“It’s about catching the biggest fish I can catch,” said Mark Kraemer from Tamaqua, Pa. He and his 17-year-old son, Riley, grew tired of the expense and three-hour trips to the New Jersey shore for saltwater fishing.

That’s what drove them to the stretch of the Susquehanna between York and Lancaster counties in September. They hooked up with Rod Bates and his Koinonia Guide Service business.

They caught nearly two dozen smaller channel catfish as early evening turned to dark.

Things quieted until about midnight.

The hits then exploded, three flathead catfish in 20 minutes.

The first was truly a giant – 42 pounds, 3 ounces. It was the largest flathead a customer had pulled in during Bates’ 21 years of guiding on the river.

Certainly, though, there are even bigger ones out there.