Abstract: A sluice box apparatus for recovering heavy material, such as gold, comprises a fine recovery channel and a coarse recovery channel. The recovery channels have receiving ends, riffles and matting for collecting fines of the material. A hopper at the receiving end of the channels has a receiving end for aggregate, a discharge end adjacent the receiving ends of the channels, a bottom, an open top and water distributing means near the top and the discharge end for washing fines from the aggregate. A perforated plate extends substantially across the hopper near the discharge end. The plate is spaced-apart from the bottom. There is a coarse material discharge opening adjacent the coarse recovery channel for a flow of water and aggregate passing over the perforated plate to the coarse recovery channel and a fine material discharge opening between the bottom end and the perforated plate and adjacent the fine recovery channel.