Test Panning: Methods and How Many Colors to the Pan

[Jagdpanther]

Wanting opinions based on field experience when test panning for gold. What have you found to be the best method for testing an area prior to setting up the production equipment? Test every X number of feet along a stream, remove some overburden before taking a sample and how many colors to the pan before you think it's worth the time and effort to work a spot (say your seeing gold in the 20 mesh range; 10 colors, 20, etc.)?

 

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[Eu_citzen]

What you need:
Pan
Classifying screen
shovel (and/or) hand dredge for crevices/bedrock

How to do it:

Begin by looking at the river, note approximately where the high water line is.
(how high the water is/could be when the spring flood is)

Begin panning yourself towards the middle of the river from that point. (or the probable point)
The middle usually hosts little gold as the "high pressure" area is there. (meaning the water moves the fastest there)

Look for increase in black sand amount and/or other heavy minerals.
Look and note the amount of black sand and/or other heavy minerals. (very important!!)

At one certain place the amounts of black sand often dramatically reduce in amount per pan.
Often close to this area it is likely to find a "pay streak" or in other words the most traveled path of gold.

It is often so that the "pay streak" starts where the black sand line is at it's highest
(meaning the most black sand/ pan) or where the amount of black sand drops.

When this position has been confirmed to hold gold (which it according to my experience mostly does) mark it and work it with a sluice or what ever.

This is how I have found my best paying spots, hope this helps some one.

Why it works:
The river not only sorts material density wise down wards (aka gold as far down as possible) but also across the river, meaning the lightest stuff will often be close to the shore. (land)

Try it yourself, if there is sand close to the shore (at least for me) there isn't much black sand in it as black sand has higher density then normal sand.
Gold has higher density then black sand so it is about where it (black sand amount) drops.

Depending on the high pressure area in the river it often forms "layers" of river material across also.
First you often have sand, then bigger particles, then black sand, and lastly gold. (that is if there are no other heavier metals present)
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As far as how many pieces..
That's your call and also depends on your area, in some areas 4 pieces/pan is much in other 25/pan is little.
That's when you choose how much you want for the time spent

 

[Jagdpanther]

Thanks EU!



Any others have experience they would like to share?

 

[Goodyguy]

Eu pretty much covered it. I pan the inside curves of the river where the water pressure is lowest keeping in mind flood levels and where the water would have been slowest thereby giving the gold a chance to drop out of the current. To answer your question I will test pan down stream every 25 to 50 feet till I hit a good enough streak. as far as what a good streak is......to me it is any place that yields color. But once color is found keep test panning on downstream no more than 25 feet apart until the yield tapers off then go back to where it was richest! When test panning or dredging the closer to bedrock you sample the better.

If I am dredging then I test dredge back and forth across the river in a zig zag fashion working my way down stream trying to get through the hard pack overburden getting down as close to bedrock as possible, remembering where I hit the richest pay streak and then go back and concentrate working there. If I am short on time then I work where ever I hit color and stay there until time to go.

GG~

 

[Jagdpanther]

Eu pretty much covered it. I pan the inside curves of the river where the water pressure is lowest keeping in mind flood levels and where the water would have been slowest thereby giving the gold a chance to drop out of the current. To answer your question I will test pan down stream every 25 to 50 feet till I hit a good enough streak. as far as what a good streak is......to me it is any place that yields color. But once color is found keep test panning on downstream no more than 25 feet apart until the yield tapers off then go back to where it was richest! When test panning or dredging the closer to bedrock you sample the better.

If I am dredging then I test dredge back and forth across the river in a zig zag fashion working my way down stream trying to get through the hard pack overburden getting down as close to bedrock as possible, remembering where I hit the richest pay streak and then go back and concentrate working there. If I am short on time then I work where ever I hit color and stay there until time to go.

GG~

Thanks GG. Any info is good. I never stop learning. I get a little better each season. I figure in 15 or 20 years, if I'm still pumping air, I might get the hang of it.