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Winter Gold Panning: Challenges

Here are some challenges you might experience with winter gold panning in a small, shallow creek in an interior climate. These are based on my recent experience in the month of January.

1. Lack of deep, flowing water - had to chop a hole to find any water to pan with. Even then, there was only a couple of inches to work with, which made the panning frustrating and not worth it. Would be better off to use a highbanker (assuming the water is deep enough for a pump intake). Even a small rocker box or Nugget Bucket would have been more productive.

2. Thick ice - smaller creeks are more likely to freeze over, so be prepared to deal with ice, and do some chopping.

3. Slush in the pan - I had to constantly fight with slush in the pan, which certainly does not help gold to sink.

Moral of the story - it was fun to get out on the creek, get some fresh air and exercise, and dip a pan or two. But if I was to go again in the winter, I would bring my 6 inch highbanker or make a small rocker box as the panning wasn't worth the hassle.

#wintergoldpanning #wintergoldprospecting #winter #coldweather

About The Founder

Hi, I'm Dan, the owner of Pickaxe.ca. I live in the Okanagan in BC, Canada and enjoy sharing what I have learned about gold prospecting over the past 5 years. Whether you are interested in improving your research, testing, panning, highbanking, or cleanups, you'll find some valuable information here. If your goal is to get as much gold as possible then you are in good company.