muskie releases

[steelysngr]

hey larry, i fish a lake that has a lot of muskie in it but hear that during summer the water temps are too warm so that if you try releasing these fish they die, so i just stopped fishing for them during summer, is there a way to release them without overstressing them during this time or not. and at what water temp should i just leave these fish alone so i don't hurt them?

[dahlberg]

Hi SS,
That's an interesting question. I've caught, and successfully released muskies in water as warm as 78 degrees, but you don't want to remove them from the water when you take the hooks out and also make sure they can hold themselves upright before you let them go.
Pike and muskies have a goofy design whereby their swim bladders are below their center of gravity so when they get stressed they flip over easily and often have a hard time regaining an upright position.
I'm happy to hear you're concerned for the future welfare of these great fish!
best,
L