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Gold Dredges
A gold dredge is one of the best methods for recovery gold where water is present. Dredges come in a variety of sizes and are made by several companies in the U.S. and many world wide. I prefer Keene dredges. One of the best sizes is a simple backpack dredge, there are normally have a 1, 1.5, 2 or 2.5 inch diameter hose nozzle. I would stick with a 1 inch for back packing. In the picture below I am running a Keene 3 inch dredge in Northern Arizona in the early 1990s. A gold dredge is a suction device, it uses water through a pump to suck up and move material through a hose into a header and then finally into a sluice box. The sluice box has riffles and the weight of the gold causes it to sink and become trapped behind the riffles as the water flows into and out of the sluice. The sluice box is normally lined with "miners moss" or rubber matting or a combo of both.
If you are in an area with good water and gold I highly suggest getting a dredge and learning how to use it. You can also find plans made by other gold prospectors online on how to make your own dredge. As for Keene dredges all of the them I have ever used I give a big thumbs up. Remember dredging can be hard work but the rewards can be great.
