I've been using the same promar halibut net for many years now. There are probably countless fish that would have been lost with any smaller of a net, both because of the size of the hoop but also because of the long handle. I typically net the fish when they're still 5+ feet from the side of the boat, which may prevent the problem you're describing.

The situation your describing where a fish got a hook snagged in the outside of the net happened to me once when I was netting a 7lber Rob caught. He hooked the fish really close to the boat and it wasn't ready to go in. I think we still landed the fish, if I recall correctly. No other issues in hundreds of other net jobs. I do get hooks snagged in the netting occasionally, but it's a small price to pay.