Location is always the most important part of any gold prospecting endeavors. If you aren’t in the right location then all your efforts will be for nothing. You should have should have the basic knowledge of where gold has been previously found, as well as the specific spots on the river that are worth searching.
Once you’ve done your research by studying books and researching the historic mining activity for your area, its time to get out the gear and start looking for gold! This write-up will gives some information on the basic equipment one needs to start gold prospecting. Of course there are a lot of different ways to find gold, but these basic tools will help you get started.
Gold Pan
A piece of gear that every prospector should have is the gold pan. It is one of the most inexpensive and effective tools, especially when it comes to fine gold extraction from the river gravel. This tool is important as it helps to separate lighter and unwanted material from the gravel suspected to contain gold, during the washing process. A simple gold pan will cost you less than $10.
Snuffer Bottle
Another really handy little tool a prospector must have handy is the snuffer bottle. It has a fine tip that you can use to such up small particles of gold, or to blow lighter materials away to separate the gold away. Snuffers are used hand-in-hand with the gold pan, as it helps to collect the tiny pieces of gold from the pan after panning is finished and you are down to the heavies. With this tool prospectors ensure that there is maximum collection of even the finest particles of gold. This tool is super handy and only costs a few dollars.
Classifier
The classifier isn’t absolutely necessary, but it sure makes the work of gold prospecting easier. Its main function is that of separating larger rocks and stones from the finer material that will contain the gold. A classifier is mostly used before panning is executed on the material suspected to contain gold.
It has two main functions that make it good at aiding in gold recovery. First, by removing the bigger rocks and gravel you won’t get tired as quickly by reducing the weight in your pan. The material in your pan will all be high quality and you will recover more gold as a result. The second benefit is that the gravity separation works more efficiently when materials are more uniform in size. Again, this will result in more gold.
Sluice Box
Other basic equipment include the sluice box. These are non-motorized, and use the natural flow of the water to capture gold. With this tool a prospector can process considerably more material because you can shovel a good amounts of dirt directly into the head of the sluice. If you are at all serious about finding gold in a creek or river, then I would highly recommend that you invest in a sluice. They are one of the more expensive tools that you will need to invest in, but it can increase your gold recovery 10-fold.
Read: Finding Gold Nuggets with a Sluice Box
Shovel
No surprise that you will need a good shovel if you plan on digging for gold. Fortunately, you don’t need anything special. A standard garden shovel will work just fine as long as it is of good quality. In addition to a full size shovel, I also like to have another smaller trowel or plastic scoop that will help to clean bedrock more thoroughly.
Simple Tools for Successful Gold Prospecting
Yes, there are many other tools that you can get to assist in your prospecting endeavors. If you decide to get more serious then you may want to invest in more equipment, but if you are just starting out then the above equipment will get you started. Then all you will need is somewhere to put all your gold!
I cannot over emphasize the importance of having the right attitude and confidence when you are searching for gold. Always remember that there is gold out there but it takes knowledge, patients, and yes sometimes a little bit of luck to find it. Put yourself in the right location and use the proper techniques, anyone can find gold.
Next: How Placer Gold is Deposited in Creeks and Rivers