Frank Finds Goldread the creek
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Frank Finds Gold 3 books · 303 chapters

Stop panning blind. Learn to read the creek.

Three field books from an old prospector: how to size up any creek in sixty seconds, which ordinary rocks deserve a second look, and how to find buyers once you have something to sell.

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3books
1,558pages
303chapters
The three books in The Gold Finder's Vault: Look Twice, Off the Record and Gold Every Time
Frank“A creek is a document. Learn its grammar and you can open it anywhere.”— Frank
Ithe vault

Three books. Everything I wish I'd known with wet boots.

Most folks walk up to a creek, pick a spot that looks nice, and start digging. I did too, for longer than I care to admit. What changed everything was learning to read the water, the gravel and the rocks before I ever put a pan in. So I wrote it all down in three books, and I sell them together.

Gold Every Time: 101 Ways to Read Any Creek in Sixty Seconds is the field method. Bedrock traps, inside bends, riffles, confluences, black sands, the imposters that fool beginners, and how to read canyon, meadow, desert and glacier-fed creeks, plus a chapter for every tool you'll carry.

“Any creek can be read. Not merely sampled, not blindly panned, but read.”

— Gold Every Time

Look Twice: 101 Ordinary Rocks That May Not Be So Ordinary teaches you to read the ground under your boots. Quartz veins, gossans, pegmatite pockets, geodes, meteorites, fulgurites, the real nugget and fool's gold, and the stories hiding in garden borders and gravel driveways.

“The first look tells you it is a rock. The second look tells you everything else.”

— Look Twice

Off the Record: 101 Prospecting Methods Most Guides Leave Out covers the other kind of prospecting: finding buyers and clients. When you've got finds to sell or want to turn a hobby into a side business, it shows you referral asks, cold email, direct mail, local partnerships, events and a simple system that keeps new buyers coming.

“The most effective methods are almost never the most visible ones.”

— Off the Record

Read the first two and you'll walk a creek differently. Read all three and you'll know what to do with what you find.

IIthe difference

Digging and hoping vs. reading the ground

How most beginners prospect

  • Pick a pretty spot on the bank and start digging.
  • Pan for hours in gravel the gold never stopped in.
  • Get excited over pyrite and mica flakes.
  • Walk past rocks worth a second look every single day.
  • Have a few finds and no idea who might buy them.

With the Gold Finder's Vault

  • A sixty-second method for sizing up any creek before you dig.
  • Bedrock traps, inside bends, eddies and black sands, explained.
  • Tell gold from the imposters in the pan and in the hand.
  • 101 ordinary rocks you'll never look at the same way again.
  • 101 methods for finding buyers when you're ready to sell.
IIIwhat's inside

All three books, every chapter

Nothing held back. Here's the full table of contents for each book in the vault.

Gold Every Time cover
Book 1 of 3

Gold Every Time

101 Ways to Read Any Creek in Sixty Seconds

101 chapters · 477 pages · PDF

A field method for sizing up a creek fast: why gold moves and where it rests, bedrock traps, inside bends, riffles, plunge pools, confluences, eddies, gravel bars, black sands, and the pyrite and mica imposters. Then every kind of creek, and a chapter for every tool from the gold pan to the dry washer. It ends with a sixty-second master assessment you can use on any new creek.

