How do i use a gold pan for getting gold out of a river?

Question

i am going to a river to swim in but i also know that it contains some gold flakes and i need to know how to use a gold pan what do i do, do i grab some soil and dump it in there then put the pan into the water and swish the pan around or what do i do i need help..

Answer 1

You basically have it right.  You need to swirl it around so that the gold can sink to the bottom and let the other stuff fall out.  

There are tons of videos on youtube if you want to see the technique.

Answer 2

Yep that's pretty much what you do, make sure there is a plenty of sunlight if you are hoping to catch a speck of gold - it is unlikely you will find more than a speck by the way. You only need enough water to make the stuff swish around, you dont want too much because it will lower vision. Collect soil by digging and scrapping the pan along the river bed near the bank, collecting water at the same time. This is more efficient than doing both separately.

You may want to research whether gold is more likely to doposite by the bank or deeper in the middle of the river (I dont know how deep this river is).

Have you considered using a metal detecter?