FishRook
Dace D’Onofrio (center) and his father Michael (left) hold up the giant black grouper. Courtesy of TPWD
Texas angler Dace D’Onofrio caught his first fish in May while out in the Gulf with his father Michael. It was a black grouper, and the fish was recently certified as a new state record in the Junior Angler Division by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
TPWD Angling Recognition Coordinator Grace Simms tells Outdoor Life that D’Onofrio landed the fish while aboard a charter boat on May 28. The grouper, which had an official weight of 76.55 pounds and measured 57 inches long, was verified as a record by the agency on June 16. And because D’Onofrio caught it while fishing with his dad, TPWD highlighted the catch in a social media post on Father’s Day.
“This is the first black grouper record for the Junior Division, and we’re excited about his catch,” Simms says. She explains that the category was…
