Geologic uniformitarians tell us it takes 4.5 billion years for placer gold deposits to accumulate in our streams. But here in Georgia we find fresh gold after every major rain. There is even cases of gold forming on underground mining timbers in Australia. It is true that “gold is where you find it” unless your prospecting partner is wearing gold repellant!
I had an acquaintance who would look for gold in Dahlonega, GA (where I think you are looking). He would look for gold in the streams in the early summer especially after a snowy (for Georgia, anyway) winter. It is (or was) OK for hobbyists to look for gold on Federal land, and he was finding with his (just under the “hobby” limit) equipment an ounce a weekend in the 90’s. I thought that this was a great, healthy (outdoor) and amazingly profitable hobby!
I wanted to get into this hobby and I was going to buy his old equipment but he moved.
When the California gold was found, everyone moved from Dahlonega, and the city almost became a ghost town. The congressman there pleased for them to stay, “There’s gold in them thar hills!”. There still is.