That's a lot of venison and fishing stuff

I went this morning to pick up my deer at Trumbull Locker Plant, located about three miles north of Hartsgrove Square in Ashtabula County.

This is where I typically have my deer processed.

To illustrate just how much hunters are utilizing the antlerless deer tags this year, the butcher shop's owner said Trumbull Locker has so far processed more than 1,600 animals.

He also expects another 50 or so deer to come in before the season closes Feb. 1.

Last year the shop was busy, but not this busy. Last deer season Trumbull Locker processed around 1,100 deer.

A lot of hunters have taken advantage of the opportunity to take additional deer this season.

While on the way to the butcher shop I swung by Harpersfield dam to see if the Grand River was frozen and if there were any steelhead anglers.

The river was entirely frozen above the dam but open water ran from the dam's base and downstream to at least the bend.

Didn't see any anglers but did take note of one vehicle in the east parking lot; an indicator that a fisherman was likely working downstream.

I suspect that even with the anticipated sub-zero and near-zero temperatures that some open water will exist on the river downstream from the dam, providing limited steelhead fishing.

And good friend Bob Ashley of Mentor caught four steelhead and two walleye Thursday while fishing the hot water discharge slip of FirstEnergy's East 72nd St. power plant. He used pink-colored jigs with maggots for the trout and used Rapala Husky Jerk crankbaits for the walleye. Best colors: either perch or clown.