Tough to loose a big fish like that but it happens to anyone who fishes often. It makes it more difficult when you know it would have been your personal best. I lost my personal best a number of years ago right at the boat while trying to lip her. I didn't have a net readily accessible. About a year later I hooked into what would become my personal best and I had a net easily accessible and was able to get some nice pictures and a weight on her.
Hopefully you hook into another giant bass that is just is big or bigger and are able to land her. That is the only way I know to make the pain of loosing a personal best not sting as much. Good luck in the future.

30 years ago....... I had a bait custom made.... the second throw with it....I threw it where I shouldn't have, like always. Bait just stopped on the second turn of reel handle.....hung ... dang....I bow popped it 3 times...I'm looking at where it is.... no way to get there....wait, what... it is moving slowly to the left....I reel up, set the hook. it just keeps moving to the left about ten feet by now, around a shallow 8" diameter stump about 14" tall. Yes, that shallow. Just has to be a giant catfish. I can no way get to the stump I'm in 12' of water, can't get out. I set back hard on the rod....the dadgum stump actually broke free from the bottom..... wow. I'm pumping and winding this stump in with all my might, I just want my custom-made bait back.
I'm pretty sure whatever fish was there, is gone. I get it 8' from the boat and manage to get the stump to the surface and pinned to it paralyzed, is the bass of a lifetime. My son saw it when I did and grabbed the net, that the fish in no way would fit in. One more good pump and we had a chance at her. when she surfaced again with the stump she made her move and pulled off......she just pulled off..... We both just stood there stunned and shaking...silent.
How big was she?
Her mouth was big enough to fit my foot in, size 11.
I caught a 6 something a bit later. My son and I both simultaneously said that the lost fish could have eaten the 6 pounder,
I did not sleep for a week, not one wink.
I made myself physically ill over this fish, for months.
This fish was one of the reasons I quit tournament fishing as well as stopped fishing for over 28 years.
I have caught bass over 10 lbs. My son has as well, this was a record-breaking fish.
I have just recently started seriously fishing again.
I never even let myself dream of hooking a fish like that again, and it's okay.
But you are not going to just forget.

I appreciate the comments from everyone, it's good to know I'm not alone!

A few days have passed and it bothers me just as much, but it helps to know there's a giant in that neighborhood lake. I had been convinced that nothing big was living in there, last year I pull 600+ bass out of it with only one fish at 5lbs.

I've fished a long time and the one that got away never goes away. One monster that didn't get away was at Toledo Bend. I threw a red rattletrap at a stump and hooked up as soon as it hit the water. I chased it with the trolling motor, got it out of 2 stumps. When I finally wore it down I netted a 22 lb flathead catfish. I'm glad I seen it because if it had got off I would have aways thought I lost a state record.

Good reasons given in this thread for why they get off. Sometimes you do everything right and it still doesn't come together. I lost one 15 years ago that I still can recount every second from the bait hitting the water, to her getting unpinned a the boat. I sat down for about 15 minutes, hands trembling and me lamenting the "fish of a lifetime", finally packed up and went home. So I guess you may never get over the one that got away!

You get over it, but you NEVER forget it.....

Been there. Three years ago, my daughter and I were fishing the Texas Bass Couples Classic on Texoma. After the first day, we had culled twice and were in fourth out of about 100 teams with about 13 pounds. The next morning, one of those Texoma cold fronts blew in with about 20 mph winds right after takeoff. My daughter was able to get a 4# in the boat early, and the bite shut off. We managed to scrape together 3 small keepers for about a 9 # string.
With about an hour left, we pulled up to a point, spray coming over the front of the boat from the waves. I chunked a crank over the point and just as it was coming over the point, it got heavy. She came up and sloshed...one of those that can't get her whole body out of the water. Fought her to the boat. Could see her next to the boat. 6-7 pounds was my guess. My daughter goes to net her and she make one more run, under the boat and broke off.

No more bites. Got to the weighin and placed 8th.................... about 6 pounds out of first.. Still bothers me.

Well. I didn't let this one get away, 12.93 yesterday.
See my long story above, and yes the one that got away was much larger.

Nice!!!


Well I told my self, "i'd pay $1,000 to get another shot at that fish!"...ended up costing $1,200. We'll see if we can accelerate another attempt to come sooner than later...

Forward-facing sonar is for sure a "real deal."
I haven't taken the plunge yet.
I am kind of afraid I will be frustrated by actually being able to see them without being able to make them bite.
Kind of like spending 3 hours trying to catch a fish off a bed, only to come away empty-handed.
Good fortune in your pursuit.