By my unofficial count, I have caught more than 30 species of fish, a testimony to the variety of experiences awaiting anglers around northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.

In spite of that variety, some say fishing is “boring.” The same folks may say baseball is boring.

But I say fishing and baseball are far from boring, considering the game within the game. There’s so much more to baseball than the duel between the pitcher and batter. And so it is with the game of fishing.

Consider that during the years spanning my fishing life, I’ve reeled in nearly three dozen different species — the vast majority from the lakes and rivers within one hour’s drive of Youngstown and Warren. Interestingly, much of the variety has come as a result of targeting just three specific species: largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and walleyes.

Indeed, every time I go to the water, I often see a game within the game. That is, the main objective might be to catch bass or walleyes, but the encounters with other species often play into the main game — and are exciting plays on the path to the final score.

Recently, I caught several yellow perch while fishing for largemouth bass at Mosquito Lake. I’ve done the same at Pymatuning. Perch in the vicinity is a pretty strong clue about what the bass are eating and a clear indicator of the kind of lures that are the best choices.

It’s fairly common, too, to catch crappies around the stumps and brush piles where bass are known to prowl. When crappies are in the neighborhood, I believe they are eating small baitfish like young of the year sunfish and shad. That often means a downsized lure will trigger bass bites.

Sometimes any fish is a clue that the predators we prefer to target are nearby. This is a reason why I don’t despair when I’m catching sheepshead on Lake Erie or rock bass under the docks at Chautauqua Lake.

Sheepshead chow down on the same baitfish as smallmouth bass and walleyes, though they might be feeding under the primary predator fish.

Rock bass scrounge for the crawfish and other small critters that hike under platform docks, pontoon and boat lifts. When rockies are there, so, too, are bass.

So fishing is far from boring.

Like the knowledgeable baseball fan who watches the infielders and outfielders shading left or right and can guess what the pitcher will be trying to do, the savvy angler learns to lean one way or another based on the behavior of all of the life in the lake. Every fish is another hint of the game within the game.

I recently did an inventory of every freshwater species I remember catching. They are: largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, yellow perch, white perch, hybrid striped bass, black and white crappie, bluegill, rock bass, red-ear sunfish, walleye, sauger, northern pike, muskie and chain pickerel.

But that’s not all of them. I’ve also caught coho and king salmon, steelhead, brown and lake trout, bullhead, channel catfish, flathead, creek chubs, suckers, sheepshead, carp, gobies,

Bowfin, Mayan cichlid and longnose gar.

I may have missed a couple, but you get the picture. With such a smorgasbord of species, it’s clear that opportunities abound to witness the game within the game.

Boring? I don’t think so.

Jack Wollitz’s recently published book, “The Common Angler,” celebrates the joys of fishing. Contact Jack at jackbbaass@gmail.com.