Anyone coin-dredging?

[coin_diver]

Just thought it'd be interesting to hear how many others use a coin dredge in shallow water. While I realize it doesn't fit every body of water it sure cleans clock on the others. I'll post some finds shortly, season is only a month or so away!

 

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[Sandman]

I've tried this years ago and it was more like work than recreation. Now the State requires permits for dredging, even on a small scale like this. Dredging muddies up the water and causes erosion and depletes fish bedding nests. A definite no-no. I won't do it anymore so I sold my dredge out of state to a prospector.

 

[Jeffro]

Sandman, I have to disagree with ya on this one. The state of Alaska did an 8 year study on the effects of dredging on fish habitat. It turns out it was beneficial to the fish runs up there.

Dredging causes a lot less erosion than mother nature. With my four inch dredge, I'm lucky to move 2 or 3 cubic yards a day. During high water, mother nature moves thousands of cubic yards a minute.

Dredging also provides small holes where smolts can get out of the main water flow, and creates loose gravel beds, perfect for spawning.

When high water comes along, every year, all effects of dredging are washed away.

While I am dredging, the fish are swarming all around me. The stream material I am sucking up has red wigglers, periwinkles, and lamprey smolt in it. The Bass love it!

Silty water does not affect fish in any way. If it did, the Mississippi would be devoid of fish!

Dredging also is beneficial in that we are removing anything heavy out of the environment. Stuff like lead fishing weights and shotgun shot. I can't tell you how many pounds of unnatural stuff I've pulled out of our rivers. Bike frames, car parts, tools, camping gear, boat parts, etc.

I also pull out naturally occuring stuff like mercury, iron ore, gold, silver and platinum.

Environmentalists would have you believe those things. Turns out they're not true.

 

[Cynangyl]

I appreciate the education regarding dredging. When I dredged for the first time a couple of weeks ago I knew it was something I wanted to continue! So cool and I know Les checked 100 yds downstream from us and said the water was running pretty clear even that close to where we were running 2 dredges. Everything I have read has given me the same information Jeffro did but not nearly as well lined out as to where the information was founded....8 yr study in AK and personal experience....I really appreciate the response Jeffro!

 

[Jeffro]

Tell me about coin dredging- I've never tried it. I understand the riffles are different, more like spikes sticking up than actual riffles, to catch the necklaces and coins, but still let the rocks wash over. Or do you use a basket sort of catch?

There are a couple swimming holes I've been meaning to get to, but haven't yet.

Best coins I have pulled out while dredging for gold were some old chinese cash coins. The chinese miners used to leave something in return for a good catch of gold.

 

[coin_diver]

Well,,,,,,
To use the term "dredging" loosely is about like saying let's bull doze the yard in order to pick that dandelion. I am the first to agree that on SOME bodies of water dredging is damaging, however you should also note that once zebra mussels cover a lake bottom the native fish species can starve for lack of natural food sources. I know this because I paid for a full fledged environmental impact study. As for the rivers, ever seen one run in the spring?
You should consider that scoop users using lets say a SS10 can take out 1/2cuft w/ every scoop. If you don't believe me then go under after all the guys hit an inland lake. Whereas, a 3" suction dredge removes about the size of a soup can.
For those of you who are adamant about lake hunting do the math. Oh, and next time you're laying on the bottom fanning up a hit, the hole continuing to enlarge and deepen, just swoosh away those fish waiting for the fresh shrimp being destroyed by your non-destructive sweep.

 

[coin_diver]

and one last rant...
Know the laws because they are overlapping, i.e. on one hand "it is illegal to disturb, or create a plume or any size" (this would mean fishing along the banks) on any body of water. However, the conflicting law also states that "disturbance of less that 1 cuyd" is still considered off limits and is not covered by current permit procedures. Isn't knowledge of the law a wonderful thing. Remember, ALL laws are written to wit in "spirit" and cannot be taken without consideration of impact.

 

[Jeffro]

AND the laws vary from state to state.

We used to have DEQ as the sole regulatory agency. They knew the effects of dredging quite well, and regulated accordingly. Anything under 4 inches intake and 16 horsepower was good to go. They figured according to the studies already done, that ANYTHING done with such small equipment was negligible, and rightly so.

The state of Oregon will allow up to an 8 inch, but anything over a four they look at with more scrutiny. They want to know who, what, where, when and why before they approve such a project.

Now the Division of State Lands (DSL) has stepped in, and they are more influenced by the environmentalists who know nothing about effects of suction dredging. They (the environmentalists) equate it to the large dredges being operated in the river mouths for clearing shipping lanes, believe it or not, LOL!

So now we have more hoops to jump through. But its still doable.


What's your setup like, coin diver?

