Enlarge By William M. Welch, USA TODAY Mike Gavin, front, pans for gold with Mike DeMello along the San Gabriel River in Los Angeles County. Enlarge By William Welch, USA TODAY Mike DeMello, of Los Alamitos, Calif., collects gold along the San Gabriel River in a sluice box that seperates gold from other materials. ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST, Calif.  Eyeing a flash of bright yellow at the bottom of the wet sluice box, Mike DeMello knew his rugged morning hike to this spot had been worth it. He had found gold, if only a speck. "This is the only way to work," he grinned. "This is like working for yourself." More than 150 years after the great Gold Rush that propelled California's development, the prospect of striking it rich prospecting for gold remains very much alive. Panners are appearing at streambeds due to the price of gold, the poor economy, and a 10.5% statewide unemployment rate that leaves a lot of people with time on their hands, officials say. "There's quite a bit of new activity," says Mark Springer, a geologist with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Sacramento. "A lot of people are out prospecting for gold in particular because the price is pretty high right now." Gold, which is selling for more than $900 an ounce, has been found all over California, from near the Oregon border to the Mother Lode near Yosemite to the deserts of Arizona and Mexico. Seasonal rains and snowmelt erode minerals, including gold, at higher altitudes and wash them down streams and rivers. Claims on the rise Most gold is extracted by mining companies whose claims can go back years, but in each of the past two years, mining claims in California have grown by more than 3,000. In the first three months of 2009, 1,173 more claims were filed, government figures show. As of the end of March there were 24,583 active gold-mining claims in the state. Those figures don't tell the full story because anyone can prospect for gold on many public lands without a claim. A claim protects rights to minerals on a piece of land but in most cases is not necessary for the casual gold prospector, Springer says. No one knows for sure how many people are actually actively searching for gold or how much is being found. Prospectors who find pieces big enough to bring real money aren't inclined to reveal much about the location. Local prospecting clubs all over the state report membership is up. "When the price jumped over $600 an ounce, people started flocking in," says Mike Beechler, vice president of the Route 66 Gold Miners club in Orange County. "It's the economy. Some people are laid off and actually have the time to do this." As in the 19th century, those who supply prospectors may be doing best. "We're seeing a huge influx of new prospectors," says Harrigan McGregor, owner of Gold Fever Prospecting, an online outfitter. Labor-intensive work The notion of striking it rich is, for most, an unrealized dream. Casual prospectors often bring home only small gold pieces or powder. Here in a mountain wilderness barely an hour's drive from downtown Los Angeles, modern-day '49ers dig and pan and sift and sluice along the San Gabriel River, one of the state's most popular and proven gold fields. "There are better places to go," says Martin Milas, a Los Angeles lawyer and president of the Prospectors Club of Southern California. "It's been known for over 150 years. It's just that, you can always get some color (gold) there." DeMello, 60, and his prospecting partner, Mike Gavin, 53, a Los Alamitos roofer idled by the business slowdown, drove 20 miles into the forest north of Azusa, Calif., then hiked up a trail into East Fork Canyon and hopped rocks jutting out of the side of the fast-rushing river, passing trout fishermen, until they found a spot that looked promising. Gavin shoveled furiously along the bank while DeMello sifted and sorted through the dirt. Reducing his shovel contents to mostly sand, he deposited it slowly into a metal sluicer, a piece of equipment refined but little changed in a century and a half. Placed for river water to run through it, the sluicer catches the heaviest particles in its carpet-like bottom — and the heaviest material is gold. They didn't find enough to buy dinner, but they did get small pieces for their collections. Downstream, Marc Montelius, 50, of Whittier, was panning and sifting while three friends dug and offered advice from the riverbank. He is a self-employed handyman waiting for an oil refinery job. "I have no illusions of grandeur that I'm going to strike it rich," he said. "It's a good excuse to get out of the house." He found small pieces of gold and some small garnets, a deep red gemstone. Nothing worth selling, he says. "This is my first time, but I've got my fingers crossed," said Jacob Stephens, 23, who spent the day with his mother and Montelius in the river. He works for a car dealer and is waiting for a job to open with the county sheriff. "You just keep panning for gold until you hear from them," Cynthia Stephens said. A few old campers and trucks along the road mark the spot where gold has been dug for generations. "During the Depression, it was the same thing," Milas said. "They even had steam shovels in there, people living in cars. With a little gold you could afford beans and have the wherewithal to make it through." Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. 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