I think i'd go for Bug2 with a 6" coil, ive been to Scotland looking for gold and was wishing i had my Goldbug..
A shovel and a pan is a tough way to go there lol
You can scan the tailings carefully, unless the mine was rich free milling ore you might not find much gold, However thats what detector guys do. Scan....
Dredging in Alaska is pretty tough anymore anyway, years ago i used a 3 box 5" had good luck but ground is hard to come by, if you have to helicopter in somewhere you'd better have some easy gold to pay your way
Old remote claims might be hunted, look for corner posts with owners info, you might get permission to hunt for relics etc, ive gotten permission before because these owners realize you are not going to find that much if anything, that is realistic, most want to see what you've found etc, Good...
Find some small split shot lead sinkers and try that will let you know about your unit, Plenty of good advice here too about gold machines .. i have a liteweight GB two that i use... Good luck
At one time i had a timeshare I bought in Hawaii, actually i got it for my mate as i was working on the North slope of Ak.. I wanted her to go whenever she wanted as the winters are long and cold..I really liked hunting there and i met a fellow detectorist that lived on one of the islands.. I...
The last time i hunted in Hawaii my good friend Steve H was there also and we had a great time. I banged in this heavy 18k beauty with my Excal and during the week Steve found two...I spent a little time trying to find the owner but to no avail... Theres Two nice boutique hotels in front of this...
If you are cleaning bedrock but just doesnt move a lot if material, motors are small so dont interest me.. My first dredge was a 3" and i quickly moved up to a 5".....You have to have an idea about the stream too, did the area produce gold. Research is very important...