I am often asked about various resources available to gold prospectors, from information to learn more about mining as well as the best types of prospecting equipment to use to find gold.

As a result I have put together a list of various resources including other websites, equipment, and resources available to prospectors. The tools and equipment here I have used personally or come with high regard in the gold mining community.

Note: Many of the links below are affiliate links that earn me a small commission if you purchase an item. This adds no addition cost to you, but helps to support this website.
 

Gold Detecting Forums

Nuggetshooter.com

– Owned by Bill Southern in Arizona, this is a great forum with many knowledgeable gold detectorists.

Nuggethunting.com

– Owned by Rob Allison in Arizona, this is another active gold forum that has lots of active members.

DetectorProspector.com

– Managed by Steve Herschbach, this is probably my favorite metal detecting forum at the moment. It is the most active and has a nice variety of gold, relic, and coin hunters as members. Steve also provides very in-depth information on different gold detectors that hit the market.

Goldetecting.4umer.net

– This is an Australian-based gold detecting forum and most of the members are from Australia, but there is great information here for all gold hunters.
 

Gold Prospecting Forums

Treasurenet.com

– This is one of the oldest and largest treasure hunting forum on the internet. It is more geared toward treasure hunting it includes many sub-forums covering all types, but it also includes several prospecting sub-forums.

Goldprospectorsspace.com

– managed by my buddy Tim Grimes, this is a great active forum with gold prospectors throughout the U.S. A great bunch of guys and gals on this forum.
 

Metal Detectors

Metal detecting is by far my favorite way to prospect for gold. There are lots of good gold detectors on the market these days, and to be honest I haven’t used them all (although I have had a chance to try most of them). Below are a few that I personally use and recommend:

Fisher Gold Bug 2

– The Gold Bug 2 is still the single best detector on the market for finding small gold. It thing almost every serious prospector I know owns one of these detectors (in addition to a good pulse induction detector). Use it with the small 6.5″ coil.

Fisher Gold Bug Pro

– This is currently my go-to metal detector for hunting smaller gold nuggets in shallow ground where the gold is on or near bedrock. I love how simple it is to operate and how smooth the threshold is in moderately hot ground. The stock 5″ coil is pretty good, but to get the most out of this detector, upgrade it with the additional 5″ x 10″ elliptical coil.

Makro Gold Racer

– This detector is the newest gold detector in my arsenal, and early reports are quite good. It operates at 56 kHz, making it extra sensitive to small gold. I plan to use this detector much more this season.
 

Minelab 5000

– Pretty much every serious gold detectorist out there uses a Minelab metal detector, and most are using the newer GPX-series like the GPX 4500 and GPX 5000. These are top of the line gold detectors designed for finding deep gold.
 

GPZ 7000

– This is Minelab’s latest gold detector to hit the market. It is truly the best of the best, with a price tag to match.

Minelab SDC 2300

– The Minelab SDC2300 really shines in shallow bedrock areas that have been hunted hard by VLF detectors. It’s excellent ability to handle hot ground makes it really shine in many areas, and it is a favorite of many prospectors.

Recommended Reading: 15 Metal Detectors That Will Find Gold Nuggets
 

Prospecting Equipment

Garrett Gold Pan Kit

– Every gold prospector needs a gold pan, but you might as well by a basic panning kit like this one, since they are still inexpensive, and it will come with other must-have items like a classifier, snuffer bottle, gold vials, etc.

Keene Sluice Box

– You will find a lot more gold with a sluice box than by just panning alone. Keene makes some of the best ones on the market.

Gold Buddy Mini Highbanker

– With suction dredging being restricted or banned in so many states now, highbanking is generally the best way to recover large amounts of gold nowadays. These take a lot of abuse, so make sure you get a quality one.

Gold Hog Highbanker

– This is a large, high production highbanker that can handle lots of material at a time. Great for a group of prospectors.

Gold Buddy Drywasher

– If you are in the desert and don’t have access to water, you need a drywasher to extract the gold.

Also Read: Find Gold in Arid Regions with a Drywasher
 

Books & Research

Fists Full Of Gold

– by Chris Ralph. This is probably the most comprehensive book on the market covering all aspects of mining.

Follow the Drywashers

– by Jim Straight. Every gold detectorist should own this book. Period. Jim has written several book about gold prospecting and they are all fantastic with a view from a geologists perspective.

Detecting for Gold: Adventures, Tips & Tricks

by Ray Mills. Ray metal detects for gold nuggets in northern California and is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of gold geology.

California Mining Journal

– A monthly magazine for gold prospectors.

Mylandmatters.org

– A great resource to research claim status on public lands.

Minecache.com

– Another great resource for researching claims and open ground to prospect on public lands.

eBooks

– This series of eBooks covers most areas in the United States, with detailed information on locations within the famous gold mining regions.
 

Fine Gold Recovery

Blue Bowl Concentrator Kit

– One of the most popular and least expensive concentrators on the market for capturing fine gold.

Miller Table

– Most commercial mining operations use a Miller Table for the fine gold recovery. This is a smaller version that is perfect for the individual prospector.

Gold Cube

– The Gold Cube is great for final recovery of fine gold from concentrates, but it is also a great piece of prospecting equipment if you are in one of the many areas in the U.S. that only has fine gold, such as beach placers or glacial gold areas.

Spiral Gold Panning Machine

– Another popular tool for capturing fine gold from black sands.