any tips on beach/river/lake hunting?

thedetectorist

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Apr 14, 2021
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so im pretty new to metal detecting and was hoping someone could give some tips on beach/river/lake hunting, haven't found any gold yet but have found titanium
 
Fresh water?? Salt Water?? Machine used General location?? The different areas require different methods of detecting.
 
... The different areas require different methods of detecting.

Yes. And not all "beaches" have the same potential for goodies. Some are just industrial, or fishing beaches only. With no swimming, or recreational type sunbathing, ball-playing, etc....

And I notice he lists "rivers" for one potential type of "beach". As such, be aware that even though some rivers might have swimming/recreation, yet be aware that the sand, on rivers, might be boom & bust cycles. Eg.: raging high-water torrents in the rainy season, and calm placid during the summer , etc... Such that whatever "beach" you're looking at NOW, was NOT the same beach that was there a year earlier. Sand comes and go with the seasonal wash-outs.
 
Rivers around here are in a constant state of flux! River resort beaches are here today and gone tomorrow due to flooding. Shallows become holes, and holes turn into riffles. Resort owners rebuild their "beaches" several times per season because it all gets washed down river, along with any potential finds. GL and HH!
 
Went to Clearwater, FL two years ago with my Teknetics Eurotek. It seemed most of the town beaches had been recently reworked, cleaned, sifted, rebuilt. I didnt find squat except for some recently dropped coins, sunglasses, etc. There was one untamed little beach in a tiny town park where I found like 8 coins, but again...they were all no more than 20 or 30 years old, and more like only 10. Personally, I would eventually like to find a PI detector for beach use. I dont care if I have to dig alot of sand. FYI, I just scored a new Simplex today. I think that and a modestly priced PI would make a great beach couple!

I think beaches have been hunted so much by people with with high-end VLF, you're going to need PI to find what they missed, at least if you're looking for old stuff. I think in many obvious hunting grounds the good stuff is going to be down deep. Occasionally quirky weather and time itself churns up new finds from the depths, or buries new stuff...but mostly the old stuff will be deep...and one doesnt need an $800 detector to find rings that were just lost a few months ago. Any decent gold ring within 5" is going be a solid hit, IMO, with most detectors intermediate and above. As long as you're using a 14khz or above machine, anyway. A 19khz single freq machine is a good choice if you dont have a Nox, IMO again.

But anyway I echo what Huckleberry was saying: Beaches are usually truly in a state of constant flux, and commercial beaches have the added parameter of being cleaned and re-sanded. They have guys periodically dragging screens behind tractors and ATVs in those places! Sometimes I wonder what those guys bring home without even needing a detector! I havent seen ANYTHING written about that online. Must be a guarded secret. I wonder if there are things about that process and the people involved that would be useful to know.

It would be interesting to drop a tiny pinging transmitter on a beach in the tidal zone, that would be similar to a large coin in size and weight...and monitor its movement over an entire month. I'd be curious if the tendency would be more to get buried, migrate wildly around between surf and turf...or be pulled further and further out to sea.
 
Beach hunting is a whole different realm. Intimately knowing that beach and its patterns can be a major task, but well worth it in the end. Things such as does it wash out more from a winter storm, or a summer one? What direction did the wind come in from and what direction produces the best results? You want to find what areas typically have the least depth of sand before you hit your hardpack layer (clay, rock etc) where targets come to rest. Always look for the "cuts", where water has come up and cut out a channel into the surrounding sand. Also check the dips and shallows.
Not hunting the water? Where is the "towel line"? (watch and observe peoples habits and how they use the beach) Is there an area where people usually set up a volleyball court or other activity area? What are the access points into and out of the area? Where are the choke points where traffic gets funneled into a tightened area.
These are just a few of the things to consider for beach hunting. River hunting is totally different. My local creeks/rivers wont let me use a sand scoop; too many big rocks so I have to resort to a lesche hand digger. But my water is super dirty, so it makes it harder to hunt deep areas if I'm digging by hand. Also loses visibility to see where my coil is (some orange tape on the coil can help some). If youre hunting blind, use the pinpointer to center your target, then slowly bring your scoop up until you touch the back of the coil and begin your scoop dig there. A floating sieve/screen set up is useful. Take your scoop and dump it in the sieve to sift it. Or just run your pinpointer over the pile in the sieve and find your target. Turn it over to dump that load and you're ready for the next scoop and target.
If you scoop your target up and have tones of dirt/sand clay in your scoop, you and dont have a floating sieve, you have to sift everything in your scoop, meaning you are grinding your target against all the stones, gravel, shells etc that are also in your scoop. Far faster and easier to use a floating sieve. Plenty of designs to be googled using pvc pipe, kids foam floaties etc. Simple and cheap. There are tons of other tips and ideas to use for water hunting and each style will have its own nuances. Plenty of books on water hunting to learn more, and each time you go out and "fail" at some aspect, it teaches you where you need to learn more to improve your game. Read books, keep posting questions on forums, read forum replies from prior posts and learn by doing. If you're looking for gold, I would check out the forum by Steve Herschbach (not sure I can mention the name here or not, but a search will find his forum for those who want to be both detector and prospector)
 
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