I think Afish gets it more right than anybody else who has posted on the thread so far in regards to the PA trib steelhead fishery.
It is a Chamber of Commerce fishery to be sure, both from the standpoint of the trib fishery itself as well as the downrigger/charter boat industry for the same fish on the open waters of the big lake.
But there isn't necessarily anything wrong with that. It sells a lot of licenses and makes a lot of people happy. These things are important in these days when overall participation in the sport is on a long slow decline. And as Afish mentioned, the easement funds come from the sale of the dedicated Lake Erie permit, so it isn't like other portions of the state are being denied funding because of the Erie program.
The economic benefit to the greater Erie area is on the low end of significant, but certainly not determinative. IIRC, the economic impact of the fishery is roughly equivalent to a 200 or so employee manufacturing company. So, it isn't life or death but it isn't small taters either in an area that is searching for ways to diversify out of its manufacturing-heavy past.
Is it everybody's cup of angling tea? No. Is it my cup of angling tea? No again, and I live up there and am an area native. What does it matter exactly whose cup of tea it is? It doesn't, other than as a way for some folks to practice our species' most popular pastime; looking down our noses at other members of the species.
Here's an interesting thing and then I'll shut up:
Back in the mid-90's, I had the opportunity to guide a pair of brothers for the day for Elk Creek steelhead. They were (and still are, I believe..) the CEO and Vice CEO of the best known company in the American fly fishing industry. We got a few fish, but didn't really have a bang up day. Nice guys, anyway. As we were breaking down the rods and preparing to leave, the CEO told me that Elk Creek was one of his two favorite places in the world to sight fish for large trout. The other was Kamchatka. Kamchatka and Elk Creek in the same sentence assigned the same superlative.
Imagine that..
Now, he could have been having me on, as the Brits say. But I don't think he was. He didn't seem the type.
I guess the only point I'm trying to make is that we can never really know or completely understand what the world looks like through somebody else's prism. I'd sooner drive down to Pymatuning and fish for crappie than fish Elk Creek for steelhead. That's my prism.
But anybody else doing whatever it is that their prism tells them to do is OK with me so long as they don't demand I do it just like them.
Improved access opportunities are good news for folks with an Elk Creek prism....
