“I want to gold pan; I want to strike rich. I’ve been searching for a stream of gold. It’s these fortunes I never win that keep me searching for a stream of gold. And I’m getting old. I keep searching for my stream of gold; and I’m getting close.”

If those words sound like a common refrain, don’t despair. With this newly compiled and expanded edition of Jim’s previous three bestselling gold-panning guides to BC in your library, you’ll know where to find streams of gold all over BC. Jim Lewis has been gold panning all across this province, and now he’s sharing his fortune and spilling the motherlode about which creaks pan out. Each creek is well described and accompanied by clear directions and maps. In addition to disclosing his most treasured tips and tricks, Jim teaches you how to read the river and summarizes the mining history of each region. From what time of year to head out, what to bring with you and what to watch out for, Gold Panning in British Columbia covers the basics and beyond. You won’t need a rainbow to help you find a pot of gold.

Jim Lewis is a consultant for both placer and hardrock mining. Born in New Brunswick, Jim moved west in the early 1950s to prospect for gold. He spent the next 40 years staking claims all over BC and the Yukon, walking, canoeing, four-wheeling and flying into remote places. He also owned and operated several BC placer mines.

With this wealth of experience, there isn`t a gold trick that Jim isn`t wise to, nor one he is unwilling to discuss. "Of all the gold in the world, only .02 percent has ever been mined," he says, a knowing twinkle in his eye. Jim is confident that everyone who knows where to look will discover for themselves the excitement of panning for gold. Jim lives in Clearwater, BC.

Jim Lewis' profile page

Born in a small farming village in Essex, England, Susan Campany (1942-2013) worked for a large mining company in London, England, as secretary to the chief mining engineer. She and her family immigrated to Canada in 1972. She met and married Jim Lewis in 1998, and the two settled in Clearwater, BC. Over the following decades, Susan worked alongside her husband in the operation of numerous placer and hardrock mining ventures throughout BC and Yukon. She liked to say, "If a person from the heart of the English countryside can learn to gold pan and enjoy it, anyone can!”

Susan Campany's profile page

"This volume replaces (and adds to) three previous books on gold panning by Jim Lewis . . . Maps, archival photographs, and personal anecdotes round out this anything-but-dry guide to gold panning." —BC Books for BC Schools, 2014-15