All we can say is what a year! 2010 will go down as one of the best that we had ever had. This is our 12th year on Oba Lake and just like every year it did not let us down. This time was a little different for our group. It was our first time going opening weekend in 12 years.
Our party of (3) was a little apprehensive about being the first group in. We were worried if the fish were going to be in the same spots as they normally are. The weather is always different. Usually cold and wet. This year it was different. There was high sky and 70+ everyday. No bugs and great fishing. Every year we keep saying we should have kept track on how many fish we caught. So this year we had a contest to see who caught the most, the biggest, and overall producer by species by day part. We developed a spread sheet to keep track of each days fishing outcome. We broke it up by morning and evening to see what part of the day produces the best catch. We started out by catching our normal 20-25 fish on Saturday night. Just enough to cull through the ones you want for dinner.
The fishing started out a little slow due to the cold front that passed the week prior. Once we figured out where the fish were we started catching over 100-177 fish per day. One morning alone we caught 107 Northern Pike and Walleye. Then went back that night and caught another 70 for a total of 177 fish that day. The best part was that we were catching bigger fish then what we did in years past. It was hard to find Walleyes smaller than 18.5 inches. We caught over 40 northern pike that were over 32 inches. Our biggest was a 40 inch 15.5lb hog. The Perch fishing was great. We caught 55 Perch in only 30 minutes. The Whitefish were bigger then what we caught before. Our biggest being 4.5lbs. We averaged 100 fish per day between 3 people.
Our total count for the 5.5 days was 550 fish. Wow we cannot say enough great things about Oba Lake and Woods Cabins. Thank you for your hospitality and commitment on being the best and most affordable place ($528 per person for the week) to stay in Northern Ontario. As you already know, we just booked next year's trip. See you in the spring of 2011.
Jay Jackson
White Lake Michigan USA
Since 1985 there has been this special place in my heart, a tiny dot on the Ontario map of Canada called OBA Lake. Where you will meet three of the most amazing and wonderful people you could ever meet, Michael and Hana Spazier and there son Andrei. It is on that wonderful crystal clear lake surrounded by shear rock and beautiful Canadian landscape you will only find about 700 feet of beautiful white sand and eight of the most beautiful, rustic, hand built log cabins, and this place of sanctuary and beauty is called "WOODS CABINS".
I have been visiting this wonderful place since I was the young age of six. My Father introduced me to the best game
fish in the world called Northern Pike. Along with the Northern Pike he also introduced me to one of my best friends
in the whole world named Andrei Spazier. From May until September Woods Cabins is the most amazing place in Canada to fish for Northern Pike. The world class Walleye pulled from this lake are amazing too, from the lake to the frying pan the best fresh fish you will ever find and taste. If you visit about the middle of July, the mayflies should be
hatching and OBA Lake has a great abundance of Whitefish schools, oh and don’t let me forget about the Perch fishing. When you find the big schools, you will come in with pounds and ponds of delicious perch. Along with the phenomenal and exciting fishing, some of the best things Woods Cabins has to offer is the tranquility of the beautiful Loons calling down the lake, the Black Bears across the lake from the cabins waiting for Andrei to bring the fish remains, the occasional Moose at the south end of the Big Island standing in the swap or crossing the lake. There is so much to explore and see the only way to explain it is to go there yourself and see.
On the drive up from Detroit you can see the Straits of Mackinaw and the island, the Soo Locks of Canada and the
United States, The Sand River Waterfall (where there is not a speck of sand just large boulders and beautiful flowing
water). The breath taking views of Lake Superior as you drive along the shoreline, and just when you think that there is
nothing else to see you pull into the small little town of WaWa and the Giant Goose of Canada. Just after you pass that
comes the Magpie Falls and Young’s General store, where the chipmunks run in and out with the opening of the screen door, trying to get to the big barrel of nuts. Once you get out and stretch your legs in downtown Wawa remember that there is a nice little grocery store just incase you forget anything back home. Once you’re done getting the rest of the stuff you may have forgotten or need, it’s off to Hawk Junction to load your equipment and supplies and catch the train!!
