The Key To Gold Mining According To Gold Rush's Freddy Dodge And Juan Ibarra
"Gold Rush" is a treasure trove for Discovery. Having been on the airwaves for 12 seasons and counting, it's safe to say that the show is one of the channel's most successful exports. The reality series follows a group of real-life treasure hunters as they explore far and wide in search of buried treasure. Such a concept will appeal to anyone who's daydreamed of going on an adventure and unearthing the world's hidden gems. However, if "Gold Rush" tells us anything, it's that being a gold miner isn't always the glamorous lifestyle that it's cracked up to be.
The "Gold Rush" gang knows all about working long hours in harsh environments. That being said, their efforts have paid off on several occasions, proving that it's possible to have a successful career as a gold miner if you're dedicated to the craft. At the same time, it's a risky career that often breeds more sob stories than tales of triumph and success, which is why series stalwarts Freddy Dodge and Juan Ibarra want any budding miners to know what they'd be getting themselves into should they choose to pursue a similar vocation.
Fred Dodge and Juan Ibarra warned aspiring miners to do their research
Anybody can be a gold miner, but not everyone can be a successful one. In an interview with Josh Gates, which you can watch on Discovery's official Facebook page, Freddy Dodge and Juan Ibarra shared some valuable insights for their fellow miners and warned them not to repeat the same mistakes that befell others in the past.
According to Dodge, amateur gold hunters tend to go broke very quickly as they focus their efforts on the wrong locations. "If you go gold mining in a spot where there's not enough gold, you're going to go, for lack of a better word, t**s up pretty quick," he revealed. "But there's also a lot of people that have had great success, that have made fortunes doing it."
Ibarra was more optimistic, stating that right now is the perfect time to embark on such a career as gold prices are so high. However, he also encouraged prospective gold hunters to be smart about it. "They go in there and they see a couple flakes, and they get so excited and they're hooked. So you gotta make sure you do your homework," he added.