  1. The Sixty-Second Promise
  2. Why Gold Moves and Where It Rests
  3. The Anatomy of a Creek in One Minute
  4. Reading Water Color and Clarity
  5. The Sound of Gold
  6. Smell and the Mineral Clue
  7. Touch: Feeling the Streambed
  8. Taste the Water (Carefully)
  9. The First Sixty Seconds: A Complete Walkthrough
  10. Creek Size and Gold Class
  11. Gradient: The Engine of Deposition
  12. Bedrock: The Ultimate Trap
Show all 101 chapters
  1. Reading Riffles and Runs
  2. Pools and Their Secrets
  3. The Inside Bend
  4. The Outside Bend and Cut Bank
  5. Obstacles: Boulders, Logs, and Roots
  6. The Kink in the Creek
  7. Confluences: Where Two Creeks Meet
  8. Waterfalls and Plunge Pools
  9. Cascades and Step-Pool Systems
  10. The Floodplain: Ancient Channels
  11. Terraces and Benches
  12. Reading the Banks: Soil and Stratigraphy
  13. Clay Layers and Hardpan
  14. The False Bedrock Trap
  15. Reading Rocks: Lithology Basics
  16. Quartz Veins and Stringers
  17. Iron Oxides and Gossans
  18. Black Sands: The Heavy Mineral Trail
  19. The Panning Test: A One-Minute Confirmation
  20. Reading Moss and Vegetation
  21. Tree Roots and Bank Stability
  22. The Role of Floods
  23. Reading Low Water and High Water
  24. Ice, Snow, and Winter Creeks
  25. Desert Creeks and Ephemeral Flow
  26. Urban Creeks: Reading the Forgotten
  27. Mining Disturbance: Old Channels and Tailings
  28. Reading a Creek from a Distance
  29. Maps and GPS in Sixty Seconds
  30. Aerial Imagery and LiDAR
  31. The Sixty-Second Sketch
  32. Prioritizing Multiple Traps
  33. The One-Minute Sample Plan
  34. Reading Creek History from a Single Rock
  35. The Importance of Bedrock Dip
  36. Fractures, Joints, and Fissures
  37. Potholes and Bedrock Hollows
  38. The Midpoint of the Book: A Unified Field Method
  39. Reading Current Seams and Flow Lines
  40. The Eddy: A Gold Trap
  41. Converging and Diverging Flow
  42. Standing Waves and Hydraulics
  43. Undercurrents and Subsurface Flow
  44. Reading a Creek at Night
  45. The Color of Gold in Water
  46. Pyrite, Mica, and Other Imposters
  47. Reading Gravel Bars: Size and Sorting
  48. The Armor Layer
  49. Reading a Creek After Rain
  50. Drought Conditions and Stagnant Pools
  51. Reading a Creek in a Canyon
  52. Reading a Creek in a Meadow
  53. Reading a Braided Creek
  54. Reading a Tidal Creek
  55. Reading a Spring-Fed Creek
  56. Reading a Glacier-Fed Creek
  57. Reading a Creek with Waterfalls
  58. Reading a Creek with Beavers
  59. Reading a Creek with Logjams
  60. Reading a Creek with Landslides
  61. Reading a Creek with Mine Tailings
  62. Reading a Creek with Old Dams
  63. Reading a Creek with Diversions
  64. The Sixty-Second Assessment of a New Creek
  65. Reading Water Temperature
  66. Reading Water Conductivity
  67. Reading pH in a Creek
  68. Reading a Creek with a Magnet
  69. Reading a Creek with a Blacklight
  70. Reading a Creek with a Metal Detector
  71. Reading a Creek with a Sluice
  72. Reading a Creek with a Dredge
  73. Reading a Creek with a Snuffer Bottle
  74. Reading a Creek with a Crevice Tool
  75. Reading a Creek with a Hand Auger
  76. Reading a Creek with a Bank Sampler
  77. Reading a Creek with a Gold Pan
  78. Reading a Creek with a Classifier
  79. Reading a Creek with a Bucket and Trowel
  80. Reading a Creek with a Yabby Pump
  81. Reading a Creek with a Suction Dredge
  82. Reading a Creek with a Highbanker
  83. Reading a Creek with a Trommel
  84. Reading a Creek with a Dry Washer
  85. Reading a Creek with a Rocker Box
  86. Reading a Creek with a Long Tom
  87. Reading a Creek with a Sluice Box
  88. The Sixty-Second Master Assessment
  89. Gold Every Time: Putting It All Together
Look Twice cover
Book 2 of 3

Look Twice

101 Ordinary Rocks That May Not Be So Ordinary

101 chapters · 547 pages · PDF

Learn to read the ground beneath your boots: quartz veins, gossans, pegmatite pockets, geodes, petrified wood, meteorites, tektites and moldavite, fulgurites made by lightning, the gold nugget and fool's gold, and the hidden stories in everyday stones, from garden borders and gravel driveways to riverbed pebbles.

