Help me buy a dredge and find a place to use it

[Wilderness medic]

I bought an ancient cheap $200 backpacking dredge and had a blast playing with it. Got to play with it while on scuba and fell in love with the combination of two of my hobbies into one. Now I'm considering a real one.


My house sale looks like it's going through soon and I might just have to treat myself. The only issue is I live in California so I will have to find a place to go.


2? 2.5? 3? If I get one with a compressor can I cruise around underwater for as long as I have fuel and run it by myself?



Is there a place in the Pacific Northwest I could go take trips to an actually recover a decent amount of gold if I put some time in? I think I remember reading an article about some guys dredging in the Salmon river in Idaho and getting like half a pound. I don't want to invest a few thousand dollars on one and continue getting a gram or two a day. Where are some good areas to go that are public and dredge in Idaho,Nevada, Etc? I don't care how bad the water is.

 

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[Jason in Enid]

I cant help you with a location for use, but I can give you some pointers for buying equipment.

First, buy the biggest dredge you can move (or legally use where you decide on). If you get a 2" youll wish you bought a 3, and if you buy a 3 youll wish you bought a 4. Volume of material processed increases logarithmically as you increase the size of dredge. You also NEED one with air. Otherwise you will be limited to working as deep as you can reach from the surface. Trust me, its so much better to able to be right there with the nozzle and sort cobbles before you suck up a "blade" that will almost instantly jamb up your hose.

Bigger equipment of course is heavier, more awkward, more difficult to get moved into place and reloaded to your vehicle. I have to disassemble my 4" and carry it in pieces and then reassemble it on the river bank.

Regardless of the dredge you choose, you are going to need a LOT more stuff to go with it. 5gal gas can for moving fuel, 2 gal gas can for refueling, wetsuits, gloves, scuba boots (or old boots if the water isnt too cold), mask, probably a hood, weight belt and BIG weights. Non of that caribbean diving 3 pound shot weights. You arent trying to be nuetral, you need to be anchored to the bottom. I use 60-70 pounds of lead with my 7mil wetsuit. You need 10# lead weights, and likely 2 belts to make it all fit. You also need a cleanout tub (concrete tubs work great), lot of buckets for hauling cons, a couple gold pans for sampling your cons and tailings, bucket screens to classify your cons. (there no point in carrying 50 pounds of waste rock thats too big for gold in your area). A heavy duty 2-wheel dolly or game cart to haul thing like engines and heavy cons buckets up/down hills and over distances. A milk crate or 2 are helpful for sitting on as well as moving cobbles in your dredge hole.

edit to add- almost forgot you will also need anchors and lines. I recommend a couple T-posts (and a post setter) and a couple of 50 foot ropes for tying off your dredge to your anchors.

then of course, depending on your dredge choice and vehicle you may need a trailer to haul everything in.

 

[russau]

Reed Lukens had a very good post on buying a used dredge and is worth the time to look for it OR maybe Reed will re-post it for you. And I agree with Jason's reply on getting one as big as you can move by yourself with air. I really liked my 4 inch dredge.

 

[Wilderness medic]

Thanks for the trips. Luckily I already have a truckload of dive gear and fuel cans.

Do you actually hammer T posts into the river to tie off to? I guess to get it out you’d just dredge around it so it wouldn’t be too hard to remove?

I think besides T posts I’m already set on gear minus the dredge.


Definitely will get one with air then. I guess now I’m just torn between 3 or 4 inch and which model. Keenes site isn’t too clear on the differences between models outside having air compressor or not.


The 4” just looks so massive and hard to get around.


I forgot to add I may be moving close to Boise. It looks like a lot of the rivers around there have a lot of open dredging potential.


Do most public land dredgers with a good 3/4” dredge get at least several grams a day on average or are we still talking about multiple 8 hour days for a pennyweight or two?

 

[Jason in Enid]

.....

Do you actually hammer T posts into the river to tie off to? I guess to get it out you’d just dredge around it so it wouldn’t be too hard to remove?

......

Yep. Some times it can take a few attempts because you hit boulder before you get deep enough. Its not like setting a t-post in the ground, it pulls out really easy. When you set it, make sure it has a back-slant and tie off around the base.

If you have other options, such a trees or boulders, use those first. There will be lots of time where those dont work though.

 

[N-Lionberger]

Get a 4" its about as big as I'd go one person dredging. As far as locations in California find a spot out of the way and pack it in.

 

[CGC Miner]

Lot's of good info here.
Make sure the t-post is banged down secure. Can be a pain to get out but always comes out eventually. The last thing you want is your dredge floating away while you are underwater!
Honestly you have been spoiled by 1-2 grams days farting around in CA.

I'm talking outside of the West Coast here:
A majority of prospectors in the states average less than a 1/4 gram a day, usually much less.
If you know what you are doing and can find decent ground, 1-3 grams a day is dooable in some places with a 4" dredge.
You won't even get close to those numbers with a 3" dredge legally unless you are real lucky.

Ditch the scuba gear and get setup for hookah diving. Compressor runs off of your dredge motor.

