nuggethunting

Hello Bigfoot, Man, that's a great story!!! All I can say is that nugget was meant for you to find. Strange how things work out, but then again you or I ain't complaining. Sure looks like a good amount of gold on the specimen, but maybe not enough to keep her weighted down in the sluice box. What was the approx. weight of the gold/quartz specimen? Hope to hear more stories like this. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Uncle Ron, Congrats on the Vulture Nuggie! It's always a good feeling when you find a nugget in a new location. You just never know how big the area might be and how much potential it might hold. Wishing you the best of luck out there and hoping you're just on the edge of a good patch. P.S. Have you been back out to the spot I told you about? Take care, Rob Allison

Hello John, I sure wish I could make it. The last three outing I had a darn workshop class where I couldn't attend. What do you know, it fell on the outing weekend again! Just too far to drive for one day of hunting for me. Hope you all have a blast. Rob Allison

Hello MDavids, I would first like to say, Welcome to the Nuggethunting.com Forums! As for where to prospect, here in Arizona there are hundreds if not thousands of spots. I like to roam around different spots. I will spend a few weeks or even a month (on the weekends) hitting the same general area prospecting, but then will get bored of that spot and try others. During the winter season I like to hit the spots that are too hot to hunt during the summers months. During the summer months I normally hit the close spots, but sometimes will venture into the higher country for cooler temps. Where are you located? Talk with you soon, Rob Allison

Hello Guys, Thanks again for all the kind words! 29Prospector - The whole deal with Minelab is kind of strange. For years they never regulated the price, so dealers could sell a detector for $25 over their cost if they wished. However, once other dealers found out about this (word would always leak out) they would complain about the guy selling for nothing and get him removed as a dealer. Now being a Minelab dealer you can't sell below the MAP price, but you can toss in $500 worth of FREE accessories .... Go figure. For the customers it's great, but for the "real" dealers trying to make a business out of it, it's extremely tough. Hey, isn't it about time for that SD2200v2 metal detector? Just let me know. Big Ed - Thanks for the kind words. There's no doubt you purchased your fair share of products from me. Thanks a million for all the business and support. Hope you're still finding some good pieces with the Coiltek Platypus Searchcoil. Take care guys, Rob Allison

Hello Chuck, Thanks for the kind words. Girlfriend just called and said all the GP3500's I have in stock are probably sold. I'm sure hoping Kevin at Minelab can get me some more ASAP! I try to run packages that include stuff people will actually use. Not knocking some of the other specials, but I see stuff in the bundles that will never be used. Right now in my special I'm offering the latest and greatest Coiltek Li-Ion Battery System. I normally sell this system for $275.00, but FREE with the October Special. It must be a great special for customers, cause when I ran this special some time ago I couldn't keep a GP3500 in stock and it took several months to get them all in and shipped out. Coiltek has sold over 1,200 of these system so far. Talk about an amazing battery system. I showed one to a customer last week at Rich Hill and he called about 2 days later and said he "Had to have one!" Chuck, thanks for the purchase and I hope you get over some nice gold with your new Minelab detector! Take care, Rob Allison

Hello GoforGold, Congrats on the gold you found! Was looking forward to seeing what you found and the area. It sure looks like you're working the same type of gravels that 29Prospector Bob is working. I would seriously consider talking with him about pointers. From the looks of the gravel, you can see several layers, one very distinctive with larger cobbles. I would assume this layer is lying on top of the hardpack you're talking about, or maybe this layer is the hardpack. If possible, I would try to dig down to bedrock and sampling the layer(s) right on and above bedrock. Due to millions of years worth of erosion and agitation the best gold sometimes works it way down the "true bedrock" or even false bedrock that could act like a hardpack or hardpan layer. Heck, 36 grains is not shabby at all. I remember working a lot longer for a much smaller amount of gold! P.S. Are you using a drywasher? If not, I would seriously consider one to speed up production. Talk with you soon, Rob Allison

