John Reese,
I never considered the Kamchatka Steelhead project, that's well over $11K when you count airfare, tips, etc. Well over my tax bracket. And yes, fisherman count fish, some to more degree than others. I know several people who've been to Kamchatka and no one has expressed disappointment over numbers, most averaging over 20/day over 20". That's pretty amazing numbers for any fishery. There could be bad weather which could impact a fishery as well.
Not sure what you mean about "tiptoeing through the tulips", I never liked Tiny Tim. A chance to fish waters that get very little pressure in a setting that many equate to what Alaska might have been like 100 years ago has an intrinsic appeal that stands on it's own.
Back to numbers, I recently spent 5 days on a spring creek and catch rate averaged 3/day. All were over 20", average Rainbow was 22-26" and a bonus of two Tigers at 28" and over 30". I was not at all disappointed in the numbers.