I feel some of your pain...every time I miss or have a bad shot on a deer I feel awfully disappointed...not only by my bad shot but about wounding a deer. Its a heart wrenching feeling to miss a deer no matter if its a doe or a huge buck for me.

I think I know what happened to the fish...I had a shiny steel leader on my line because of there being Northern Pike where I fish...I think the fish bass or pike hit the leader instead of the hook...because the hook/worm was undisturbed

Yeah I see the replay in my head in slow motion...like yours you lost...my rod doubled, line taught, fish went to the bottom (not deep where I was fishing), I pulled to bring it in and fish spit out my hook or wasn't caught... I haven't mounted any fish yet...I prob could have mounted the bass I caught in MD but let her go.