Anyone hitting up lake trout while the surface water is warm, remember to take a few extra steps to make sure the ones you want to release don't die.
Don't use gear that is too light, if the fight is too long they may not make it back down. If you can't turn a mid to high 20 inch fish up consistently, your gear is too light, save it for the fall or winter.
When you net the fish unhook it in the water, have everything ready and you can get a quick pic and measurement in about 10 seconds and just nose drop it back in.
I've heard a lot of bs about trout dying in the summer, but as far as i can tell that only happens if you fight them way too long or mishandle them/keep them up too long. hell, many of them swim right up on their own to hit lures at the surface! They don't die when they touch warm water, just have to release them quicker than in the cooler months.
Here's a nice 28" from the other week fishing with JDtuna that i never posted. It was a tough bite, but we made it happen. Every fish swam with power straight back down no problems following the info above
