I own two Proline dredges. A 2" with no air...for sampling in rough terrain....and a 4" with air for moving a large volume of creekbed. I go to a place near Lafayette, Indiana several times each summer to dredge. I have found a grand total of about 5 grams of small gold nuggets...the single largest was a piece about the size of a split pea. Great fun, but purely recreational and definately "anti-profit".
Comments
as far as sucking gravel and going underwater and staking a claim, no
BTW my grandfather was part owner of a gold mine during the depression in NV and of course it is no longer in the family.