OMGosh! This thread sure brings back memories.... We've done this for years & it's alot of fun for the whole family. DH used to have a dredge that would suck up all the material, then we'd pan it out. He had to sell the dredge because it was too big for his back & we haven't been since (2? years I think). We all sure miss going
At best we'd find enough to pay for our trip.
Anyway, some tips in general.......look for bedrock (a good sign of possible gold), check moss on any rocks in or near the edge of the river. The moss will act as a trap for fine gold. Don't expect to find big nuggets (although you might), you are more likely to find what's called 'flour' gold that is little more than powder. Gold is gold, no matter what form you find it in.
You can do 'test' pans anywhere, either in the river or along the edge or even along the banks. Most gold travels when rivers run high like after spring runoff or heavy rains or even floods. So check for the high water line along the edges & do some test pans there too. Yes moss & tree roots & such are great for trapping gold. Large rocks in the river act as riffles that during high rushing water moves the gold over the rocks & the gold will settle on the backside.....kind of a natural sluice. When you are doing a test pan, look for black sand in the bottom of your pan.....no black sand = probably no gold.
I agree your best bet all around is to join a local club. Not only will they teach you the ropes, but it's also possible they have some claims that is available to it's members, not to mention just being an all around great resource & great people. DH had been a member of a club here & they had owned several claims that all active members had access too, plus club outtings, etc
If you do get into panning &/or join a club, you're going to love it.