Hello Goforgold, Would love to see the pictures of the area and gravels. For the most part above the bedrock is the best gravels, but this doesn't apply for all locations. There are areas that have hardpack, clays and even false bedrock layers. Hope you do well out there. Keep us updated. Rob Allison

Hello Big Ed, Great hearing from you again. Well I believe I've been telling people that the Black Widow Headphones are the ones to get. However, it usually take a year or so until them come around! Normally by that time they regret it since they showed me all the hot spots. Haha .... You can't beat the Minelab GP3500, Coiltek Searchcoils and the Black Widow Headphones. This is one deadly combination for any goldfield. Looks like the Platypus is finding some nice ones over there for you. Congrats. P.S. Are you still interested in those accessories from awhile back? Hope everything is well, Rob Allison

Hello Randy, I've hiked just about every gold bearing Mountain range in Arizona with the Bates boots. They are excellent for hiking and have great traction. The boots are not snake proof, but if you wear the Snake Gaiters & Bates Boots in combination you're covered! I pretty much wear the Snake Gaiters year round (Summer and Winter). I always have the Gaiters in stock, but if you order the boots from Doc it's just as easy to get the Gaiters on the same order if you decide on them. Most of the "Snake Proof" boots I've seen are very heavy, uncomfortable, poor traction and are very expensive (as much as $250). A good friend that just recently got into detecting purchase a pair of the snake proof boots from Sportsman Warehouse. He said they are the most uncomfortable boots he has ever owned. He also mentioned they don't breath, so they were very hot to wear especially during the summer months. Since he wore them once, he wasn't able to return them ... Hope this helps a bit, Rob Allison

Hello All, What I forgot to mention was the fact I did run my GP3500 in "Normal/Deep" this weekend at Rich Hill. Now whenever it's deep ground this is my preferred setting unless the area is just known for very small deep gold. When it comes to hitting 1/4 ouncers and greater I'm convinced the "Normal/Deep" is slightly better and you get less background noise than "Sensitive/Deep." If I'm hunting very shallow ground or exposed bedrock I will change my settings to "Sensitive/Normal." I'm sure everyone has their own preference, but these settings on the GP3500 have kept the skunk. My favorite searchcoils are the Coiltek 14-inch Round Mono, Coiltek 17-inch Elliptical Wallaby DD Pro & the Coiltek Joey Mono. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Chris, Thanks for sharing the story. I really enjoy reading your nuggethunting stories from Northern California. When it comes to signal response, there are so many variables. There is a very good chance that the nugget was lying in a certain direction (slight angle) where you're only "seeing" a small percentage of the mass. Then when you changed swing positions you probably were "seeing" more of the nugget. This is a very common response with very flat, thin type gold nuggets. It's always a good habit to remove a few inches when it doubt and even change your swing 90 to 180 degrees to see if the response changes. Congrats on the great looking gold nugget! Rob Allison

Hello Doc, Very well said! We need to talk about the shirts. I would like to have some of them designed and will pay whatever your demand is. I guess that means hard earned cash and an invite on a gold expedition here in Arizona. I know I can get you over a nugget Doc, I know thousands of spots here in Arizona. However, I'm trying to find that special patch where I can share it with close friends. Talk with you soon, Rob Allison

Hello Guys, Doc - Why settle for second best? Coiltek products have been, are and will be the best around! Funny how people that didn't want anything to do with them several years ago are now banging on your front door! We both know who are selling more Minelab accessories and products here in the US and Australia. I'm just waiting for the new ... CrownKing Steve - Thanks for the kind words. When I started my business many, many years ago I told myself I was going to do everything in my power to become a very successful metal detector dealer. Success it not always measured in sales, but more so in customer support. I've supported my products and everyone that has purchased from me 110%. If there is something wrong, let’s get it resolved ASAP. People have asked me over the years, why don't you advertise? Well, in my opinion if I can treat one customer right he will spread the good news to more potential customers than any full-page ad could generate in any magazine. Just ask Minelab, I sell right at the same level as the big dogs that run all the ads in every prospecting magazine available on the market. My motto is to give the customers the “BEST” Service and they will be a customer for life. Give me the opportunity at your business and you will be very pleased. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Gaine, CrownKing Steve used to use a Tesoro Lobo and found gold with it, but now he's got the GP3500 and his girlfriend Kitty is using the Lobo. I think Steve is convinced that the GP3500 is superior after finding the first nugget under a ledge of bedrock. The detector shot right through the ledge and detected the 1.5 Dwt nugget underneath it. Skunks? Where ... I wear Skunk Repellent Take care, Rob Allison

