FORT FRANCES—The voice of fishing tournaments across Northwestern Ontario has fallen silent.
Lionel Robert, a long-time master of ceremonies at numerous fishing tournaments around the region, passed away suddenly last Wednesday in Winnipeg at age 54.
As word of Robert’s death spread throughout Rainy River District, both fishing tournament organizers and anglers alike were quick to express their shock and sadness.
“I was shocked, just as I think everyone on the tournament circuit that had worked with Lionel was shocked,” Jim Cumming, chair of the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship, said Tuesday.
“He was a vibrant person, full of enthusiasm and excitement for fishing.”
“I was shocked when I heard it on Saturday,” echoed Colleen Vennechenko, director of angler services for the Emo Walleye Classic.
“I was very surprised,” she added. “I enjoyed working with him, he was quite a character.”
“It was pretty hard to handle, to be quite honest with you,” agreed local angler Denis Barnard, a former FFCBC champ with partner Clint Barton. “We kept in touch even when we weren’t involved with the tournaments.
“It was pretty devastating.”
For many, Robert was most recognizable for his work during the weigh-in portion of tournaments, where his charisma, stage presence, warm personality, and witty humour made him a favourite among both anglers and spectators.
“If it weren’t for him, I don’t think there would be the tournaments and there wouldn’t be the success that the tournaments have had,” Vennechenko remarked.
“He knew the fishermen so very well and he personalized a lot of it,” she added. “That makes a difference.”
Robert worked hard to ensure he established personal relationships with each of the anglers—and that he knew everything that was going on behind the scenes.
Cumming fondly recalled Robert’s routine while preparing for the FFCBC each of the 10 years he acted as emcee from 1995 to 2004.
“He would arrive in Fort Frances the Sunday prior to the tournament,” Cumming noted. “Monday morning, we’d meet at the Sorting Gap Marina and he’d start questioning me about anything that was going on—stories and what have you.”
Quite often, the stories Cumming shared with Robert during those early-morning chats found their way onto the stage during the weigh-ins—occasionally resulting in some of the anglers receiving some good-natured ribbing.
Such was the case the year Randy Amenrud managed to bury a proto-type Rapala lure into his palm while pre-fishing. He and partner Gary Lake were forced to return to the dock just minutes after setting off to have the lure extracted with the help of some pliers.
Robert caught wind of the story and, during the final weigh-in, asked the pair about a rumour he said he’d heard concerning the pair catching the biggest sucker in the lake during pre-fishing—much to the embarrassment of the eventual tournament champs.
“He was the type of guy who knew everybody and everything,” Barnard recalled, adding that it was precisely this quality that made participating in a tournament with Robert so much fun.
“When he was on the stage, he always made it interesting. He had so many memories and so much experience.”
“He knew you on a first-name basis,” Barnard added.
“He always remembered a little joke or something that was said about a team. He always came over. Always shook your hand. And always had something nice to say.”
While Robert most fondly will be remembered for his work as an emcee, his less visible contributions behind the scenes were just as important in helping to develop the tournament circuit in this area.
For instance, he played a key role in making the Emo Walleye Classic a reality.
“This past year had been our fifth year and he’d been with us right from the very start,” Vennechenko said. “He was the one that approached us and asked us if we’d be interested in running a tournament.
The Chamber [of Commerce] actually started it with Lionel and then we transferred it over to the actual walleye committee,” she added.
Robert helped grow the event from a 44-team field in its inaugural year to a record-tying 60 teams this past May.
But of all his accomplishments, Robert’s real legacy will be the impact he had on people and their communities.
“He’s going to be missed all over the country,” Barnard said.
“Every community that he was an emcee at, he made everybody really proud of the community that he was in,” echoed Cumming.
“Whether it was Fort Frances or Emo or Rainy River or Kenora or Red Lake, he just made the community feel really special about the tournament they were holding.”
Funeral services for Robert, who is survived by his wife, Lise, daughters, Lynne and Jocelyne, and son, Guy, were held yesterday afternoon (Jan. 2) at St. Bernadette Parish.
Interment of cremated remains will take place at a later date.
In memoriam donations can be made to the current fishing derby fundraiser, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Attn: Never Alone Foundation, 1465 Maroons Rd., Winnipeg, Man., R3G 0L6, or the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba, 6 Donald St., Winnipeg, Man., R3L 0K6.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
