This happened yesterday afternoon and I am still playing it back in my head.

My split-second bad decision has me pretty flustered, how long does it take to get over a lost giant?

I feel your pain. I have that exact same net. I had one on in Mexico that wouldn't fit in the net. On the third try in a 30 MPH. wind she got off. Just dragging her on the surface beside the boat, drifting with the wind; we should have lipped her on the second try.

Man that sucks! From my personal experience fishing big swimbaits and the big gear that goes along with that...... I will lose half of my hook ups when setting the hook to the left like you did. Its not always possible but I try to always be in a position that I can set the hook to right and fight the fish in that direction. I feel like I don't get a good hook penetration (larger diameter hooks) to the left and fighting those bigger fish in that direction just feels awkward for me. Best of luck and keep chunking that big ol piece of plastic!!

We've all been there. It's one of the reasons we keep fishing. You lose a big one, but you gain confidence in the bait you are throwing and your ability to hook them.

As a seasoned Muskie angler, here is my take: When you are dealing with large hooks, anything over 5/0, including treble hooks, you need a very stout rod to get penetration. The traditional bass thinking of a parabolic bend to keep treble hooks pinned is not applicable for giant hooks. Muskie rods are pool cues for a reason, and that's to bury big hooks in a bony jaw, and keep them pinned in a strong and violent fish. I wager that big Bass are the same. A long rod (7'6"-8') and an Extra Heavy Power and Fast or Extra Fast action, at a minimum. The hook set should be thunderous, and winch those fish in, don't give them an inch.

Been there...mine was first cast of the morning. Put my stuff up, went back to the deck and it was cold beer and bbq the rest of the day!

Know the feeling well about loosing a big fish. Keep fishing and GOOD things will happen!

learn to double hookset, don't have to try to rip the lips off but a second set helps a lot.

never jab the net at the fish, it should already be in the water and just lead the fish to it, teach you partner there how to do it.

Should have had your son net that fish. A little boy netted a 17 a few weeks ago

Well I can tell you one thing. When the fish that comes unbuckled right next to the boat is a $100K fish, it hurts a lot worse.

I can still give a second-by-second account of a few of the larger fish that I have lost over 50 years of bass fishing
Maybe that answers the question you asked about “how long”?

When I hooked my biggest ever, and got her up enough to see how big she was........I said a little prayer.
Know what?
Jesus is good.

In 2003 while fishing at Lake Fork, I missed my personal best at the boat. I hooked her on a red bandit crankbait and she took drag from the start. I knew I had a big fish but was not sure what I had as she never would come up. I thought maybe a catfish? I continued to fight her and after several runs she finally surfaced out 20 yards from the boat and I knew she was a huge bass and a personal best. I made sure I had my net ready and let her play herself out.

As I played her out, she made one last run before I brought her in close to the boat and then she suddenly jumped right in front of me and shook that bandit it in my face, winked at me, and prepared herself to take a big dive........but in a split second......I was somehow able to make one quick swoop with the net and just hope I did not miss.......Luckily I did not. I did not have a scale on me but there was a guide and his two clients watching close by and he came over and put her on the scales. She weighed 11 pounds and 11 ounces......so yes I too missed my personal best at the boat............and then caught her again with the net.

From one extreme emotion to the other in less than a nanosecond.

Fishing

No that feeling only too well, I broke one off at Fork deep cranking that I actually got to see, halfway to the boat and it ran up in a tree. It would have been my PB by a long shot. That was over 20 years ago, and I don't think there is a day that goes by I don't think about that fish.

This right here is what I strive to achieve on a big fish.