Hey Grubstake, What's the deal with you letting Shep get the edge on you in the patch? Good to hear Shep scored a nugget at the patch. Looks like the patch is still producting some good nuggets. I'm just waiting to hear about the Monster Nugget one of these days. Hopefully it will be you that finds it. I'm sure all you guys had a great time. I finally was able to get over some more sizeable pieces besides the normal "Bradshaw Dinks!" Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Doc, I don't know that guy! He's scared you're going to come all the way down to Arizona and get skunked. It's hard enough to find a nugget let alone get my best pal (YOU) over a nugget. You like to detect naked, so I'm always pointing from the next hill. I would like to put an order in for 1,000 hats! I don't care what the competitors say about you, you're really an all right guy! Take care, Rob Allison

Hello All, Today Ohio, Leaverite, CrownKing Steve (forum name), Kitty and I met at the 24 Karat Gold Hunters Club Claims since today was the last day to hunt them before the pushes. With five of us hunting I knew at least a few of us would have to stumble onto some gold nuggets. We all pretty much took off in different directions in the morning. Within about an hour’s time I heard a faint target in the middle of a wash. I decided to investigate the target and removed several inches of material. After re-checking the target the response was much great. I dug all the way down to bedrock and uncovered a nice 6.8 Dwt nugget! Standing back up I recheck the hole and noticed there was another target about 2 inches away. It ended up being a 0.5 Dwt flat nugget. Later I hiked up the hill and met up with CrownKing Steve. Steve purchased a new Minelab GP3500 about a month ago from me. He was pretty much standing in an old patch, so I told him he needed to hunt the area slow with the GP3500 and Coiltek Joey Mono Searchcoil. Not more than about 30 minutes of leaving him there I heard a yell of excitement. Steve scored his first nugget with the Minelab GP3500. In this same area later in the day Steve scored another. Ya, I know I take people to gold bearing areas when they purchase detectors from me. Not the same old patch that has had the last 25 customers over it. Later I decided to do one last hunt up the side of the hill and scored a nice 2.9 Dwter wedged in a bedrock crack. At first I thought it might have been a hot spot in the bedrock, but luckily I dug some of it out and then the target started to scream. Ohio, Leaverite and Kitty were unable to score a nugget this trip. However, I know how it goes, next time it might be Steve and I with the skunk and the three of them with nuggets. I ended up with just over 1/2 ounce of nuggets and Steve ended up with 2 Dwt's total. Not too shabby for a new GP3500 detectorist. The (3) nuggets on the left are mine and the (2) on the right are Steve's. P.S. Met up with Elly again this week and I've been nominated to a board member of the club. My digital camera started to screw up again, so a couple of the pictures are pink again ... Had a great hunt guys/gals, lets do it again. Rob Allison

