Well, it's off to the Cosumnes River tomorrow. Twenty years ago, we used to try our luck there. Greenhorns - that was what we were back then. Not a clue as to what we should be looking for.  Well..... we did know that gold did not float!  I do remember (yes, I still can) that we did go crazy when we found small amounts of flour gold and mini nuggets.
Now we will be armed with our White's metal detectors, sluice box, pans, and a couple of beers for cheers. Our group will be Ken, Beth, Josh, Delando, and me. We will be instructing Del and Josh of the finer points of gold seeking. Also, they will make good camp mules.
 
Cosumnes River History

Along the Cosumnes River, stream and terrace gravels contain placer gold. The general area is south of the Cosumnes River in sand and gravel pits and regional tributary streams and ancient channels all contain placer gold. Near Folsom, the center of intensive bucket-line and drag-line operations, had many area placer mining operations, and drift mines, mostly opened before 1930, district production about 3,000,000 ounces of placer gold. At Sloughhouse district, along the Cosumnes River in township 7N range 7E, had a total production of 1,700,000 ounces of placer gold produced by early hydraulic methods and dredging during the 1930's, many area stream gravel deposits contain placer gold.

http://miningold.com/states/ca.html