The train is probably one of the most favorite parts of the trip all my friends like when I take them up with me. It is a
two hour ride from the train station in Hawk to the Great Mile Maker of Stop 212 “WOODS CABINS”. On the other hand if you don’t want to wait two hours to get there, you have the option to fly in on a float plane, provided by Hawk Air. It
is a little on the pricey side but the views again are outstanding. At last, the train slows down and you look out
the window and see mile maker 212 and a pontoon boat coming across the lake with one of the tallest guys you have ever seen in you life, and his name is Mike Spazier. As he helps you unload the train and walk your gear down to the pontoon, his son Andrei pulls up with the passenger boat ready to take you across the lake to the cabins. With the pontoon loaded and the passengers in the long boat, you shove off and slowly motor your way along the shoreline out to the point. Then just as you round the rocky point out pops cabin number 3 sitting out on the beautiful white sand of the point just waiting for you to arrive! Waiting for you as you arrive at the docks is a wonderful woman named Hana. She just warms you with her smile and before you even get off the boat she is so excited yelling hello to everyone and passing out hugs, waiting to hear the good news of how your family is and how your trip was coming up. As you are unloading the pontoon, she is directing you to which cabin you will be staying in and walking with you showing you all the new things that they have done and changed over the spring and summer. Once you arrive at you
cabin, you walk in and take a deep breath of the fresh Canadian air and start to relax!
The Cabins are beautiful, rustic, hand made from the logs they cut down to make camp. Inside just to your left you
find a table and chairs waiting for you to sit in at the end of a good day of fishing and tell stories of how you missed
the big one, what lures they are hitting on and what weed bed they are in, (never actually revealing the real lure or the
hot spots!!!). Just past the table and chairs is the kitchen counter and sink, where the first ace and the next highest
card wash the dishes. Over to your right is the coffee pot sitting on the gas stove waiting to percolate in the morning
as dad makes eggs and fried potatoes. Just to keep the coffee warm and your clothes dry from a rainy day on the lake is a small wood burning stove just perfect for the cabins. On either side of the wood burner is the entrance to two rooms
with very comfortable beds waiting to ease your shoulders and back after a long day of catching every little hammer handle there is in the lake, and then that out of nowhere a huge 18 pound Northern Pike. But before you lay down in that bed don’t forget that on Tuesdays and Fridays the sauna and hot showers are running. Nothing beats getting in the hot sauna and then running down the rock and diving into the icy fresh lake!! After all that, to lull you to sleep is the peaceful sound of the loons singing down the lake and the gentle lapping of the waves on the shoreline.
Before you know it the whole week has passed, and you are on your way home and you just remember the outstanding
hospitality the owners offered you and the great people you met up there who love and enjoy the outdoors like you! No
phones, No TV’s, No cars, just "WOODS CABINS". Great Memories, and the Great Canadian Outdoors!!!
Sincerely, Chad Acheson, MI
Oba Lake and Woods Cabins, every time I here these places mentioned I remember all the great times I have had visiting here. From the first time my grandfather brought me in 1980 {he had been coming here 30 years prior to this} to the first time I brought my own family. I have been coming here now for over 20 years and wouldn't want to go anyplace else. The fishing is spectacular for both walleye and those huge northern pikes that I dearly love to catch. I pretty much will catch all that I want at this lake and I don't use a fish finder either. There is nothing better than being out on the lake with my 11 year old daughter Kit-Ann (she's been up here 4 times already) and hearing the loons talk back and forth, watching the bald eagles soar overhead, or watching the black bears searching for food on the shoreline. I really love coming up here year after year. If I could describe Oba Lake and Woods Cabins in one word, it would be HEAVEN.
