craigdailypress.com

When the gates to Elkhead Reservoir opened at 7 a.m. Sunday morning, Sand Reed was there, ready and eager to catch some fish.

The Hayden resident and animal trainer has been fishing for some time, and he has been fishing Elkhead since he moved from Alabama to Colorado in 1981.

"There is no fish that I won't kill, if he's big enough," Reed said as he secured his boat to a trailer. "I'm out here every weekend. You don't want to not enjoy the lake. They did a great job" expanding it.

Sunday morning was good fishing for Reed. He had his smallmouth bass by 10:30 a.m. and was headed home.

"Fish kind of seem to know when a southern boy comes up," he said. "They just want to get caught."

Craig resident Alan Erickson sold his boat when the lake was lowered for construction two years ago.

Sunday he was at the lake with friends headed out for a day of waterskiing.

"This is my first time out this year," Erickson said. "We used to come out all the time before they drained it. We were regulars."

Supplying the watercraft was Mark Dietrich, wife Beth and two daughters, Addie and Emily.

"We used to go every weekend," Dietrich said. "Today, we're tubing and swimming."

The family planned to spend about three hours on the lake skiing and knee boarding.

"If I was 20, I would ski longer," Dietrich said with a smile.

Jet skis were the water toys of the day for Logan Foster and his high school friends. They were unloading equipment and going over operating instructions, while Logan's father Steve was launching

his boat from the new boat ramp.

"I bought this boat two years ago, but last year it was in the shop for repairs," Steve Foster said. "We've been going to Stagecoach while Elkhead was closed, but this is definitely a lot closer."

Checking the plugs in the jet skis, Logan Foster can't wait to get on the water.

"It's the perfect day for it," he said. "We've been out four times already this year. We were here the weekend after it opened."

He said the lake is never very crowded, almost as if know one knows about its existence.

His father also is prepared for a good, long day at the lake, and said the gang likely would stay until 5 or 6 in the evening.

"It depends on how fast the kids get worn out," Steve Foster said.

Dan Olsen can be reached at 824-7031, ext.207, or dolsen@craigdailypress.com