Oakwood Estates

It was there, at the end of the Oakwood Estates pier one May afternoon, when I received the greatest bit of fishing advice ever willingly bestowed upon any individual since the beginning of time. My friend and I were fishing off that long white pier one day after school, jigging up and down the pier cribs in search of pre-spawn smallmouth bass. We were content in the sort of way that is only possible when you’re 14 and blissfully unaware that afternoons spent fishing in the warming May sun is, by almost anyone’s standard, a treat. At the end of the pier that day was an old man, sitting on the built-in wooden bench that spans the width of the pier. He was fishing, and if I recall that summer afternoon 18 years ago, he was employing a bobber at the time. We made sure to stay away from him and his line, but ever the conversational type, I asked him what was biting. He said nothing was biting, and that fish only really bite when it’s dark out. I, being 14, was aware that fishing at night was supposed to be a productive activity, but I was caught off guard at the candid nature of his next tip. He went on to explain, without any prodding or encouragement from us, that if you really want to catch fish. I mean really, really want to catch fish, you have to cast your line directly into the moon beam.

Such wisdom from this gentle stranger, but even at 14 we were quick to uncover the flaw in his logic. If you stand on the north side of the pier facing the moon, the moon beam will strike a line from the moon to you, and by casting in that direction, you would be following the advice of our sage friend, and more than likely, catch untold amounts of fish. The problem comes when you walk 30′ south and face the moon. As if by some miracle, that same moon beam will line up directly from your eyes back to the very same moon. We shot holes in the moon beam theory, but as it was the early 1990’s and kids weren’t yet in the disrespectful business of openly mocking adults, we kept the obvious to ourselves until the night fisherman walked back to his house.

Oakwood Estates is the middle association in a string of three associations that make up the west bank of Williams Bay. From the south, where Conference Point juts out into the deepest water in the lake the first association past the Congress Club is the Loch Vista Club. A block north is Oakwood Estates, and yet another block north is Summer Haven. These three associations are all very similar, as none offer transferable boatslips, and the single or double lane layouts are nearly identical. All three associations have a lakefront park and pier system, though The Loch Vista Club has a small pier that is about 100 yards south of the main park and pier. It should come as no surprise to you to learn that since 1998 I have more closed transaction sides in these three associations than any other agent in the entire world. Oakwood Estates and The Loch Vista Club both share a feature that is unique today, but would have been considered common place 50 years ago. Both associations boast very large, very old school, very cool diving boards. Not little diving boards like Daniel Gross may or may not have in his Connecticut pool, but the sort of diving boards that give insurance agents everywhere sweaty nightmares.

Oakwood Estates is the first of these three associations to take steps to significantly improve their lakefront park system. They are blessed with a larger park than LVC, and a more private location than that of Summer Haven. Within in the past couple years, they have reconfigured some of their ramp space to clean up the sometimes haphazard look of numerous boating ramps (the sort that house jetski’s, scow’s, and fishing boats). Just last summer they installed new park benches, new landscaping, and the Village spent a fortune replacing their lakeside lane and installing curb and gutter. There is yet another landscaping project that will conclude this spring once the road is finished, and once that is complete, the Oakwood Estates lakefront will shine more brightly than either of the other associations on this west bank.

The water in front of the Oakwood lakefront is clear and deep, so swimming and water based fun is easy to attain here. There is a waiting list for boatslips and buoy’s, though there is an unconfirmed rumor out there that a buoy may be available immediately for a new buyer. As of this morning, there are only two homes for sale in the association, priced between $350k and $470k, and both represent fair value for this association. Like the Loch Vista Club, homes that are located within 100 yards of the water will sell for much more than those that are further off the lake. The nice thing about these small associations is that even the furthest homes from the water are in most cases no more than a quarter mile off the lake.

As is summer tradition at many associations, Oakwood Estates faces off against the Loch Vista Club in a winner take all swimming race each year. The location alternates each year between the associations, but the intensity is always high, the embarrassment of defeat always crushing. Truth be told, Oakwood usually wins, but I’m guessing it’s because they cheat. That’s a joke Oakwood. I have a three bedroom summer rental available in Oakwood Estates this summer at a rate of $3500 per month for any summer month you like. If you’d like the whole summer, we can accommodate that as well. If you’ve dreamed up owning a vacation home here but can’t quite get out of your own way in order to get it done, perhaps this is an easy way to take the idea for a test drive.

Anyone looking for lake access homes priced from $300k to $600k would do well to give Oakwood Estates a look. The location is ideal, and the very large, very long pier adorned with that old school diving board is the perfect backdrop to any water based weekend. The fishing is great off that pier, but please, if you fish at night, be sure to cast into the moon beam. Our old friend would want it that way.