What’s that old saying…? Variety is the spice of life?

When it comes to fishing in Pennsylvania, the variety of different fishing options that an angler can experience in a year is something I truly appreciate about where I live.

Fishing for trout or smallmouth bass are two excellent options at HomeWaters over the next two months. So which do you choose? That depends. When choosing to fish for smallmouth bass and trout it’s truly not a matter of better or worse between species. Since trout are cold water fish and smallmouth bass are warm water fish it’s a matter of what is fishing better, and when. Both trout and smallmouth offer a variety of different windows of experiences throughout the year that can all be very productive and enjoyable.

The early fall months is a time of year that the trout and smallmouth bass seasons do overlap. How do you choose between a day spent fishing at the club for smallmouth bass or trout when both are a good option? To me, it’s simple. Don’t choose, do both this fall.

We are approaching September and October, and I can honestly say that these early fall months are some of my favorite fishing months of the year.

Is the trout fishing better this time of year than others? Not necessarily. It can be very good, especially when water conditions are favorable. But, I do really enjoy the early fall fishing weather. Cool nights with crisp mornings, but still having warm and comfortable afternoons is hard to beat.

Is the bass fishing better this time of year than others? Honestly, it’s just as good as the summer. Poppers are still in the mix as long as the weather cooperates, and if not the subsurface game is on. The fall months generally produce less numbers of fish per day than the middle of summer but the average size is usually better. A fair trade off.

We’ve done a lot of guided trips in the past during the fall months which on a multi-day trip anglers choose to fish for a combination of trout and smallmouth bass. It’s pretty cool that we have fishing programs at HomeWaters where an angler can wade fish to catch 20+ inch trout one day and then float down a river in a drift boat with a shot at a 20+ inch bass the next day.

During these fall months at HomeWaters, we have options. And taking advantage of all the options by fishing for both trout and smallmouth bass can lead to a very productive, but also enjoyable trip. Take advantage, don’t choose between. Do both!