Hi all, just got back from the Yuba river above Downieville ca, from my first trip sluicing and panning. Went up with my 2 boys and fellow GPAA member Rivers La Barge and his family to a friends claim on the yuba. We had a blast playing in the river washing rocks, with 4 boys under 5 and 3 dogs there was a lot going on but, we managed plenty of time prospecting. One night we got woken up to lightning right above are head booming and cracking down the canyon. I spent the first 2 days digging a 55 gal size hole in the side of the river tell I needed scuba gear to reach the bottom. I got some specks out of it but not much at all so I decided to move on and try a few buckets from a steep embankment just out of the river. Being my first time prospecting and a total greenhorn I started to wonder if I was not seeing the gold after washing 40-50 buckets of material to 1/8th of a inch and tossing them back in the river( or on to the island I built) but, I kept on washing. I the second bucket from the new locating I saw a little something in my 1/4 inch classification screen.Low and be hold there was my very first nugget!! WooHoo!!!! I grabbed it stuck it between my teeth and rock hoped up to Rivers who was just up stream and gave him a big nugget smile.  After checking it out for a few minuets with a refreshed out look we got back to washing. Being the last night and having to leave in the AM we went back down to wash more rocks by headlamps after the boys went to bed. We found no more nuggets  that night but both of us brought a few buckets home of un-washed materiel, of witch I have 1 bucket let to wash??? I did how ever find a real nice crystal and a pinch of smalls so far. We had a great time on the Yuba and cant wait to go back. The nugget ended up weighing 3.4 grams and I am one supper happy prospector.