Rock Hounding Southern Oregon

What not to do.       All prospectors know to keep their mouth shut about where they are prospecting,a good way to get your area cleaned out.  We were on the Umpqua river,not saying which fork,finding some nice gold,very tiny colors,but enough to keep it fun,even with a bad back.A woman and her daughter swam across the river asking what we were doing,we said we were panning for gold,finding small pieces,now and then.We went back a month later to the same place,nothing.Someone had gone through and used a dredge,clean as a whistle,not even one color,oops.We have gone to another area since then,finding better color.There is gold to be had,but,it is tiny,takes a long time to even get a gram.East of Cottage Grove,and once you get past the hills south of that town,both sides of the road,on most creeks and rivers,tiny colors,all the way to California.Hard on your  back,make sure you know what the laws are on using different equipment,or,you can get a ticket.Also,you do...