\n<\/p>\n
Dace D’Onofrio (center) and his father Michael (left) hold up the giant black grouper. Courtesy of TPWD<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Texas angler Dace D\u2019Onofrio 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<\/a> by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.<\/p>\n TPWD Angling Recognition Coordinator Grace Simms tells Outdoor Life<\/em> that D\u2019Onofrio 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\u2019Onofrio caught it while fishing with his dad, TPWD highlighted the catch in a social media post on Father\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n