Paul Knisley, Ada, Ohio
I have been going to Oba Lake for 31 years without missing a year for a combination fishing and annual reunion for a group of ten to fifteen school buddies and relatives. The fishing has become progressively better every year. With all the fish a person can eat, we once had to settle for a fish-meal that consisted of three or four nine to ten-inch walleye, one can now satisfy his hunger feasting on twenty plus inch. In the 31 years we have always went to Oba we have packed provisions in the event we did not catch fish and have always brought those provisions back. The excellent rates and hospitality have made our annual trip to Oba something the whole group looks forward to all year.
Jim Belles, Williamston, Michigan
My first trip to Woods Cabins was in 1964, have been back just about every year since, some years twice! I took my son along when he was12 years old and now he is a regular. My Grandson got to make the trip last year. We all love the lake, the camp, the hosts and especially the fishing! I could (and would) recommend this camp to anyone that asked.
David Lee, Sellersburg, Indiana
I HAVE BEEN COMING TO LAKE OBA SINCE 1981. THE FISHING HAS NEVER LET ME DOWN. I ALWAYS FISH THE LAKE WITH 2LB TEST, WHY, BECAUSE THE FISH CATCH TOTAL IS SO LARGE PLUS YOU SEE MORE ACTION WITH THE 2LB LINE. SHURE I HAVE LOST COUNTLESS BIG FISH BUT I ALWAYS GET MORE THAN MY SHARE. I ALSO MAY HOLD THE OBA LAKE RECORD WITH A 6 THREE QUARTER LB WALLEYE ON A 2 LB TEST WHICH TOOK 45 MIN TO LAND MY FISH. MY EXPERIENCE ON OBA CANT BE MATCHED ANYWHERE, OBA LAKE IS MY 2ND HOME.
David Rose, LAKE ORION, MI
Woods Cabins on beautiful Oba Lake has been an awesome experience in my life since 1977.
Its been a tradition that has been passed from my Father(John) to me, and now from me to my son (Joshua). Its Sportmans therapy both mentally and physically. It has become a true home away from home for 3 generations of the Rudd Family. Thanks to its peaceful beauty, awesome fishing opportunities and the myriad of memories I have collected, the tranquil feeling of Woods Cabins creeps into my subconscious almost daily. Michael, Hana, Andrei (The Spazier family) have made all of this possible by creating a kind and simple atmosphere, that turns their home, into mine for the length of my stay. Awesome hosts and genuinely good people, Its no wonder Its an annual journey I don't ever want to live without. For both young, old, novice or advanced anglers, the challenge can be easily found on the water. For 30 years I have seen nothing but excellent fishing, both in quanity and quality and through years of proper management, I have to say the fishing is better now then it ever has been. For me Oba Lake Walleye is the hands down favorite, so fun to catch, so immaculately clean and firm, its flavor .....INCREDIBLE!!!
I CANT WAIT FOR JUNE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tom Rudd, Chelsea Michigan
Woods Cabins on Oba Lake has been Stan's favorite fishing hole for over 48 years! He started going there with his brother in law and coworkers all those years ago.
The fishing is not the only thing he enjoys though the wild and remoteness of the area is almost the same as it was those many years ago - Moose, bear, beaver, and ducks are still prevalent. It is a great place to meet new friends or just lay back and relax you can fish as much as you want and eat what you catch there's nothing better than fresh walleye!
"I have brought many family members to Woods Cabins throughout the years--some years they have practically filled up the camp with Mersino's it was a great place to get to know my nephews and grandchildren better" he says.
Stan Mersino, Kingston, Michigan
I started going to Woods Cabins in 1984. I wanted to see for myself just how great this place was that Stan bragged about for so long! Our kids were finally "out of the nest" and I was pursuing my art career.
The landscape and wildlife were awesome matter of fact, it was the first time I saw the Loons in person!
My most famous lithograph print was of the loons that I saw at Oba Lake. I go there with my husband Stan as often as I can not only to fish, but to paint, sketch and relax. We have brought many of our grandchildren with us - one at a time - and have gotten to know them and enjoy them better. Many of our family has enjoyed the camp throughout the years. The Spaziers have become good friends and you couldn't find better hosts - they don't interfere with your privacy but are ready and able to make your stay rewarding.
