Young Talan Vrablic and his dad Raymond are inseparable and dedicated anglers, and they fish for just about everything with fins throughout the state of Maryland. About two years ago the father-son team decided that Talan should try and catch 10 of the state’s designated trophy fish that would garner the 6th grader a prestigious “Master Angler” award from the state.
“We started fishing all over for any of the eligible state species so Talan could become a Maryland Master Angler,” Raymond tells Wired2fish. “I think the first one he caught last year was a 46.5-inch-long striped bass that weighed about 45 pounds. That fish was released, like almost all of the others Talan has caught to get his Master Angler certificate.”
The Master Angler Award is the highest of the three Milestone Awards in the FishMaryland Program, which consist of the Angler Award, Expert Angler Award, and Master Angler Award. The list of fish Talan has caught in his quest is remarkable for anyone, but for a youth fisherman it’s even more amazing.
In addition to the 45-pound striper, Talan’s list of Master Angler catches include: a 30-inch snakehead, 14-inch yellow perch, 26.5-inch chain pickerel, 21-inch largemouth bass, 15-inch crappie, 40-inch (35-pound) blue catfish, 18.75-inch hickory shad, 15.5-inch bullhead, and a 116.4-inch (300-pound) sandbar tiger shark.
A Family Affair
“I think Talan likes catching hickory shad the best, but his big sandbar tiger shark he just caught on July 10 was a real battle for a youngster,” says Raymond, a construction manager from Rosedale, Maryland who happily answers to the nickname “Rockfish Raymond.” “I have my master captain’s license, and I took Talan and three of his young buddies off Ocean City to catch sharks last July. The boys had a ball. Talan caught his big shark, and another one of the boys caught a huge one, too.”
Raymond suffered a debilitating accident two years ago and has difficulty walking. But he has no trouble running his 24-foot Carolina Skiff when fishing or taking Talan to wherever the big fish are biting.
“My goal in life is to take as many kids fishing as I can,” he says. “Talan and I take so many of his buddies, and my friends’ kids, that I’ve lost count how many youngsters we’ve helped learn about fishing. Getting them out of the house and on the water is the goal.
“I let the kids do all the work when we fish, so they learn about fishing by doing it.”
Raymond’s father Duke inspired him to fish and be as close as he could be to his son
“I’ve been taking Talan fishing with me since age five,” he explained. “He’s my best friend, and there’s nowhere I’d rather be than fishing with him and the other kids we can get on the water.
“You don’t need expensive fishing gear to go fishing, you just must be out fishing with the gear you have.”
