With a year of retrospect, I think the PFBC can fairly regard the Keystone program as a success. Anglers, including FFers, seemed to have responded positively. Perhaps expanding the number of streams may diffuse the "success" a bit over the next couple years.
I've long been an advocate of the PFBC test-driving new programs and regs and, if they prove successful or popular, then keeping or expanding them (or tossing 'em if they don't work).
Obviously we'd rather see more special regs than more stocking in the current locations, but, as others have mentioned, the agency needs to look after all anglers, not just us FFers. Putting these big fish in DHALO areas so that they could be "utilized" by summertime was perhaps a compromise and indicative of the PFBC's old-school mentality that stocked fish should be harvested. At the same time, they opted to put these fish in areas were they would be released by most anglers and allowed to grow a few months before harvest. Fair enough, in my opinion.
It's worth remembering that the popularity of the Pine Creek DHALO section was the model for the Keystone program. This section of Pine is stocked with large, good looking, brown trout by a club. I suspect the PFBC fish used in the Keystone program are rainbows. The popularity of brown trout in Pine Creek should be noted by the PFBC, in my opinion.
