Gold Panning for Beginners | Paystreak Global

The Basic Principle

Gold panning works because gold is heavy — about 19 times denser than water. By swirling material in water and carefully washing away the lighter stuff, the gold sinks to the bottom and stays behind.

Operational Intel

Success in the field is 90% location and 10% technique. But if your technique is wrong, you'll wash away 90% of your gold. Slow down and trust the physics of gravity.

Essential Gear

Gold Pan

14" plastic pan with deep riffles. Black or green provides maximum contrast.

Snuffer

Vacuum squeeze bottle for recovering fine gold flakes from black sand.

Diggers

A pointed trowel and a 'crevicing tool' for extracting material from deep bedrock.

Step-by-Step Protocol

Load the Pan

Fill your pan 3/4 with gravel. Target inside bends and bedrock cracks where velocity slows down.

Stratify

Submerge and shake vigorously side-to-side. This 'liquefies' the sand, allowing gold to sink to the floor.

Wash Rocks

Tilt the pan forward. Swirl gently to wash the top layer of large rocks away. Gold stays deep.

Work Riffles

Once only sand remains, use a controlled dip-and-lift motion to wash sand over the riffles.

Recover

When only black sand remains, add clean water and 'wash' it back to reveal the gold. Use the snuffer.

Pro Safety

Never prospect alone in remote areas. Always carry a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) and ensure you have checked the flow-rate of the river. One rainstorm 10km upstream can flash-flood your location in minutes.

High-Yield Targets

Gold accumulates where water velocity drops. Scan the river for these features:

Inside Bends

Boulders (Eddy Zones)

Bedrock Crevices

Tree Root Traps

Gold Panning Basics