Hello Doc and All, There is no beating the Black Waterproof Bates Boots. If you're going to spend $3,000 - $4,000 on detector gear you better invest in a high quality hiking boot like the Bates. You're going to spend a lot of time hiking, climbing and roaming around on your feet you need to seriously consider the Bates. Some of the advantages of them are they are very lightweight, good traction pattern, comfortable, no metal, great ankle support and are 100% waterproof. I've seen guys purchasing the generic ones on different sites, but they are nothing like the original Bates. Anyone interesting in purchase a pair should contact Doc, but tell him I sent you! Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Doc, I pretty much encourage anyone looking to mount the unit on the side of the control box to purchase a "Coiltek Short Power Cord." For the ones that are going to keep the Li-Ion System in their backpack or hip pouch to consider the "Heavy Duty Coiltek Curly Cords." These are much stronger than anything on the market today and are about twice the thickness of any other power cord. On average I was going through about 3-4 stock Minelab Power Cords per year until the H/D Coiltek cord came out! Not knocking the stock ones, but the cord is much thinner and the rubber boots slide down and expose the tiny wires. Eventually the wires start to bend back and forth and break. Anyone looking for the Coiltek Short Power Cord, Coiltek Heavy Duty Curly Cord or the Coiltek Heavy Duty Straight Power cord can contact me through email - auplacers@yahoo.com or phone (623) 362-1459, I always have them in stock. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Grubstake, I would prefer people to order the boots directly from Doc. I don't stock the Bates boots, but they are the best "No Metal" detecting boots around in my opinion. I have went through about 4 pairs of them in the last 3-4 years. One pair will normally last the entire season. I like the new Black Waterproof ones. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello All, Doc is one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. When he puts his mind to something there's no stopping him. I just wish he would think about some more great prospecting stuff, like some super doober searchcoils! Anyone that has a PhD probably had to earn it! Take care, Rob Allison

Hello All, Digger Bob - Makes you wonder if you have missed faint targets in the past with the settings you run. I know for the most part I use "Sensitive" mode to find the dinks in shallow ground conditions or on exposed bedrock. The "Sensitive" mode really makes a difference on small gold. I have ran "Sensitive/Deep" and "Normal/Deep" over some of the same ground and really haven't found anything different in several patches that have good depth. However, now the questions is, "Are there more nuggets at depth even in the patch?" For the most part, I think you will have better results and wouldn't have to second guess yourself if you run "Normal/Deep" over the deep zones. Although, then you might miss some of the small nuggets at depth .... I've personally found some very sizeable nuggets at depth in the "Sensitive/Deep" mode, so I know it can punch down there. Qld Sandy - Thanks for joining the forums. Read your posts over on the Aussie forums all the time. Hope to see you posting here more in the future. Take care, Rob Allison

Hello Doc, I will have to take some pictures of the hat. Yes, it was also in with the shirt. Doc, is that your own hat design you made up? I noticed the tag says "Fatal Dog Street Wear" on the tag and has your address and information on it. There is also a web address, but haven't check it out. Here is the link if anyone wants to check it out - www.fataldog.com Thanks once again Doc! Rob Allison

Hello All, I don't even know how to say this, but I know it's more than I could ever ask for, "SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP." This is only a fraction of what Doc is to me. Over the years we have formed not only a great dealer/distributor relationship, but also a special friendship that could never be broken. I must say Coiltek couldn't have chosen a better person for the US Coiltek Distributor. Doc has taken care of all my needs as a dealer and every customer that has had a problem with something we sell. Well not to get off the subject, but today I noticed a package that arrived US Priority Mail. Once I took a glace at the package and felt the weight, I pretty knew what to expect. Knowing it was a package coming from Doc when I knew I didn't order anything within the last couple days .... Well low and behold I noticed a very high quality Polo Shirt and Baseball Cap along with a Birthday Card! Most would just think, well that's great someone thought about you and your Birthday and you got a nice shirt. Well, it's more than a shirt, as I noticed Doc had my "Rob's Detector Sales" Logo embroidered on the shirt below the Coiltek Logo. I've looked into having shirts done and embroidering is not cheap. Plus the fact when you have just one done it's more expensive. Plus the fact he added a really neat looking color and a gold nugget! Now I just have to figure out how I can convince him to get the "logo" to have others made. I'm pretty much speechless, so "THANKS A MILLION DOC!!" Check out my new Birthday present below. Rob Allison