Take notes.
You tip and tilt the pan gently.
The water swirls around and around over the sand and small gravel at the bottom of the gold pan.
If you have patience, perseverance and a sharp eye, the reward may be a tiny fleck or two of flashing yellow that the panner isn't likely to mistake for anything else.
At the North Bend Prospectors' booth at this year's Coos County Fair in Oregon, club members were teaching the uninitiated the art.
It's not as easy as it seems.
The gold settles to the bottom.
The trick lies in getting everything else out so the gold is visible.
It can take time.
Club members are clear, gold panning is for fun, not for quickly getting rich.
