This man caught a 53-pound catfish in downtown Des Moines

• "I'm figuring out what I want to do the rest of the summer," Halder says.

How it started: Halder, an avid fisherman from Runnells, knew a storm front was moving in that evening, a time when fish tend to be more active.

• He settled into his spot around 8pm. Three hours later, he got a bite from a catfish, but then lost it.

Yes, but: 10 minutes later, he got another bite and found himself in a 20-minute battle, trying to control both his fishing pole and the drop net.

• Ultimately, people nearby helped him pull the catfish over the wall, and then he weighed it and realized he'd achieved his big 50-pound goal.
• "They're downtown, there," he says. "We got big catfish in the Des Moines rivers."

The bottom line: Halder released the catfish back into the water. He estimates it was 20-30 years old.

• "We sent her on back to the river for someone else to enjoy," he says.