Chances are that you'll be in fine gold country. The biggest most efficient box is what you want to focus on.

 

[N-Lionberger]

The amount you will find will vary quite a bit you cant just state you will find X quantity a day. There are so many factors involved. The first time I took my 4" out I went to a spot that I know there is gold, I found gold there panning so I figured I would make out like a bandit, long story short I got totally skunked. After getting more experience I managed quite well there.

 

[Hoser John]

Love my little old 4" over/unders as many pounds have been found from multi ouncersers to fly specks. Moving around not bad and MUST have blaster nozzle a must for decent production. Just a shame having it and my nice 3" tarped and wasting away here in gold country, NOW that should be illegal-John

 

[Wilderness medic]

Lot's of good info here.
Make sure the t-post is banged down secure. Can be a pain to get out but always comes out eventually. The last thing you want is your dredge floating away while you are underwater!
Honestly you have been spoiled by 1-2 grams days farting around in CA.

I'm talking outside of the West Coast here:
A majority of prospectors in the states average less than a 1/4 gram a day, usually much less.
If you know what you are doing and can find decent ground, 1-3 grams a day is dooable in some places with a 4" dredge.
You won't even get close to those numbers with a 3" dredge legally unless you are real lucky.

Ditch the scuba gear and get setup for hookah diving. Compressor runs off of your dredge motor.

Chances are that you'll be in fine gold country. The biggest most efficient box is what you want to focus on.

Well that’s disheartening. I don’t see the point in paying $5,000.00 for a dredge if I wont even be able to cover the fuel cost of running it...

 

[N-Lionberger]

I think he might be talking about prospectors results further back east, they have mostly fine gold and its few and far between. Out here in California in a nice out of the way location you can make gas money no problem.

 

[KindManTall]

OLD POST
Thought they were mot allowed anymore

 

[Wilderness medic]

I think he might be talking about prospectors results further back east, they have mostly fine gold and its few and far between. Out here in California in a nice out of the way location you can make gas money no problem.

I’ll be dredging in Idaho. Mostly around Boise I imagine.

 

[panningjack]

Well that’s disheartening. I don’t see the point in paying $5,000.00 for a dredge if I wont even be able to cover the fuel cost of running it...

That’s why you get an old one and rebuild it. I’m in the Boise area and there is plenty of gold to find. I have a spot I can do anywhere from 2g to 1/4 oz plus a day. I’m running a modified gold divers 4”

 

[Wilderness medic]

That’s why you get an old one and rebuild it. I’m in the Boise area and there is plenty of gold to find. I have a spot I can do anywhere from 2g to 1/4 oz plus a day. I’m running a modified gold divers 4”

If it’s possible to get gold like that I don’t mind spending the money on a new dredge. Do you spots like that usually require a purchased claim or is there plenty of public land to dredge on?

 

[Tomgold]

does anybody here use a keene p180 keyway pump? If so can you name an inexpensive 6.5hp motor that it will bolt on to. I'm pretty new to this and would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks

 

[russau]

sent you a reply to your email.

 

[rockbar]

Perhaps, get moved and start meeting other small scale miners. Before long, the right situation will come up where you can team up with someone, using their knowledge and equipment. In this case, you might not be bringing much to the table, so you will need to be realistic on the split. Think of it as a mining class you are taking. Lots of vigor and an offer to pay for the fuel goes a long way.

Once you think you’ve got things somewhat figured out (especially where to work), then you can go purchase the equipment you think makes sense and get after it on your own. In my view, the location is the most important part of the equation, not the equipment.

As said, daily production can vary wildly. I believe a daily take can be fairly steady on big rivers mining fine gold, but otherwise, it's feast and famine a lot of times.
Because production varies so much for me, I have started making season goals. Due to health issues, my last season goal was a measly 1/2 oz. I got 10.5 dwt in 10 days. That was marginal pay for me, but by the math, I made 1.05 dwt per day. Everyone can decide for themselves what they need to bring home for the expense and effort. If you stick with it long enough, you will have terrible days and you will have glorious days. It's the thought of big cleanups that keeps you hooked.

The surest and easiest way to get gold is to buy it. Now, that's not much fun is it?

 

[Jason in Enid]

Perhaps, get moved and start meeting other small scale miners. Before long, the right situation will come up where you can team up with someone, using their knowledge and equipment. In this case, you might not be bringing much to the table, so you will need to be realistic on the split. Think of it as a mining class you are taking. Lots of vigor and an offer to pay for the fuel goes a long way.

This is a great route if you want to gain some experience before purchasing. Running the dredge nozzle takes some skill to maximize volume without loading up the riffles. Also to learn which rocks to grab before they get sucked up the nozzle, as well as how to clear jambs. Taking turns running the nozzle and being the sluice tender means you can run about 2 - 3 times the gravel compared to a single person.

 

[N-Lionberger]

Having a partner to trade off nozzle time with is super nice, I'm willing to bet more than 3 times as much material gets run, sluice tender does more than derock the sluice they also help keep your diving gear in order, keep your umbillical in line. If you're like me with spectacles its nice to be able to have some one hand them to you when you pull your mask.