wt2 wrote;
"I consider rainbow trout to be an "invasive species" here on the east coast."
Invasive in that it created a trout fishery after the first growth forests were cut down and the brook trout could no longer create a meaningful fishery? Or invasive in that PA should cease stocking rainbows, and browns to since they are foreign to the USA, and retonone all the other moving, and still, waterways to purge those nasty invasive species from all states east of the Mississippi.
Boy oh boy we would really have a lot of fun then wouldn't we? Thank God for the rainbows and brown trout that were nutured and stocked in eastern rivers and waters after the "native" all but dissappeared from all but the smallest, and coldest, and cleanest, mountain waters.
Cost to pursue trout in a pay-to-fish water is really relative. I wouldn't have any interest in belonging to a club (considering I could afford say 50G's a year membership) if the trout were stocked and there was virtually no natural reproduction. I prefer not to fish for hatchery trout. The spring creeks that I'm familiar with in Montana are pristine, cold, and pure. The fish are wild. As far as I know they were never stocked - actually I don't believe MT stocks any of their "blue ribbon" waters. The owners allow only a specific number of anglers per day to insure a quality experience for the fishermen. The fee in the prime months of May - September is not all that high considering I go to MT on vacation and I save my money for a whole year to enjoy myself. So if I wanted to pop for $100 a day for 3 - 4 days that is not really a big deal. As it is though I don't fish the springs any longer because there are other, public, waters with just as many fish, but bigger, than those three creeks.
I wish I could attach a few pictures of those creeks here but it appears that is not an option. They really are pretty, well Armstrong used to be pretty before a giant flood pushed the Yellowstone over it's banks and ran helter skelter through the bed of Armstong for days on end. But Nelson's is still pretty and DePuy's has a riverkepper who manages the water and makes various improvements to the section they own.