Prospectors strike gold in Llano County

LLANO COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - Shovel in hand and pan by his side, Todd Pickens surveyed the shallow water of the Llano River just outside Kingsland.

"I love to find things. I love to hunt,” Pickens said. “I love the intrigue of it. Anything that gets me outside looking for something is great."

Patience never seems to run thin with Pickens, waiting for that great “find.” That trait is key for Pickens, the presidents of the Llano Chapter of the Gold Prospectors Association of America. The group formed eight years ago after members started finding little gold flakes in the water.

"You can come out here and dig 200 shovelfuls and not find a thing,” he said. “Then you can come out and find a little spot like we did and get 15 to 20 little specks."

This part of the river known to locals as "The Slab" is perfect for prospecting.

"What you look for are cracks and crevices,” said Earl Theiss, a fellow prospector, “whether it's under the water or on land or whatever."

Pickens said the rocks here are 1.5 billion years old.

Looking over the water, he added, “This one's 150 to 200 yards across and just flat as a pancake."

The minerals within the water attracted people long before his gold group.

"Spanish were here for years and years digging gold and silver out here,” he said. “Lots of treasure tales, lore, legends and everything about this whole area."

The first pan on this particular day produced a tiny piece of gold. An ounce is worth about $1,200 today. Pickens said it will take about 40,000 more pieces like the one in his pan to make that much.

"(I do) air conditioning and electrical work,” he said. “Gotta keep a real job."

For him, this is a hobby - one which does require a permit. After a decade of digging through what's here, he said he is almost up to that ounce... almost.

The Outdoor Channel recently featured the Llano gold group on its series “Gold Fever.” The group also hosts the annual Texas Gold Panning Championships the last Saturday of September in Llano.