  1. The Humble Beginning: Why an Ordinary Rock Deserves a Second Look
  2. The Cracked Pavement: A Sidewalk Slab with a Secret
  3. The Garden Border: A Rock That Remembers a Volcano
  4. The Riverbed Pebble: A Witness to Continental Collision
  5. The Gravel Driveway: A Microcosm of a Mountain Range
  6. The Beach Stone: A Message from a Melting Glacier
  7. The Desert Varnish: A Rock with a Sunburned Skin
  8. The Fossil in the Floor: A Tile That Traps a Prehistoric Sea
  9. The Brick in the Wall: A Rock That Was Made by Hand
  10. The Mountain Trail Switchback: A Rock That Slipped and Slid
  11. The Quarry Overlook: A Rock That Was Blasted and Exposed
  12. The Cave Entrance: A Rock That Drips and Grows
Show all 101 chapters
  1. The Volcanic Bomb: A Rock That Flew Through the Air
  2. The Meteorite in the Field: A Rock from Outer Space
  3. The Petrified Log: A Rock That Was Once a Tree
  4. The Concretion: A Rock That Grew Like a Pearl
  5. The Geode: A Rock with a Crystal Heart
  6. The Pumice Raft: A Rock That Floats
  7. The Obsidian Blade: A Rock That Shaped Human History
  8. The Millstone: A Rock That Ground Civilizations
  9. The Slate Roof: A Rock That Sheds Water
  10. The Chalk Cliff: A Rock Made of Microscopic Shells
  11. The Salt Flat: A Rock That You Can Taste
  12. The Banded Iron Formation: A Rock That Rusted the Oceans
  13. The Stromatolite: A Rock Built by Microbes
  14. The Coal Seam: A Rock Made of Ancient Swamps
  15. The Oil Shale: A Rock That Yields Liquid Fuel
  16. The Marble Statue: A Rock That Was Reborn
  17. The Jade Pendant: A Rock That Connects Cultures
  18. The Diamond in the Rough: A Rock That Is Not a Rock
  19. The Gold Nugget: A Rock That Sparked a Rush
  20. The Fool's Gold: A Rock That Deceives
  21. The Lodestone: A Rock That Magnets Iron
  22. The Flint Nodule: A Rock That Started Fires
  23. The Chalkboard: A Rock That Taught Generations
  24. The Gravestone: A Rock That Remembers the Dead
  25. The Cornerstone: A Rock That Marks a Beginning
  26. The Cobblestone: A Rock That Paved the Way
  27. The Grindstone: A Rock That Sharpened Tools
  28. The Hearthstone: A Rock That Held Fire
  29. The Well Cover: A Rock That Filters Water
  30. The Spring Stone: A Rock That Bubbles Up
  31. The Sinkhole Edge: A Rock That Dissolves
  32. The Cave Pearl: A Rock That Grows in the Dark
  33. The Stalactite: A Rock That Hangs Like an Icicle
  34. The Stalagmite: A Rock That Reaches Up
  35. The Geyserite: A Rock That Forms in Hot Springs
  36. The Pillow Basalt: A Rock That Erupted Underwater
  37. The Ophiolite Suite: A Rock That Was Ocean Floor
  38. The Blueschist: A Rock That Traveled Deep and Fast
  39. The Eclogite: A Rock That Went to the Mantle