Landscape and Wildlife Artist
Ruth Ann Mersino, Kingston, Michigan 48741
www.mersinoart.8m.com
My name is Tom Beck and I have fished Oba since the early 1960’s. The lake itself is really a large section of the Oba river and it runs about 12 miles. I have fished the lake almost every week from the first week of June through the 2nd week of September during my 40+ years.
Even though the lake is large, it can really be divided in half for fishing purposes. In the spring, June through early July, the north section of the lake is used, since this is the “shallow" end. This is the area of the lake where fish spawn.
The south end of the lake is used from the middle of July through September since it is deeper end and not as weed clogged. The main species my groups fish are northern and walleye, however, some groups visit the camp to catch white fish and perch in the spring.
Here are a few of the advantages of Wood's Cabins based on my experience.
1) The camp is located near the center of the lake, so whether you visit during the spring, or mid summer through fall, you only need to scout out 6 miles of lake. This is a relatively small area considering the size of most Canadian lakes.
2) Woods Cabins is located on one of the few sand beaches on the lake, and most of the cabins are located right on the shoreline. You can drag your boat to shore within 50 feet of your cabin, and you can stop right at the fish house on your way in from the lake.
3) These are true log cabins with NO electricity. This means no generators disturbing the peace and quiet of the wilderness at night. You will hear Loons, Owls, and sometimes Wolves howling. Many times the northern lights are visible for a few nights during the week.
4) Clark Lake is located just to the east of Oba and is located in a wildlife preserve. Woods Cabins has a special exemption to fish this lake because they were allowing people to portage into Clark before the preserve was established. There is a fly in camp at the lake, but my experience has been that only 6 to 8 groups visit per summer. I love making the trip over to Clark because you use an animal path to portage to the lake and you travel about a mile and a half by boat through a marsh which offers the opportunity to see beaver, ducks, cranes, moose and bear. (Plus you are fishing a lake people pay to fly into.)
5) Woods Cabins is by far the least expensive camp that my group has investigated in this area.
Finally, let me comment on the fishing at Oba. If you are looking for the largest Northern Pike or Walleye of your life then you need to visit a fly in lodge at a catch and release lake (plus pay 3 times as much for the fishing time.) On the other hand if you are looking for a good week long fishing trip (6 full days) where you can catch Walleye in the 15 to 21 inch range and northern in the 30 to 40 inch range on a consistent basis, then Woods Cabins is an excellent location.
If this is one of your first trips to Canada, then Woods Cabins is also an excellent choice because the fisherman in camp are usually very friendly and willing to share information on the lures they are using and general locations they are fishing.
I would be happy to speak with anyone who would like more information. My phone number is
574-291-4761.
Regards Tom Beck
I’ve been coming to Woods Cabins every spring for 17 years. My childhood friends and I meet with the same groups of fisherman during this first week in June. Some of those men have been coming here for over 35 years. Along with the Spaziers, we are one big family. Woods Cabins has the perfect recipe for a wonderful fishing vacation: lots of fish, a panoramic natural setting, friends, attentive but unobtrusive hosts, and a dash of ruggedness. What is missing? How about no TV’s, cell phones, radios, computers, or noisy generators. I can lie in my bed at night and actually hear the water lapping against the shore. My week at Woods Cabins is the highlight of my year.
Tom Skylis, Ann Arbor, Michigan
The summer of 2007 will be my 24th week long stay at Woods Cabin's on Oba Lake. (That is nearly 6 month's that I have spent up there.) Everything about the trip seems fresh every year. The 10 1/2 hour drive from Lake Orion, Michigan (about 45 miles north of Detroit), goes by quick and we certainly have seen our share of wild life sightings on the road from Sault Ste. Marie to Hawk Junction over the years. We drive up during the day on Friday and stay at the Log Cabins at the Wawa Motor Inn for a little pre Oba party. After Breakfast in Wawa and shopping at the Beer Mall, we head to Hawk Junction for the train ride to Oba Lake. Year after year, it's always great to see Mike and Andrei as we get off the train.
