Manbear, I reluctantly had to keep the fish. It was a long fight in pretty swift water. after a couple of pics I made an honest effort to revive the fish.. She would not kick and swim off on her own so I made the decision to harvest the fish. I am a huge advocate of catch and release.. Especially on striped bass in a unique fishery where it was caught. I don't know about your buddies fish but I can tell you this. The measurements were at 42in. Long by 26in girth. Putting the weight over 30 pounds easy.