Waterfalls – for basically the same reason that gold can be found at the mouth of a river, beneath a waterfall is a very good place to dredge for gold.

Mouth of a river – as rivers enter a larger body of water, the current slows significantly, depositing gold material very near the mouth.

Bends in rivers and streams – gold is pushed against the outer bank of these, and the current has less force to carry them along from there.

Once you’ve located suitable water to dredge, look for telltale signs that gold might be deposited in a particular area, such as: With a little bit of research, you can easily find a good area where gold has been turning up. States such as Colorado, California, and Alaska have streams and rivers that have a heavy yield of gold. Of course, not every river or creek you find will bare gold. They can also be used in ponds and lakes with a water source inlet like a stream or waterfall, though this usually requires more specialized equipment, such as scuba gear, and submersible dredge.

Finding A Gold Bearing Spot To Dredgeĭredges are normally used in rivers, creeks, and streams. This trough, called a sluice, catches the heaver gold material while allowing silt, sand, and water to wash away. There are a multitude of different dredges, coming in all shapes and sizes, but most of them follow a simple principle – a pump sucks sedimentary material from a riverbed and runs it through a ridged trough along with the river water.

Their speed and effectiveness make them a very popular method for gold extraction. Gold dredges today are much smaller and more manageable – and some dredges can even be worn as a backpack for easy carrying.

When the gold dredge was first created to mine placer gold from rivers and streams it was a multi-story piece of heavy equipment that took several people to operate effectively.

Gold mining with a dredge