Kray,
About each getting a slice of the pie, yes, but not an equal slice, and certainly not equal to license sales. As a FF'er, I can, and do, fish "bait" areas. Hence, 100% of the area is "mine." As a bait fisher, my dad cannot fish ALO areas. Unless you were suggesting making the "bait" areas "bait ONLY".
I do agree with Maurice that I abhor the way they measure success of stocked fish. It should be about providing an enjoyable experience.
For instance, CRB's post #3. I agree on many points, but not #2. Stocking later in the spring may indeed keep fish from spreading out. But even in "bait" areas, is this a good thing? How many would rather catch 10 fish while fighting crowds in the 20% of the stream near stocking points, while 80% of the stream carries less fish and people? I'd rather catch 3 or 4 and have fish, and people, more spread out. This isn't steelhead, the fish don't run all the way up from a lake. In smaller stocked streams, the majority of the fish stay within a few pools of where the bucket was dumped, creating "honey holes" with tons of fish and people. The next stocking point may be 2 miles downstream where another bridge crosses. That situation annoys me to no end. Stocking EARLIER reduces it.
(I do recognize that in some streams, for instance highly acidic ones, stocking close to opening day is necessary or there will be very few fish at all remaining)
Anyway, rant over. I support.
1. Yes, remove some class Bish streams from the stocking list to make more fish in less capable ATW's. The effect will be small but it still makes sense. We'd like more stocked fish. We are understanding of budget and facility constraints. Hence, utilize em better by saving more fish for the streams that truly need them to be worthwhile.
2. From a philosophical standpoint, I'm fine with kids being allowed to use bait in DHALO areas. The detail will be tricky. When dad's teaching his 5 year old to cast, and demonstrating, is he breaking the law? If so, it's a tough situation that makes it harder to teach. If not, then this is gonna get abused!
3. Also fine with opening up DHALO areas to all-tackle once it gets warm.
4. You can do this without trying to encourage more harvest in DHALO areas. Yes, most of em will die. So what? A fish that is released 3 times and kept on the 4th is LESS valuable than a fish that is released 5 times and then dies of thermal stress, and far less valuable than the odd one that finds a cold spring and holds over. I'll live with slightly higher mortality rates due to bait, for the inclusion of all anglers. But reject the notion that bait and harvest go together. Nothing wrong with encouraging bait fishers to release. Many already do, and the more skilled ones that these places would attract do not have a super high mortality rate.