here in Idaho we have a lot of water with gold in it. It is fun to try a pan now and again. I get a lot of color sometimes and sometimes I get to sit in the creek and just relax. Like fly fishing it isn't about getting color but about enjoying what mother nature has put out there. Just my 2 cents. My bother prospects during the summer from Washington to Mexico and ussually scores between one to two ounces a month. He states it is his retirement. It take a pickup with a camper shell loaded clear up to getall his equipment around.