I think that every one of us on the forum has lost a patch and had to retrieve it or will eventually loose a patch down their barrel.
A patch puller (worm) that threads onto your ramrod is an essential accessory. Not only will it pull errant patches, but you can wrap a ball of tow in the tines and scrub the bore most effectively.
I have used a section of clothes hangar and twisted it around my ram rod about 8 turns. I backed it out for abut two or three turns and sharpened the tip. I ran the ramrod to the patch twisted it in the direction to thread the patch on the wires and pulled the patch out.
A CO2 ball discharger will work too, but the section of coat hanger is far more economical.
A look at some of my accessories. The worm is in the center of the picture.
View attachment 38436
The fork and the ball puller thread on the ramrod. You do need to pay attention the the thread diameter and pitch when you order such items.