Dredging

[brettga2]

Hello

I have never dredged before and I have a question, seems like everyone that dredges uses wetsuits and some type of scuba.
My question is why can't you just wade along and dredge like vacuum cleaning your carpet at home ?

I really don't want to be laying face down in the water and a bear jump on me thinking I am an otter or other creature !
Thanks

 

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[Fullpan]

Short answer - you HAVE to see under water to prevent oversize rocks from plugging the suction hose. You don't look like an otter to me - maybe a beaver?

 

[Jason in Enid]

Sounds like you should stay away from dredging then!

Blind dredging leaves you constantly clearing hose obstructions because you are sucking rocks you shouldn't be. Being face down in the water sucking gravel is the most peaceful time there is.

 

[Fullpan]

Jason - one the best times in my life!

 

[Ace2010]

I've had a lot of hobbies in my life but none of them can compare to dredging at the bottom of a river.One of the most peaceful things I've ever done.All of my other hobbies cost me thousands a year but dredging always has a possibility of paying thousands a year.
But yeah you're right, I don't know why any of us do it with the chance of getting eaten by the bears.Seriously, does anyone know anyone attacked by a bear while dredging? You might want to consider never getting in a car again for fear of wrecking.

 

[Fullpan]

Ace, can you picture this? I actually thought I was being attacked by Bigfoot. New guy -alone for the first time, in the big bad forest - what's out there?
Anyway, just getting down to black sands, panning beside noisy rapids - concentrating, focused on the possible gold. Suddenly a big black multti-limbed
monster rises up ten feet in front!! Turns out it was two snipers in black wetsuits, goggles, snorkels, etc. After I found my gold pan, 20 ft. behind me in the
boulders, stuck my heart back down where it belongs, we shared a cigarette - they wished me luck, and headed upstream.

 

[Ace2010]

Ace, can you picture this? I actually thought I was being attacked by Bigfoot. New guy -alone for the first time, in the big bad forest - what's out there?
Anyway, just getting down to black sands, panning beside noisy rapids - concentrating, focused on the possible gold. Suddenly a big black multti-limbed
monster rises up ten feet in front!! Turns out it was two snipers in black wetsuits, goggles, snorkels, etc. After I found my gold pan, 20 ft. behind me in the
boulders, stuck my heart back down where it belongs, we shared a cigarette - they wished me luck, and headed upstream.

You had me laughing so hard after bigfoot that I had to wait a couple of minutes to read the rest. Very funny!
I've had a bunch of bream try to eat me.

 

[G1sammons]

Don't want to be dumb her buts when's the last time any one got attack by a bear I ga ?

 

[Ace2010]

Don't want to be dumb her buts when's the last time any one got attack by a bear I ga ?

There is a few black bears in Alabama and Georgia but I've never heard of any attacks.I've spent alot of hours hunting and fishing and have only seen one bear in Alabama and that was 30 years ago.Our deer dogs spooked him out.I have seen 3 mountain lions here all in the same year and could have all been the same cat.
I use to field trial fox hounds and we mostly ran coyotes in large enclosures.I know 4 different enclosures that bears tore into and had to be trapped and moved to a different area.This one bear in Florida was taged and taken to louisiana and released.6 months later he was back inside the 1000 acre fox pen in Florida.I guess he had a GPS and knew where home was.

 

[G1sammons]

Wow

Don't care much for the big cats
What part of al did ya see those cats?

 

[Fullpan]

brett - I apologize for going off topic. Hope you see I don't mean to make fun. We all have been where you are now at some point. When you are new, there is
no dumb question.

 

[calnatv]

Get yourself a wetsuit, air and a rock winch. Have the time of your life before you can't do it anymore

 

[Ace2010]

Wow

Don't care much for the big cats
What part of al did ya see those cats?

Tallapoosa county close to Jackson's Gap

 

[brettga2]

I would probably look like a penguin more than a beaver

 

[brettga2]

Thanks for the laughs, this turned into a funny thread especially when BigFoot showed up.

I have seen a bunch of bears in the area but I doubt the small black bears would attack anything other than a honeybun, I was just looking about one day traveling to an area with Grizzly bears !

 

[G1sammons]

Well I'm with ya then just let me know ill send my 15 yr old to pull gaurd duty door ya

You. Do know there are plenty of places where you can dredge near ya know
I dredge in Alabama and north ga

 

[SADS 669]

Don't want to be dumb her buts when's the last time any one got attack by a bear I ga ?

I saw 4 golfers get chased into a lake in Canada once I was laughing so hard i thought I was going to burst a gut or something also I strongly believe I saw the bear smiling as it walked away.

 

[Hoser John]

I've had over 42 seasons under my belt underwater and NEVER had a bear try to be a buddy. Had 1 steal and eat my lunch and half the pail I brought it in though. Face in with a mask,viewer tube or view plate even as ANYTHING to see what your doing and a blaster nozzle is MANDATORY or your just a mutzing and a putzing--hahha bear hopping on my back I heard a brokeback mountain but John

 

[Hefty1]

Yea Yogi and Bo Bo only seem to come around when your not there.
The noise from the dredge would keep them away.

 

[SADS 669]

<img src="http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=730806"/><img src="http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=730807"/>

Yea Yogi and Bo Bo only seem to come around when your not there.
The noise from the dredge would keep them away.

That is some can opener by the way........🐻