I am serious as a heart attack, if you like fishing ... hook into one that is a fair fight. And, with salmon, it is.
They have a very soft mouth, and the state doesnt allow you to use a barbed hook. If you don't do it right, he can get off and live a long life ... and even experienced fisherpersons lose em. It is truly a fair fight. And winning is a pride pumping experience.
Keep the rod tip up, keep the tension tight, set the drag to medium ... let em run when they wanna ... when they sound, point the tip of the rod at em ... watch em jump and shake .. it truly IS a fight to the death, and the fish can win.
And if he does, give a salute and bait up ...
Definitely DO IT before you die.
PS to say: Look at those pix's above my post. Nice fish, but not uncommon. My wife caught a 46 pounder on a boat with 32 men on it. She won 'first fish' AND 'biggest fish' pot and pissed off a bunch of puffed up men. LMAO. She also complained about blisters on her hands for a week. But, when I walked offa the boat I had to hold that fish up to my chest to keep the tail from draggin on the deck ... and I'm 6'1" tall. I was so proud of her that day. She fought that fish for a half hour - leaned up against me with me whispering instructions in her right ear ... a trooper; but then that's why I married her.
HER fish. Not mine.