Metal detecting and fishing are alike in one respect. No one likes to tell where they got the big one. Ask a fisherman where he caught it and he will point to the corner of his mouth and say "right here in the jaw".

I have published many of the best kept secrets of beach hunters I notice that even though nearly everyone here has read them they still don't hunt correctly. Of course there is a lot of information on my beach pages and they will have to sift through it carefully. We have been finding lots of gold lately but it seems that no one else will take the time and trouble to do it right. Most people just go to the beach when they are off work, or just feel like it and that will never get it done and even if they are there at the right time then they either hunt with the wrong machine, in the wrong place, they don't know how to set up their detector for the beach, or they are just looking for coins and don't want to dig any pulltabs.

Relic hunting secrets are even more secret and that is because of the higher values of relics and when someone thinks about telling their club about their old relic spot(even though it is burned out) they realize that one good button may be still there that is worth thousands of dollars! So the information is kept secret.

Certain books have good information for relic hunters so they disappear out of the library and are never seen again. No one will tell where they found a good lead on their relic sites. If you ever get taken to one you can bet that it is all worked out and only iron remains.

One of the biggest problems with the key information is that even the library will not tell you what you need to know. The problem is most likely all the new faces that have replaced the wrinkled ones who knew their business. For instance there is one key library in my state for information on relic sites and I found out about it by accident. It is far out of the way and in a small town that no one would expect to hold the vast stores of information on the Civil War.

On the forums I still see those posts where newbies are asking for someone to tell them where to find relics in their area and of course they expect an answer but "Alas!" no answers. To comprehend the size of the research required to do the job is an impossible task. I recall when it caused me to shudder inside when I thought that I would have to go through all that trouble to find good sites. Now I have found delight in research and enjoy a trip to a place where I can spend time and pour over the old maps and diaries of soldiers.

It is bad news for newbies, I know, there is no free lunch. You will have to earn it yourself unless you find an old relic hunter that has given up the hunting and will tell you. Even then the sites are over hunted and disappointing.

One of the best things that you can do is learn to ask questions correctly, and it takes a lifetime to learn how to do that. People these days are not forthcoming in order to help you so you have to be direct and ask the kind of questions that should result in good answers. In the first place do not ask them of new hires at the library but find a supervisor if possible that might be able to answer your question. Call the older larger libraries and ask the person over the historic information about other key libraries in your state where you can research your subject. It may be hundreds of miles away but a good research center is a great find and well worth your time. Plan to stay as long as it takes since they will not let you leave with the materials. Most will let you Xerox the maps and books but bring along something to trace brittle old maps that cannot be copied.

The best thing on your side in the task of finding your own secrets is to have good self confidence and believe in yourself. You deserve answers and if some person seems to be a roadblock then ask to speak to the head librarian if necessary to resolve your difficulty. You will have to ask about materials that are out of sight as many are kept in vaults or stored. You DO have a right to see them as you are a researcher and they are there to serve you. Make a long list of your best questions and the kind that will require them to answer specifically and help you whether or not they really want to.

About the beach, sorry to say that I had to do it the hard way and spent years learning how to hunt it. If you don't want to do that then take my tips seriously and do exactly what I say without modifying it to fit your own schedule and detecting equipment. Sometimes I would drop a key tip in a an article and you need to continue to re-read them and underline those things which may be helpful to you. I have told people what to do and while I stood there they would take what I said and change it to fit their purposes. Obviously no one that did that could ever find anything at the beach. Taking good advise means to take the whole thing and do it exactly.