Panning for gold is still a popular, and sometimes profitable, recreational activity in rivers and creeks throughout the county.

Fill the pan about two-thirds full of gravel from the stream. Allow the water to flow gently over it while stirring the gravel with the fingers. Continue until the clay has risen, flowing away to leave the water clear.

Next, rake the rocks to the surface and over the side of the pan, watching to see that they are clean of sand and clay and that they are not by any chance large nuggets of gold.

With the pan tipping away from your body and downward, give it a shaking and rotating motion, sliding the bottom layer into the lowest part of the “V” between the side and bottom of the pan. The action is repeated until the iron, and gold with it, are in the lower part of the “V” in the pan.

This process is repeated until only the “fines” remain in the pan, the heavy iron with the gold and some particles of sand.

This will be only an ounce or two of material. With a small amount of water in the pan, held almost level and only slightly tipped away, swirl the water gently over the material.

The small amount of sand will be swept forward with the iron following, and the gold (with any nuggets) will trail behind in a streak of yellow.