Capt. You are right, not too many boats out just for steelhead in the summer but there are before the eyes come in the spring and when the fish start up in the fall. I see no reason to drop the limit in the lake especially when a lot of the stocked fish are not even in PA waters in the middle of summer.

Also for some unknown reason if I have the desire to eat one of those nasty tasting fish, it would be from the lake and not from the creek once it has been beat to hell in back.

I understand the OP wants a better experience for all but I think a one fish limit isn't going to happen and if it did it wouldn't make the experience much better.

I have always been taught that when writing mangers or politicians, individual letters get counted, form letters are just one no matter how many are received, ditto petitions.  So composing your own letter is key to getting " ears" in , in your case, Harrisburg.
 
1.1 million baby steelhead in what, 8 tribs over a 50 mile stretch of Erie shoreline, plus the NYS fish and the Ohio fish, I would think you could walk from Cleveland to Long Point on their backs! (One useful device in the generation of "tall tales" is exaggeration!)   We get 700,000 next year in the tribs feeding 200+ miles of LO, many of which are HUGE in comparison to Elk and Walnut, which I scoped out a few years ago with a couple of colleagues from USGS on a trip back from Columbus.

how any fish are holding in water inaccessible to the public?

so glad  i try to talk to you guys s m d

K MA
 

15ftstcroix
you the man hook only one on this bs site that makes any sense lone wolf  BS lucky 13 NOT EVEN qorthy of a BS designation  younse a hole wad smokers  need  to LAND 87 FISH in one day to unerstand Where im commin from the good days are dead  been dead and will remain dead  f off 
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You, young man, are the one who started this bovine field splatter, and seems to have professional credentials in flinging it.  UFO,ADIAF!.  

15ftstcroix
you the man hook only one on this bs site that makes any sense lone wolf  BS lucky 13 NOT EVEN qorthy of a BS designation  younse a hole wad smokers  need  to LAND 87 FISH in one day to unerstand Where im commin from the good days are dead  been dead and will remain dead  f off 
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You must be a real man feeling you did a good job snagging those fish out of a trout pond. I did that stuff at sea world when I was a little kid. On to harder fish that I actually have to fish for.

 
With todays crowds and lower water conditions those high double digit catching steelhead days are mostly past memories. It was crazy fun action ,but I'll admit after catching 12-15 fish all cookie cutter size the fun wears off somewhat . The most fun to me was being able to move around freely and fish different holes and runs and catch fish.  Standing in one holding spot all day gets boring no matter how many fish are there.
 
To make it interesting I would also challenge myself by trying different artificial techniques rather than just tossing different bait.  I'm not a fly fisherman, but have caught steelies on lots of crazy choices . I guess that's why trout especially steelhead are so much fun , you never know what they will hit ! 
 
One season I used 2 lb. test line the whole season ....lost plenty ....but I learned to play strong fighting fish , just a personal test to become a better fisherman.  As luck would have it I landed my biggest lifetime steelhead on 2lb. test....a nice wild fighting Elk Creek  male 32" 13 lbs. it was a very memorial battle with other unseen issues coming into play during that battle.
 
Anyone wishing to see the true capabilities of Steelhead fighting similar to western wild river fishing should try fishing the Niagara River from shore. Those leaping , current flowing ,drag burning Steelhead are the real deal there !  
 You land double digits here from shore you are the Man !