  40. The Migmatite: A Rock That Partially Melted
  41. The Granite Pluton: A Rock That Cooled Slowly
  42. The Pegmatite: A Rock with Giant Crystals
  43. The Porphyry: A Rock with a Mixed Texture
  44. The Vesicular Basalt: A Rock Full of Holes
  45. The Amygdule: A Rock with a Filled Bubble
  46. The Tuff: A Rock Made of Ash
  47. The Ignimbrite: A Rock from a Pyroclastic Flow
  48. The Volcanic Neck: A Rock That Was a Conduit
  49. The Dike: A Rock That Crossed Layers
  50. The Sill: A Rock That Squeezed Between Layers
  51. The Xenolith: A Rock Within a Rock
  52. The Cumulate: A Rock That Settled in Magma
  53. The Pegmatite Pocket: A Rock with a Surprise Inside
  54. The Quartz Vein: A Rock That Filled a Crack
  55. The Gossan: A Rock That Rusted from a Mine
  56. The Skarn: A Rock That Was Cooked by Magma
  57. The Hornfels: A Rock That Was Baked
  58. The Myrmekite: A Rock with Wormy Intergrowths
  59. The Augen Gneiss: A Rock with Eyes
  60. The Mylonite: A Rock That Was Ground Fine
  61. The Cataclasite: A Rock That Was Crushed
  62. The Pseudotachylyte: A Rock That Was Melted by an Earthquake
  63. The Impact Breccia: A Rock Shattered by a Meteorite
  64. The Shocked Quartz: A Mineral That Records an Impact
  65. The Tektite: A Rock That Was Splashed into Space
  66. The Moldavite: A Tektite with a Green Hue
  67. The Libyan Desert Glass: A Rock Made of Pure Silica
  68. The Darwin Glass: A Rock from a Tasmanian Crater
  69. The Suevite: A Rock That Was Welded by Impact
  70. The Shatter Cone: A Rock with Radiating Fractures
  71. The Impact Melt Rock: A Rock That Solidified from a Crater Lake
  72. The Accretionary Lapilli: A Rock That Fell as Rain
  73. The Volcanic Lightning Stone: A Rock Created by Electrostatic Discharge
  74. The Fulgurite: A Rock Made by Lightning
  75. The Concretion in the Coal: A Rock That Preserved a Forest
  76. The Amber Nodule: A Rock That Trapped Life
  77. The Jet: A Rock That Was Once Wood
  78. The Coprolite: A Rock That Was Once Dung
  79. The Gastrolith: A Rock That Helped Digestion
  80. The Geode in the Shale: A Rock with a Hidden Crystal Cave
  81. The Septarian Nodule: A Rock with Cracks Filled with Crystals
  82. The Cone-in-Cone: A Rock with Nested Cones
  83. The Sandstone with Liesegang Rings: A Rock with Chemical Banding
  84. The Mudcrack: A Rock That Preserved a Drying Lake
  85. The Ripple Mark: A Rock That Remembers a Wave
  86. The Cross-Bedding: A Rock That Records a Migrating Dune
  87. The Graded Bed: A Rock That Records a Flood
  88. The Erratic in the Meadow: A Rock That Traveled Without a River
  89. The Rock in Your Hand: A Final Invitation to Look Twice
Off the Record cover
Book 3 of 3

