Tips on Gold Panning techniques can be found on most informational website about gold prospecting, and, so, you can find mine by following the page links at the bottom of this page.  What makes mine different is that I teach gold panning to many people each year, and this technique works for many people.  That isn't to say that there aren't other methods that are just as good, but this is a place to begin and as you practice panning you will find the technique that is best for you.  I do not use this technique myself when panning, but if I am having trouble with my panning, I come back to the basic system in General Gold PanningTips to find out where I'm making my mistakes.

The most asked for tips in the past have been for Separating Gold from Black Sand with a Gold Pan.  This technique takes patience and practice to perfect, but when you get this type of panning, you will never leave a river or stream with so much black sand in your vial that you cannot see the gold.  It isn't hard to do, you just have to bee more careful with your speed and angles, and you need to perfect the tap (or fist pound) and rock at the correct speed and angle of the pan.

Many gold panners are getting into Speed Competition Gold Panning, and there are many ways to do this type of gold panning fast and efficiently.  These instructions give you insight into the speed with which a gold pan can be used without losing large gold, and follow one technique that is used in the Colorado State Gold Panning Championships to place well.  These competitions, held in August every year, require that the gold be placed into a vial with more gold than black sand and the use scooping with the palm of the hand is prohibited.  There are many competitions around the country that only require panning down until all nuggets can be seen, and this technique will help you in doing that type of competition, too.  You will have to modify your panning to match the rules of any particular competition, including the placing of the hand in the pan to stir.

Last, one of the most interesting and least known typed of gold panning is Dry Gold Panning.  A Garrett green pan is best for this type of panning with its' small bottom and deep riffles help the panner get the gold to the bottom of the pan, pan off much of the sand, and then blow more of the sand out of the pan to uncover the nuggets enough to pull them out of the pan and place them in a vial.  Now, we do this in competition in the Colorado State Gold Panning Championships, and the fastest of the fast can to this in around 15 seconds, (Yeah, you read that right) but in the field you can be a lot more careful and still keep the gold.  It is a bit of fun to watch these people spin the dry sand off the nuggets, though.

Come on back after you read the panning tips pages and click on this link to the prospectors network that I set up to give you an opportunity to interact with other prospectors from around the country and the world.  Forum, chat, personal page, you name it, we've got it!  You can read the main page to see what is going on, but to participate, you must be a member.  (Not my rules, but the rules of the host)  Membership is free, so check out the site and get involved!

General Gold Panning Tips    Dry Panning Tips    Competition Gold Panning                         Black Sand Separation with a  Gold Pan