Ever since I was a kid, I always hated to get a strike, and miss a fish. I could not stand it. It irritated me so, to know that it was that close and to just not get it done. A fish hit my bait, and I'll never know what it was. It could have been “this” big fish or “that” even bigger fish; and by the end of the day, in my head, it was the biggest.
I've even had fish hit my bobber.
...