Off the Record

101 Prospecting Methods Most Guides Leave Out

101 chapters · 534 pages · PDF

The other kind of prospecting: finding buyers and clients. Once you have finds to sell, or want to turn your hobby into a side business, this book shows you how to bring in customers: referral asks, cold email, direct mail, local partnerships, online communities, events, and a simple system that keeps new buyers coming in.

Heads up: this one is about prospecting for customers, not for gold. Its methods are general client-finding techniques that work in any market.

  1. The Prospecting Paradox: Why the Best Methods Stay Hidden
  2. The Pre-Game Audit: Mapping Your Existing Orbit
  3. The 10-Minute Micro-Research Ritual
  4. Warm Up Calls With the Gatekeeper, Not Around Them
  5. The Reverse Pitch: Ask Them to Sell You
  6. Neighborhood Physics: Prospecting by Proximity
  7. The Alumni Advantage: Schools, Teams, and Shared Scars
  8. Prospecting at the Periphery: Conferences Without a Booth
  9. The Lost Art of the Handwritten Note
  10. Voicemail as a Mini-Commercial
  11. The Referral Ask That Doesn't Feel Needy
  12. Cold Email That Gets Opened: The 4-Line Rule
Show all 101 chapters
  1. The Phone Call Your Competitors Are Afraid to Make
  2. Using Public Records as a Prospecting Goldmine
  3. The 'Borrowed Audience' Tactic
  4. Prospecting Through Online Reviews
  5. The Job Posting Signal
  6. Prospecting at the Gym, the Dog Park, and the Coffee Shop
  7. The 'Un-Sales' Page: Letting Prospects Come to You
  8. Prospecting With Podcast Guesting (Without a Podcast)
  9. The Trade Show 'No-Booth' Playbook
  10. Prospecting in Online Communities Without Spamming
  11. The 'Warm Transfer' From a Mutual Connection
  12. Prospecting With Direct Mail in a Digital World
  13. The 'Reverse Referral': Giving Before Asking
  14. Prospecting Through Volunteer Work (The Right Way)
  15. The 'Second-Degree' LinkedIn Strategy
  16. Prospecting With Webinars You Don't Host
  17. The 'Local Hero' Method: Sponsoring Small Events
  18. Prospecting Through Customer Service Wins
  19. The 'Wrong Number' Call That Opens Doors
  20. Prospecting at the Airport, Hotel Bar, and Uber
  21. The 'Competitor's Customer' Play
  22. Prospecting With Thank-You Notes to Competitors
  23. The 'Secret Shopper' Approach to Your Own Industry
  24. Prospecting Through Alumni Magazines and Newsletters
  25. The 'Birthday Card' System for Dormant Leads
  26. Prospecting With Podcast Ads (Small Budget, Big Return)
  27. The 'Local News' Tactic: Being Quoted as an Expert
  28. Prospecting Through Professional Associations (Without Joining)
  29. The 'Coffee Shop Office Hours' Method
  30. Prospecting With Booklets and Guides (The 'Leave-Behind' That Works)
  31. The 'Joint Venture' Webinar With a Complementary Business
  32. Prospecting Through Your Local Library
  33. The 'Idea Email' That Gets a Reply From Anyone
  34. Prospecting With Short-Form Video (TikTok, Reels, Shorts)
  35. The 'Podcast Guest Swap' for Lead Generation
  36. Prospecting Through Online Courses (As a Student)
  37. The 'Local Business Walk' With a Purpose
  38. Prospecting With a 'Free Audit' Offer
  39. The 'Anniversary' Approach: Timing Your Outreach
  40. Prospecting Through Your Spotify or Apple Podcast Playlist
  41. The 'Neighborhood Newsletter' You Write
  42. Prospecting With 'Second-Chance' Emails
  43. The 'Trade Journal' Tactic: Writing Articles That Sell
  44. Prospecting Through Your Local Chamber of Commerce (The Right Way)
  45. The 'Referral Partner' Lunch
  46. Prospecting With a 'Customer Advisory Board'
  47. The 'Thank You' Video for Referrals
  48. Prospecting Through 'Lost Deal' Follow-Up
  49. The 'Local Podcast' Guesting Strategy
  50. Prospecting With 'Behind the Scenes' Content
  51. The 'Client Anniversary' Gift That Opens Doors
  52. Prospecting Through 'Live' Social Media Events
  53. The 'Direct Message' That Doesn't Get Ignored
  54. Prospecting With 'Local SEO' for Brick-and-Mortar
  55. The 'Grand Opening' Tactic: Prospecting New Businesses
  56. Prospecting Through 'Customer Watercooler' Groups
  57. The 'Seasonal' Prospecting Calendar
  58. Prospecting With 'Employee Advocacy'
  59. The 'Vendor' Prospecting Play
  60. Prospecting Through 'Industry Awards' (As a Judge or Nominee)
  61. The 'Client Training' Tactic: Teaching to Sell
  62. Prospecting With 'Local Meetup' Groups
  63. The 'Podcast Review' Method: Getting Noticed by Hosts
  64. Prospecting Through 'Charity Auctions' and Galas
  65. The 'Job Change' Congratulation Tactic
  66. Prospecting With 'Customer Surveys'
  67. The 'Local Newspaper' Op-Ed Tactic
  68. Prospecting Through 'Alumni' LinkedIn Groups
  69. The 'Birthday' Email That Gets Replies
  70. Prospecting With 'Local Sports' Sponsorships
  71. The 'Referral Thank-You' Event
  72. Prospecting Through 'Industry Slack' Communities
  73. The 'Post-Event' Follow-Up That Wins Deals
  74. Prospecting With 'Community Facebook Groups'
  75. The 'Client Referral' Interview
  76. Prospecting Through 'Local Business' Facebook Live
  77. The 'Podcast Ad' Swap With a Complementary Business
  78. Prospecting With 'Local Magazine' Features
  79. The 'Customer Story' Video Series
  80. Prospecting Through 'Local University' Events
  81. The 'Job Board' Prospecting Method
  82. Prospecting With 'Local Restaurant' Partnerships
  83. The 'Client Appreciation' Dinner
  84. Prospecting Through 'Local Theater' Sponsorships
  85. The 'Referral' Voicemail That Works
  86. Prospecting With 'Local Charity' Partnerships
  87. The 'Client Onboarding' Referral Ask
  88. Prospecting With 'Local Art' Sponsorships
  89. The 101st Method: Building Your Own Prospecting System
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IVreader results

