Mike.
If that was a Dolly, then it was a bigun. I measured out a 27" Dolly I caught in the Queets two winters ago and it did noting like that.
The mistake I see most make when they lose fish after it turns tail is slack line.
Some folks also have the tendancey to drop the rod tip without keeping adiquate tension, and try to pump the fish too much.
This especially spells disaster with barbless hooks.
In the salt where we're fishing barbless 100% of the time and the best method for landing an energetic, hooked salmon is to keep the rod handle at a 60-90 degree angle (depending on the action of the rod ) to the plain of the line, and just crank. Let the rod action do the lifting until that fish is obviously tiring. Some like to try to kinda point the rod at the fish, and that can lead to loosing it.
Since most SH rods are a faster action than what we use for the salt, this technique isn't as effective. But if someone's consistantly looses fish, and I see them pumping the rod even when the hot fish are going nuts, I always make this suggestion.
Maybe, try to pretend that your always using barbless hooks, even if/when you're not. Keep tension.
Sorry to hear about that. It happens to all of us sometimes. Guess that's part of why it's called fishing.

J.D.