Milder winters rather than torrid summers is most climate change in the US, so this trend may continue. Also, long term rise in atmospheric CO2 probably encourages aquatic plant growth, just as it does to plants on land. Would love to see an article or two on these topics. Previous emphasis was on higher summer temps, up to 14 F increase (!), but that's not likely to happen in the foreseeable future.
Lake mats are like grass carp in that they work best early on, but I'm gonna give it a try anyhow. Open up areas for predators to get at forage, and creates edges which LMB love. The mat guy did tell me that it is possible to get a hook stuck in the fabric, though.