What readers are saying

PLACEHOLDER

[Real reader quote about Gold Every Time goes here.]

[Reader first name, state]
PLACEHOLDER

[Real reader quote about Look Twice goes here.]

[Reader first name, state]
PLACEHOLDER

[Real reader quote about Off the Record goes here.]

[Reader first name, state]
Frank of Frank Finds Gold
Vabout

Howdy, I'm Frank.

I've spent a lot of years with wet boots and a gold pan, walking creeks, turning over rocks and making just about every beginner mistake there is. Somewhere along the way I learned that the creek tells you where to look, if you know how to listen.

On my channel I share what I've picked up: where gold tends to rest, which rocks are worth a second look, and the mistakes that cost new prospectors whole seasons. Folks kept asking for all of it in one place, so I wrote three books of 101 chapters each.

If you've ever stood on a creek bank wondering where to start, this vault is for you.

Frank@FrankFindsGold
VIget the vault

The Gold Finder's Vault

The Gold Finder's Vault — three books
  • Gold Every Time: 101 Ways to Read Any Creek in Sixty Seconds (477 pages)
  • Look Twice: 101 Ordinary Rocks That May Not Be So Ordinary (547 pages)
  • Off the Record: 101 Prospecting Methods Most Guides Leave Out (534 pages), on finding buyers and clients
  • All 3 books as PDFs in one download. Read them on a phone, tablet, e-reader or computer, or print them for the field.
$60$37
Get the Gold Finder's Vault Bundle — $60 $37

Instant download · Yours forever

Secure checkout via Gumroad · Visa · Mastercard · Amex · PayPal · Apple Pay

VIIquestions

Before you ask…

Will these books make sure I find gold?

Nobody can promise that, whatever a title or thumbnail says. Gold is only where nature put it. What these books do is teach you to read creeks and rocks so you spend your time in the places most likely to hold something, and stop wasting whole days in gravel that never could.

Is Off the Record about gold prospecting?

No, and I want to be upfront about that. It's about the other kind of prospecting: finding buyers and clients. It's there for when you have finds to sell or want to turn prospecting into a side business, and its methods work in any market.

Can I prospect anywhere I want?

No. Rules depend on where you are: land managers, state agencies, existing mining claims, landowners and parks all have a say, and collecting is banned in many places, including U.S. national parks. Always check local rules and get permission before you dig or keep anything.

Your videos are free — why buy the books?

A video covers one trick in a few minutes. The vault is 303 chapters across 1,558 pages, organized so you can look up a creek feature, a rock or a method when you need it, and keep it for good. You can even print the pages you want to take into the field.

Why only $37?

It's launch pricing for all three books together. That's less than a decent classifier and pan set, and I'd rather these books get used than sit on a shelf.

Do I get all the books or just one?

All three. Gold Every Time, Look Twice and Off the Record come in one purchase: a single download with every book inside.

What format are they in?

PDF. They open on any phone, tablet, e-reader app or computer, and print fine. You get the download link right after checkout, and they're yours to keep.

Get the Gold Finder's Vault Bundle — $60 $37