one frustrating location.

zeemang · Mar 13, 2019

Use a good sandscoop, keep on digging until you get it even if that means digging while in the water. Deep targets like that are usually cans, if you can pick your coil up off the ground and wave it and still get a signal a good foot off the deck it is probably a can...

Bayoutalker · Mar 13, 2019

Mud-puppy said:
I dont know if you want this or not.....it you look closely at pic 1 and pic 3, especially off in the distance background you can see they were taken from the same spot...this place here is one frustrating location.

I hear you but at least you get sand moving. Here the beaches are flat with not a lot of wave action except during storms. On an average day waves are rarely more than 1-1.5' and that doesn't move a lot of sand.

Cliff

OBN · Mar 13, 2019

You can scoop faster if you choke up on the scoop also, kicking the sand out of the scoop as you go...then the sand that has filled the hole is much softer and less dense so you are able to push the scoop deeper and faster. Just takes time to learn. And for sure I have lost targets in the surf, so it's not a easy task for anyone.

Also,..
As you get better at sizing targets with your detector you will walk away from a few, knowing it was junk after about 3..quick scoops then a check with the coil....in between incoming waves.

Seaking406 · Mar 13, 2019

zeemang said:
Use a good sandscoop, keep on digging until you get it even if that means digging while in the water. Deep targets like that are usually cans, if you can pick your coil up off the ground and wave it and still get a signal a good foot off the deck it is probably a can...

That's the one tool I don't have, a sand scoop on a pole.. I don't know if it was a deep target or not (suggesting junk or a can) because the hole kept filling up preventing me from getting down with my spade.

I kept the coil just above the water and then underwater and I think I remember it being the same signal strength.. I don't know enough about the NOX 600 or tide water hunting to know what to make of this. I will have to check this out with more detail next time it happens up here in the Great White North..

Thanks for all the info provided by all the respondents.

Cheers

brncofan · Mar 13, 2019

a shovel wont cut it need a scoop that would help alot i think

Seaking406 · Mar 13, 2019

brncofan said:
a shovel wont cut it need a scoop that would help alot i think

I'm getting that deep feeling that a scoop will soon be on my want list.. hard to acquire when all I'm finding are pennies

One thing I did notice watching others using long handled scoops is that they drag it behind them.. At first I thought 'what laziness!' but after chatting with one user, she let me know that it's a good way to mark where you've been by the drag marks, etc. My short handle spade is to short to drag and needs to have the shovel head behind my back lest the coil pick it up on a swing.. sensitive!

Thanks for all the info.

Surf Master · Mar 13, 2019

Monday Night

Gave up on 2 holes , water's edge , it's a battle, and yes you will think of what it was, moving on to other target's is an option for me, sometime's those kind, just ware you down, one of those hole's had a low tone id #10 , i was thinking gold, so i gave it extra , than gave up, 15 to 20 scoop's your done

One that i didn't give up on was a bottle cap, happy hunting Earl

Bayoutalker · Mar 13, 2019

Seaking406 said:
I'm getting that deep feeling that a scoop will soon be on my want list.. hard to acquire when all I'm finding are pennies

One thing I did notice watching others using long handled scoops is that they drag it behind them.. At first I thought 'what laziness!' but after chatting with one user, she let me know that it's a good way to mark where you've been by the drag marks, etc. My short handle spade is to short to drag and needs to have the shovel head behind my back lest the coil pick it up on a swing.. sensitive!

Thanks for all the info.

The other reason to drag the scoop is that they are heavy. You really don't want to carry it around all day.

Cliff

Seaking406 · Mar 13, 2019

Bayoutalker said:
The other reason to drag the scoop is that they are heavy. You really don't want to carry it around all day.

Cliff

So my initial thought of 'lazy' wasn't too far off

I'm sure I'll be dragging mine if I get one lol BUT not because I'm lazy.. I'm just marking my path so I don't get lost.. that's me story and I's be sticking to it..

Cheers

ScubaDetective · Mar 13, 2019

You scoopers have all the fun. I almost got seasick watching OBN's video. I like my water smooth with little movement.

Bayoutalker · Mar 13, 2019

Seaking406 said:
So my initial thought of 'lazy' wasn't too far off I'm sure I'll be dragging mine if I get one lol BUT not because I'm lazy.. I'm just marking my path so I don't get lost.. that's me story and I's be sticking to it..

Cheers

That marking the path excuse is pretty good. I'll have to remember it. In the mean time I'm just conserving energy. [emoji3]

Cliff

Bayoutalker · Mar 13, 2019

Bayoutalker said:
We don't see those kinds of shorelines here on the upper Gulf coast. I wish we did.

Cliff

Here are some pictures of our beaches.

Cliff

Seaking406 · Mar 13, 2019

Whiners... sigh

For all thems who are saddened by not having nice beaches near them, ya gots nuttin to be moaning about, my friends

Some have it worse! Just kidding, we do have lovely beaches out here in Nova Scotia.. we're just trying to discourage them yanks from coming up here and finding everything

How to at water's edge?

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