I've thought the same thing, looking at the gold the guys in Colorado get.
BUT - and at the risk of starting a debate - if dredging were allowed, I wonder if these guys would be able to go back over and over to the same areas and get some decent gold each time? My guess is that if dredging were allowed, those creeks would get cleaned out and KevinInColorado, Shofs, Hunt4Gold and others would be having to travel further and further each time they wanted to prospect.
I'm a dredger, and I'm certainly not in favor of bans like the one in CA, but... I do worry about the long term stability of what I consider a hobby in the places I go (New Hampshire and Virginia). I know that guys have been dredging those places for decades with basically the same types of equipment I'm using. I also know that places like Contrary Creek, VA are producing less and less gold each year. In NH they're still finding nuggets once in a while, but there are definitely places that are "hit hard" and don't produce much. I'd worry about the same in Colorado.
I'd be interested in others' thoughts. Sorry to hijack the original thread.
- Brian