Focus on finding and capturing the finest gold. There's an old saying among miners.. "The big gold will find itself." The big nuggets aren't hard to recover by panning, sluicing, dry washing or metal detecting.
It's the small specks, flakes and "pickers" that are the real challenge. Careful technique is necessary to be successful, especially in Utah.
Get this Highly Recommended New Book:
The Gold Prospector's Field Guide:
A Modern Miner's Handbook for Successfully Finding Gold