Fresh Water Treasure Recovery??? HELP!

I've recently been tipped off about the location of quite a bit of Gold/Silver in a Northern Indiana Lake. The story goes: Back in the 50's an eccentric old man on his death bed became mad that his children had turned out so badly that he took his life savings of gold/silver and tossed it into the lake. (around $250,000 at the time)
Now I know it seems FAR fetched, and thats why i've for the most part ignored it, but recently at a christmas the topic came up. There was a retired local pastor there that revieled that it was a TRUE story, and he was the one that the old man told where he had disposed of the loot. He said he had never told anyone where it was, and hadn't thought about it in decades.
Now the hard part the area covers about ten acres, and after 50+ years is probably six feet into the mud. Visibility is typically 5-10 feet (until it gets stirred up). Anyone who has dove N. Indiana knows what I'm talking about!

My Questions:
**What would be the most efficient way to search ? (without doubling over the same spot). I was thinking about a grid system ( but this area is heavily fished, and thought they would just keep snagging the lines)
**What type of metal detector would be best for looking through 5'+ of mud?
**Would a magnometer be practical in an area of 10+ acres, and where could I rent/borrow a cheap one?
**What would be the best method of excavating the site? With deep mud and ZERO vis. by the time we get started?

Any tips/hints would be greatly appreciated, and anyone with EQUIPTMENT (metal detector, Knowlege, ETC.) there are possibilities to tag along........

Hello Yoder,

Welcome to our scuba fourms!

You are right, the story does sound far fetched, but so do most stories of lost treasure. The thing is sometimes no matter how strange they sound, they are true. I am sure you will find something in your search, maybe not the treasure you were looking for, but something.

Anyway a magnetometer will most likely not work for you, as it is going to be looking for larger metal objects like a shipwreck. I am not 100% sure though as the technology changes quickly. Most likely you will need to use an U/W metal detector. There are many brands and models out there, and are designed for different uses. There are also different heads available for different uses as well. Obviously you want something that is designed for fresh water and that can penetrate deep into the mud. There are larger tow behind metal detectors as well, but they are going to be very expensive.

As far as searching and making a grid, fishermen and such:

You can still make a grid on paper and drop bouys to mark your locations. I would say a good GPS can help you keep things in order.

Good luck, have fun, and let us know how it goes.

Proton Precession Magnetometers can detect rather small objects actually, you don't need to be hunting for something the size of a wreck, but I believe that they only detect magnetic (e.g., ferrous) objects ... not gold or silver.

Try Googling towable underwater gold detectors"

http://www.jwfishers.com/frames.htm

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thalassamania

but I believe that they only detect magnetic (e.g., ferrous) objects ... not gold or silver.

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That is 100% correct.

JWFishers makes a tow behind metal detector, but plan on spending about $8000 plus on it.

OK they have a cheaper one for about $5000 +