They say variety is the spice of life, which, when considered in the context of fishing, is an essential ingredient for those of us who pursue satisfaction in fishing.

For those who fish the waters within an hour of Warren and Youngstown, variety is out there to be enjoyed.

Travel north, south, east or west from our homes and we will find lakes and rivers as interesting and diverse as just about anywhere in the U.S. If they can’t provide angling satisfaction, then it may be time to evaluate your standards.

The waters themselves are diverse.

If idyllic settings spice up your life, our region can deliver. From western Pennsylvania’s trout streams to the meandering headwaters of our valley’s namesake Mahoning River and south to Columbiana County’s Little Beaver Creek, anglers can find serene locales to wield ultralight tackle.

Big water anglers can find no better test than Lake Erie, where the variety of opportunities is as vast as the horizon. Erie truly is a place where anything can happen. Walleyes, smallmouth bass, steelhead and brown trout, muskies, northern pike, yellow perch, catfish and panfish await anglers whose sense of adventure pushes them out to explore the extensive shallow habitat and offshore depths.

Grassy lakes and water lily flats are made-to-order largemouth bass habitat. Mosquito Lake and Pymatuning Reservoir are home to hundreds of acres of aquatic vegetation where anglers can test their frogging and flipping skills versus big bass. Nearby West Branch features extensive weed lines where a robust population of muskies rule the greenery and feast on shad and other small fish.

Urban waters have a certain appeal for many anglers. Northeast Ohio has an interesting variety of fishing spots near busy neighborhoods, bustling commercial areas, and even industrial sectors.

Portage Lakes sprawls across south Akron neighborhoods, where anglers can cast for bass and panfish on Turkeyfoot, Mud, East, West, Rex, Miller, and Cottage Grove, all connected by canals.

Cleveland’s lakefront is steps away from the busy downtown but lures anglers with opportunities to catch walleyes, bass, panfish and steelhead, depending on the season. The Mahoning River passes through population centers in Newton Falls, Champion, Warren, Niles, Girard, McDonald, Youngstown, Struthers, and Lowellville, as well as several steel plants and other industrial operations.

The Ohio River flows large on the southern boundary of Columbiana County and lures anglers with seasonally good fishing for smallmouth bass, walleyes, saugers and hybrid striped bass.

Local anglers also can experience the ups and downs of flood control reservoirs, Berlin and Shenango, the two with the biggest fluctuations, thanks to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ water management mandate. Berlin is pumping out great bass fishing this summer, along with its Pennsylvania cousin, Shenango. Walleye anglers are looking forward with great expectations for the typically good fishing on the Corps’ Berlin.

Our region’s variety of gamefish species is considerable. Walleyes and crappies are popular with those who enjoy harvesting and eating fresh fish, while the catch-and-release crowd has opportunities aplenty for largemouth and smallmouth bass, muskies and northern pike, and the hordes of steelhead that move inshore from Erie’s depths after Labor Day.

Not to be left unmentioned are the plentiful sheepshead, the roughneck of the piscatorial neighborhoods in Lake Erie and the Ohio River. They are always ready, willing and able to fill the gaps between bites for anglers who target other species but who always marvel at their power and endurance.

All things considered, the lakes, rivers and gamefish within 50 miles of Youngstown and Warren are diverse enough to enrich our on-the-water time.