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How to Extract Gold From Water

The thought of finding a cache of gold draws people to rivers and fields in hopes of striking it rich. Rivers and streams may be the best place to look for gold because the precious metal moves with water. Sifting through river sediment could pay -- as of mid-2011, gold is worth more than $1,500 an ounce.

Things You'll Need

Gold pan
Straining pan
Small shovel
Sniffer bottle

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare for your prospecting trip by gathering the proper equipment. You will need a gold pan and a straining pan. Each looks like a pie plate, and they fit together. The gold pan has many tiny holes in the bottom, while the straining pan has larger openings to separate rocks and other debris from the sediment before you begin sifting the finer material. You will also need a small shovel and a plastic "sniffer" bottle. You can acquire these materials at a hardware or outdoor-recreation store.
- 2
  Look for black sand in the riverbed. Gold occurs with this sand, and it is a visual clue that gold may be near.
- 3
  Place the straining pan inside the gold pan.
- 4
  Scoop some sediment into the pans with the shovel.
- 5
  Lift the straining pan. Shake it gently to get the sediment and smaller pebbles to fall through the openings in the bottom.
- 6
  Shake the gold pan to get the water and sediment out through the holes in the bottom. You may need to pour some water into the pan to help wash away the sediment.
- 7
  Squeeze the sniffer bottle gently. Move the tip of the bottle near any yellow gold you see in the pan and release the pressure. This will cause suction by pulling air back into the bottle, allowing you to collect the gold flakes.

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