Promack Treasure Hunting

The suction nozzle of your sluice box should never be jammed into the gravel, as this will only overfeed your sluice stream and can cause frequent jams. Proper "sluicing" requires a water to material solid ratio of about 3:1, and no less than 2:1.

You may think the heyday of gold and silver mining is long gone, but that's not the case. Care to guess the annual revenue for the gold and silver mining industry in the U.S.? If you guessed $8 billion, you're right.

Never max out the size rocks that go up into the suction nozzle of your sluice or dredge. Even if you are tempted because you have a large 4" nozzle, all it takes is one oversized rock to get in there and your hose will be plugged at the joints, bringing your prospecting operation to a standstill.

Can you guess where the largest gold nugget in the U.S. was found? If you guessed Alaska, guess again. It was discovered in California. This mammoth nugget weighed 195 pounds.