I hear you , frogpatch ... I was rather suprised to land that one myself .
As is common with the Chinook when first hooked , the salmon attempted to 'sound' (go deep) , but the drop-off where I was fishing was not too deep (for Puget Sound , anyways) . He ran up & down parallel to the shore for the majority of the high-tide fight (where there is lots of kelp) .
I still consider it a wonderment that that particular fish got landed by this old man !
I could be snotty about having such dumb luck & although I've been 'specialized' saltwater salmon fishing with light/ultralight gear for decades ... it was just a heap o' luck & a little skill .
Truth of the story is that I was going to use lighter gear (4lb test) that day , but decided on the 'heavy' 8lb on that morning ..... go figure .
Hooked alot more than landed , with the light & barbless gear .