Best Gold Dredging Forum

[Steve Herschbach]

I once hoped this forum would recapture some of the magic of the old days at the Alaska Gold Forum. It is obvious now that is not to be, with almost no posts here anymore about gold dredging. It makes sense as I gave that up in favor of metal detecting myself over 25 years ago, and without me driving discussion about dredging here the idea was doomed to failure. By and large the main posting action on these forums is about metal detecting.

I got curious where if anywhere the dredgers ended up at, and a brief search of Google results has me thinking the TreasureNet Dredging & Hi Banking Forum is now the place to be if you have an interest in the subject. Looks like lots of good posters and posts there. Not much has changed in the dredging world from what I can see except the dubious fascination with whiz bang magical mats.

I doubt anything will change here as regards gold dredging so best bet for those interested will be to head where the action is, and as far as I can tell TreasureNet is the only place getting any substantial number of new posts on the subject on a regular basis.

[flakmagnet]

I dredged for a few years in the late 70s and early 80s in various Mother Lode rivers, mostly on the Merced River in Mariposa County. I lived in a camper for the whole summer, between the films I was working on at the time. It probably seems weird to people who haven't dredged to hear I used to spend 10 hours a day underwater voluntarily moving rocks, but those years were some of best times of my life. I love metal detecting but I still miss those days. There was a sense of freedom and excitement that is rare in today's world. 

[Steve Herschbach]

On 6/5/2024 at 8:24 AM, flakmagnet said:

I dredged for a few years in the late 70s and early 80s in various Mother Lode rivers, mostly on the Merced River in Mariposa County. I lived in a camper for the whole summer, between the films I was working on at the time. It probably seems weird to people who haven't dredged to hear I used to spend 10 hours a day underwater voluntarily moving rocks, but those years were some of best times of my life. I love metal detecting but I still miss those days. There was a sense of freedom and excitement that is rare in today's world. 

For me it was Alaska from the mid-70s until 1998, when I hung it up for nugget detecting. To my surprise I not only found as much gold, but immediately starting finding what were by comparison huge gold nuggets, so I never looked back. But the times I had dredging were among the best of my life, no doubt about it. Just me challenging nature to claim the prize, and the quiet peace of dredging fully submerged has to be experienced to be understood. It verges on meditation for creating peace of mind.

Me and my old 6" dredge at Crow Creek Mine, Alaska

[Ridge Runner]

I myself just like dredging in some ways better than swinging a detector even if I got less. 
 When I first started out you could get a dredging permit free from BLM . Then later they wanted 20 dollars to dredge. Them good people wasn’t finished then they said 20 for the first claim and 10 dollars for each claim after that you were going to dredge on . Oh they wasn’t finished now the claim owner has to have a bond and any claims GPAA got they won’t buy it. I ask if I could buy it and was told it has to be the claim owner.

 This all took place in Colorado and I haven’t gone back to see if anything has changed.

 Who knows one day we may have the same problem with detecting.

 All I can say it was fun while it lasted but I’m 20 years down the road from then now.

 Chuck 

[Dig It]

Dredging for me was both Hard Work but Relaxing, But there is something to be said about picking up a detector and off you go to many different places. Did a lot of dredging on upper part of creek Steve is pictured in....

[jasong]

The sound of gravel clanking into the metal nozzle underwater is ASMR-like. Watching gravel get cleaned off bedrock is like visual ASMR too.

Nothing really like it, but man it's getting hard to find places to keep dredging, I'm getting down to working muddy places with lots of cows that I don't really want to submerge into, and it's just not the same as a crisp clear mountain creek. 

[Bob(AK)]

Photos tell the story for me 

[Dig It]

Nothing like seeing gold underwater just before it get's sucked up the nozzle, it's even better when you see it again in your sluice mat !!!! LOL !!!!

[Bear]

I only read this forum. I highbanked and sluiced before coming to AK in 2003 but about 2005 I got serious about dredging. The first picture in from last summer in the interior. I still would metal detect and find occasional nuggets but it’s been a few years since I found one. I found the nugget in the second picture over Memorial Day weekend with an Equinox 800. It’s the first nugget I found with the nox.