Giving away my productive metal detecting sites

If you want to find what you are searching for with a metal detector you have to find where the stuff you are searching for is buried, period!
I guarantee it is not where everyone else is searching all the time, if it was it has already been detected and long gone.
So why do so many people metal detecting keep going to the same sites and think they are going to find something? 
If you don't step outside the box and search new areas you are not going to detect and recover anything for a long time.
I have recovered some pretty amazing finds this year, all of them in places you could say were just over there in areas most searchers would probably consider not worth searching. 
There is a damn good reason treasure hunting is called treasure hunting not treasure finding.
You have to go find what you are searching for, believe me there are plenty of cool finds waiting for you if you take the time to go search for them.
Instead of checking out metal detecting forums to see what others have found or beach report bloggers moaning about sanded-in conditions, get out there and recover stuff outside other searchers boxes. 
The most productive sites you will ever find are the places other searchers don't bother to search, like me you may be surprised to see what you can recover in the most unexpected places.
Knowing you are at a potentially productive site is pretty easy, you find stuff there! 
I use the same site selection analogy as I do for having metal detecting partners.
Take a metal detecting buddy to a site and your chances of finding something is down to 50%, take a third person and you are down to just over a 33% share of the finds at a site. 
Now imagine what your finds success ratio is going to be if you only search the same area everyone else heads to? 
Avoid the hammered sites and being part of the metal detecting crowd, try "Over there" and you may be surprised how much success is possible.
Put the hunt back in treasure hunt instead of trying to get lucky in the same old places. 

Post storm beach hunting tips

Here are a few tips to hopefully improve your chances of finding what you are searching for after a storm 

Be patient

When you know a storm is approaching you have to be patient and give the wind and waves time to erode or rearrange the beach. Going out during the storm is not a good idea, in my opinion your time and energy are best spent just after a storm has passed over an area.
Traveling to the beach in stormy weather is unsafe and believe me dealing with the worst of the weather on the beach is no fun. 

Take what works best for you

Nothing is going to put more goodies in your finds pouch than your favorite metal detector / search coil combo, the more experienced you are at using your favorite metal detector the more you are likely to find with it. 
Experimenting with a new toy after a storm will always leave you thinking did you walk over something good due to not being familiar with the settings and audio responses to targets.  

Play the percentages

I always go to the place I have had the most success at when I expect to see beach erosion, after a coastal storm is not the time to search a site you haven't tried before.
Having a second and third back up site is also a good idea, just in case your favorite site is not as eroded as you expected it to be.

Use your metal detecting time wisely

In my opinion, unless you are searching for old coins and artifacts you should always use a little discrimination on eroded beaches after a storm.
Every piece of easily identifiable by audio tone or screen target ID junk you stop to dig is one good target you probably didn't have time to get to.
An experienced beach hunter shouldn't have to dig easily identifiable bad targets, that is why you use and build trust in your metal detector, to help you make good use of your time.

Prepare to stay as long as possible

I live for these type of situations and preparation is one of the keys to stormy beach hunting success. A few days ahead of an expected coastal storm is when you should have your metal detector battery charged and your spare battery ready to go. 
Go over the rest of the kit you need, including scoop, pin-pointer, finds pouch, headlamp, rain gear, water and snacks. 
Depending on the tides you want to stay as long as possible metal detecting because an eroded beach isn't open for business very long after a storm.
Meaning the following high tides will begin returning sand over the area, the first low tide after a storm passes is always the best window of opportunity to hit.

Learn from the experience

If it is your first time searching a beach after a strong storm I have no doubt you will learn from any mistakes you make.
Mistakes are usually made in preparation, site selection or choice of metal detecting equipment.
Years afterwards you will probably look back and think if only I had that chance again, I know I still do.

Following others

As a storm approaches bloggers and posters get beach hunters in a tizzy with storm projections and the possibility of eroded beaches.
If you are into beach or water hunting I would follow advice from people known for making good finds, not blog posts and followers.
After storms have eroded beaches, any beach or water hunting blogger who has to ask for people to send them photos of post storm finds is missing the point of giving beach hunting advice.
If you can't find anything on an eroded beach after a storm you are not a good example.
Try to follow advice from people known for metal detecting finds, not links to articles or photos of the same beach every other day.