 

[rjnail]

use to when i live in pa, use to go to this damm where people throw change in to see it go over the falls, had a keen 4" did good, then i dive below the falls and just pick up what i seen. this was in 1989

 

[Nashoba]

Sandman, I have to disagree with ya on this one. The state of Alaska did an 8 year study on the effects of dredging on fish habitat. It turns out it was beneficial to the fish runs up there.

Dredging causes a lot less erosion than mother nature. With my four inch dredge, I'm lucky to move 2 or 3 cubic yards a day. During high water, mother nature moves thousands of cubic yards a minute.

Dredging also provides small holes where smolts can get out of the main water flow, and creates loose gravel beds, perfect for spawning.

When high water comes along, every year, all effects of dredging are washed away.

While I am dredging, the fish are swarming all around me. The stream material I am sucking up has red wigglers, periwinkles, and lamprey smolt in it. The Bass love it!

Silty water does not affect fish in any way. If it did, the Mississippi would be devoid of fish!

Dredging also is beneficial in that we are removing anything heavy out of the environment. Stuff like lead fishing weights and shotgun shot. I can't tell you how many pounds of unnatural stuff I've pulled out of our rivers. Bike frames, car parts, tools, camping gear, boat parts, etc.

I also pull out naturally occuring stuff like mercury, iron ore, gold, silver and platinum.

Environmentalists would have you believe those things. Turns out they're not true.

Great post Jeffro!!!
I absolutley agree 110%....I have seen well over 100 fish below my dredge getting all fat and sassy. I have also picked up huge amounts of mercury off the river bottoms, as well as many hundreds of pounds of other JUNK. Everything done to the river fills back in during periods of high water and also replentishes various areas with gold.
I was in Idaho dredging at one point, and among the six people using four inch dredges on that claim we filled two quart jars with mercury

The sad and unfortunate thing is that I had a group of Enviros cut loose my dredge and let it break up on the rocks below my claim. GREAT GOING letting all of that gas and oil spill into such a wonderful waterway full of fish and other wildlife...Not to mention the wreckage of my dredge. THAT is by far the worst damage I have ever seen caused by a dredge and it was not the dredgers fault.

OK. Did not mean to thread jump on ya Diver. I have never actually dredged for coin but I did hit a swimming hole on the Applegate River once and brought up a LOT of clad. It was literally layered in there with the lightest coins on the top layer. Kind of cool actually because the trail of coins led us straight to a nice little paystreak of gold!

~Best of luck in all of your treasure hunting adventures~

Nash

 

[Sandman]

Dredging in Alaska is one thing, doing it in Michigan can get you in serious trouble with the law. People here cry if their favorite lake is muddy as most bodies of water are very clear. Silt up a trout stream in the spring may have you visiting Jimmy Hoffa. The health dept even checks the water at area swim beaches for bacteria. An your right, the laws differ in different states or even counties.

Dredging for gold flakes and nuggets is a ball that all should try at least once.

 

[coin_diver]

Didn't mean to stir the proverbial waters here but ignorance of the laws is not a right of just th'ers. MOST persons in office do not understand the same laws they are supposed to regulate and as a result when asked say no because they don't know. Better to keep a cool head, carry all of your paper work and simply explain to the nice man with a gun that you have followed the laws. I once had a stand-off with the sherriff because he wanted me to come up on land and discuss what I was doing. When I declined and told him I would be trespassing above mean high water he smiled and left.
Be smart, be safe, be discreet.

 

[ringding]

Jeffro, I like the way you think.

There was a group that wanted to do a research study on the effects of insecticides on a certain species of game bird. What they thought they would find was that the insecticides would make the birds sick and kill them. Instead, what they found was that the birds exposed to the insecticides were healthier than those in the control group because the insecticides killed lice and other insect parasites.

 

[Jeffro]

One of the head mucky- mucks here on OR wanted me to do a study of sorts, on the lamprey smolt in the Umpqua river here. They weren't supposed to be in there, but we all knew they were. They wanted counts. I turned it down.

Last thing I need is an endangered friggin' eel in my waters! LOL!

 

[Cynangyl]

rofl

 

[Swanie1]

Back in the 1980's, my Friend and I, each, ordered Keene Coin dredges from California to use in Midwest area lakes.
For a number of years, we have searched out community lakes that have swimming beaches that, for some reason, have been closed to swimming over the years. We dredge "closed" beaches due to the holes that are made with our dredges. We try to move the dredges to fill in the holes but they don't, completely. We have sucked up many coins, rings, and other stuff during our outings. In one lake, I sucked up a solid gold dental partial plate with 3 false teeth imbedded in it. Summer before last I sucked up an engagement ring with 1/2 ct diamond. Here are a few things that I have sucked up. The wide, ornate, men's band is 14kt and weighs 13.5 gr. It is a lot of work but can be rewarding.
It is becoming increasingly difficult, however, to get permission from many communities to go into their lakes due to insurances, ordances, etc.