One week Guided Steelhead Fly Fishing trip October 9-16 on the Kispiox River

Kispiox Fishing Company/Bear Claw Lodge along with the support of the Abshagen family would like to keep Jon Abshagen’s memory alive in the Kispiox Valley by auctioning his spot off every year. Each year, we will auction Jon’s rod and give the money to a non profit organization that Jon would have loved and approved of. An organization that fights for the land, rivers and fish.

Jon lived his life like the river-steadfast in his love, persistent in carving a path in pursuit of his goals, connecting friends and communities. He was the glue that held and brought relationships together, always willing to go the extra mile to plan a trip and make time for what mattered. Jon was a lover of music, he loved the Broncos, road biking and mountain biking, skiing, and being in the Southwest desert with his friends and family. He rode Durango to Silverton in the Iron Horse Bicycle classic 20 times! He loved his job at the Southern Ute Tribe, and while his skill was numbers and knowledge dressed in a collared shirt and a serious face as the CAIA-President and COO of the growth fund private equity group, his meaning and purpose went well beyond analytics and was rooted deeply in relationships. He could easily gain and shift a room with his powerful smile (fortunately passed on to Will), deep wisdom (fortunately passed on to Aly), well timed wit, his laugh, big hugs and sincere connections. Jon loved his people.

Born during a Durango snowstorm, Jon's adventurous spirit was shaped by his parents, Beatle and Sharon, who nurtured his love for the outdoors and community through bike rides and camping trips in Canyonlands, Purgatory ski days, and swim team. Some of his most cherished memories were fly fishing. As Beatle would say. "It was never just about the fishing-it was about the shared passion, the connection, and the joy of spending time together."

As a rigorous planner. Jon envisioned a wife at a certain age. However, life forced him a moment of patience and it was worth the wait. He met Lindsay when he was volunteering at a La Plata Open Space Snowdown Fundraiser. The room closed in, and she was his person and he was hers. They married on October 8th, 2011, and had two incredible children, Aly and Will.

Jon's legacy is one of love, family, and connection. As Will Hobbs offered in a condolence letter to Lindsay. "There's a phrase in A River Runs Through It that does the impossible, describes that shared experience in a pristine stretch of wild country. With a fish on (especially a mega-trout) what you're feeling running through the line, your fingers, and in your soul, is nothing less than 'the magic current of the world." Thanks for sharing that magic current with us all, Jon. In honour of his memory, we would like to auction his rod off every year.

This year, together with the Abshagen’s we have chosen the Gixtsaan Firekeepers.

“The Lax’Yip Firekeepers is a Gitxsan youth-led organization committed to protecting our homelands, revitalizing our culture, and uplifting all youth (35 and under) living on the Gitxsan Lax’Yip. Guided by Gwalx Ye’enst Ayookxw and grounded in Gitxsan governance, our work centers Gitxsan youth leadership while creating inclusive, trauma-informed spaces that welcome all youth – whether Gitxsan by ancestry or by relationship to this land.

For many of the Firekeepers youth, building capacity & community comes in the form of collectively reconnecting to our lands and waters, and contemplating how each of us can utilize our unique experiences and skill sets to better care for our watersheds. We are grateful to Jon’s family and the Bear Claw Lodge/Kispiox Fishing Company for offering us this gift that will enable our youth to get relevant Safety & First Aid training, which will allow us to venture out onto our Lax’Yip more safely and taking better care of one another. While many of us are certified in Swift Water Rescue and Advanced Wilderness First Aid, making this training more accessible to our broader membership will empower more youth to spend the time out on the land that is needed to understand and protect our Lax’Yip for future generations.

We would like to offer our condolences to the family and friends of Jon, who has been described to us as a wonderful ally and advocate for the conservation of healthy lands and waters. Hagwil’yeen, Wii’o’nism ❤”-Taylor Wale, Firekeepers
 

***Package is a 6 night 7 day fishing trip at Bear Claw Lodge with Kispiox Fishing Company in the Kispiox Valley. This is an all inclusive guided fly fishing trip from October 9-16, 2025. Airfare is NOT included. Guests will be picked up on the afternoon of the 9th by the Bear Claw van at YXT and returned to YXT the morning of the 16th. This trip is based on double occupancy-2 anglers to 1 guide. This trip is for 1 angler. We fish the Kispiox, Bulkley and Skeena rivers.***

Please visit www.bearclawlodge.ca for more lodge information.