What tailings produce best, Mine or old dredge?

[Back-of-the-boat]

This is a question I pose as I have no opinion, I am looking for which would be the best. So I can spend my time productively. My thought is they both are probably the same, If not let me know.

 

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[Clay Diggins]

Working the tailings of another miner can be productive but you are essentially betting that the previous miner wasn't as good as you are. If you are new to prospecting I'd put my money on the miner that created the tailing in the first place.

The question is unanswerable as stated. An improperly set up dredge will lose gold. The majority of gold mines don't produce any free placer gold. Most mines aren't even gold mines.

Research the creation of any particular mine or dredge tailings and you might just find a workable tailing pile. Go willy nilly trying tailings, mine or dredge, and you would probably get as much gold bowling on any particular day.

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[Back-of-the-boat]

The reason I asked is up by Snelling Ca. there are tons of tailings from the old bucket dredges and I was wondering how much got by those old time bucket dredges. I wasn't talking a modern dredge.This is a pic of some tailings out in the Merced river by Snelling.If a person looked on google earth you can see how large of an area that is with tailings.

 

[Clay Diggins]

I know the Snelling tailings well. Found a kilo nugget there in 1972 as well as a lot of jade and poppy jasper. There is a lot of gold still left in the dredge pan. None of it is open to prospecting now. It's all private property or State Park.

If you are "lucky" enough to get permission on private property there you will need a metal detector, a strong back and a LOT of patience. The area is loaded with metal trash and the boulders are huge. Snelling is where I met my first griphoist.

Look for open land up toward Hornitos or Mariposa, good gold and it's not all private land.

First point of prospecting research - find out if the land is open to prospecting before you spend time planning a prospecting trip.

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