Gold prospecting at Doc Rogers Field:
Well, for those of you that are looking for a nice place to pan, sluice or dredge, Doc Rogers field, in Coker Creek, Tn., and on Coker Creek, is a great starting point.
On most warm weekends, you will find a few other prospectors out there. There is plenty of gold for panning and dredging.
It has fairly easy access, once you realize where it is.
It is not well marked, at all.
If you travel south from Tellico Plains, or north from Ducktown, you will get to the small town of Coker Creek.
You will only know you're there because on the east side of the road, you will see a set of shops, and a post office. There is a snack shack, and a small store.
Once you find this, you are less than a half mile from Doc Rogers field. The shops are sitting on a road that slants off to the southeast from the highway. Follow that road less than 1/2 mile. Keep an eye open for a small dirt trail/road (sometimes the grass is high) that goes off to your left. There are small round posts on each side.
Follow that road back a couple of hundred feet, and it turns left and has a nice large turn around and parking area. I have even seen some people camp out there.
You know you missed the road/path if you cross the creek. So, if you do cross the creek, turn around and look to your right in about 100 feet or so.
Ok, once you get in, there are 3 ways to get to the creek.
One trail heads off to the east, directly towards the creek.
There is showlow bedrock and several turns in the creek in this area. I have seen people prospecting here, and haven't heard a lot of good news.
One trail heads north from the road, right at the turn to the parking area.
This is actually the 2 other ways...
You follow this path a short ways, and there is a wide path that turns toward the creek. You can follow that and get there quickly.
Once you reach the creek along this second path, there are mowed trails going along the creek in each direction (horse trials that make a large loop around the property).
I have seen people dredge, sluice and pan, in each direction from here. I like turning left, and walking upstream a few hundred feet or so. Sometimes more... sometimes less.
While walking up the creek, make sure to watch out for dredge holes. They can be filled with silt, yet you will quickly sink 2 to 5 feet. It is like a mine field.... walk around them and you will be fine. We pull our dredge on a little wagon, and walk around them, usually without a problem. Once in a while, they don't leave room to get around, but not too often.
If you follow the main trail, and do not turn directly towards the creek, you can go along this trail around the field, and to the far end of the property. This is like an old logging road, more so than just a trail. You can go back in quite a ways, then turn off onto some deer trails and reach more remote areas of the creek; perhaps find a spot that hasn't been prospected too much, and do real well.
TIP:
If you are panning or sluicing, find an area that looks like it will be good... look for a dredger's hole in the area.
Once you find the dredge hole, see if you see any clay layers at the edge of the hole. Dig around with your shovel until you find the clay. It is anywhere from 6 to 12 inches deep for the first layer.
Once you find this clay layer, start prospecting. Shovel the gravel just above and perhaps up to an inch into the clay. No deeper or you will just get clay... You should find fine gold in a hard packed grey layer just above the clay.
I have done quite well, just following a clay layer from the side of someone's dredge hole. Working from a dredge hole makes it a lot easier to find and follow than if you had to come down from the top. It is much easier to shovel that way.
There is also an area that is called the old creek bed. If there is water, you can find a blue clay layer there. Just above it you should find a good layer of gold. I know a guy that went there last winter, and he found a pennyweight in 1 day with just a pan in that area. I would think it is quite dry this year, since we have had almost no rain to speak of.
There is quite a bit of creek to prospect here. Make sure, though, that if you are using a sluice or a dredge, you
get your Free dredge permit from the Tellico Ranger Station.
No permit is needed to only use a pan.
Also, Doc Rogers Field is closed to dredging for several months through hunting season until spring - 6 months total. During this time, the creek replenishes itself with gold for the next season!
It is open for dredging and sluicing from
May 1 thru November 1.
You can pan there year round. I am not sure about the sluicing... check with the ranger station to make sure, if you want to sluice there when it is closed to dredging.
As for dredging and sluicing, all other forest area waters are open year round.
I will ask about the sluice box in Doc Rogers field when it is closed to dredging when I call to renew my permit again, so I can put that info here for you.
Checked with the Rangers and they said that the sluice is NOT permited when Doc Rogers is closed.
Tim LeGrand
TN Gold Co.
[ This article courtesy of
TNGold.com ]
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