It seems that the fishing on Oba Lake just keeps getting better every year. We catch lots of fish and they are consistently larger every year. The Walleye dinners that come out Cabin #5 on the first week of June every year are enough to keep me coming back (thanks to Chef Tom and (myself) Darryl). After 24 years of making the trip to Woods Cabin, I have realized that it isn't just about the fishing, it's also about the peaceful camp, no electricity, no cell phones and most of all about the friends that we've made that also go up every year. There are times when I'm out in the boat when I stop fishing for a few minutes an look around in awe at the Lake, the rocks and the trees.... it's a spectacular view.
Mike, Hanna and Andrei have not only been great hosts to us, they have become good friends.
The Cabin 5 guys - Mike, Jeff, Tom and Darryl, Michigan
Our family including my wife, two sons, daughter and daughter in-laws have been coming to Oba Lake since 1990. Since that first trip, no matter the time of year it is, my thoughts drift to Oba Lake and to our good friends, Mike, Hanna and Andrei Spazier.
No cell phones, no computers, no traffic - just time to fish and spend time with family creating memories. Add in the scenery along Lake Superior and the train ride to Mile Marker 212 and it makes for the best week of the year.
We have always had good luck fishing no matter what month we go or what the weather is. Since we started keeping track of the catch, we have averaged over 250 fish a year. We troll with spinners tipped with minnows and worms. With this method you catch lots of walleye and you never know when a big pike will hit. We have never found it advantageous to be fishing early in the AM so we always sleep till 830 or 900AM, fix breakfast and then start fishing. At the end of the day we anxiously await the beautiful sunsets and a few games of euchre.
I know that my children and their children will continue what has become a great family tradition - spending a week on Oba with the Spazier family.
Bill Kennedy, Bath MI
"I began coming up to Woods Cabins in the late 1970s, initially coming to Oba Lake with a bunch of Frankenmuth, MI guys. In 1992, I came with my real fisherman son, Jason, age 12. The word of our great time spread quickly to my other two boys and we all started coming in subsequent years. We have always caught lots of fish, had a great time getting away-playing cards, eating great, drinking beer, etc. I'm now retired in Bellaire, MI and look forward to many more years of going to Woods Cabins with my boys, as well as, Dick Miller and crew. 2007 is just around the corner(July 7-14)-cant wait!"
Jim Coryell
Ive hunted and fished all over north america and have yet to find a place so peaceful and tranquil as Oba Lake, not to mention the fishing. I have fished Oba for over 30 years and never failed to catch and bring home my limit of walleye.(some days catching as many as 60 fish) Accessible only by rail or air I feel has kept the quality of fishing great and also makes for great adventure for our group. Woods Cabins hospitality is second to none with a relaxed atmosphere, ( do what you want when you want) the best location on the lake and a great value. So, if you'd like to get away from it all, see great sunsets, listen to the loons and maybe catch a glimpse of a bear or a moose and eat some of the best tasting fish in the world, then head for Woods Cabins on Oba Lake! Sincerely,
Bill /Anderson, Grand Ledge, MI
I have been coming up to Woods Cabins on Oba Lake for nearly 25 years. I enjoy the remote location and limited access of this large lake. It offers great scenery and viewing of diverse wild life. I can always count on a rewarding fishing experience. Our hosts (Mike, Hana, and Andrei) are very accommodating and make sure we have an enjoyable stay. Our group anxiously awaits this years trip!
Chuck Mahoney, Lapeer, Michigan
I started coming to Woods Cabins In 1979. You were still hanging onto your momma and sucking a bottle. Duane and his son Mark had come here before and invited me along. When we were out fishing one day Mark and I got our lines caught in the prop and when Duane was removing the lines his glasses fell in the water. We tried to retrieve the glasses without success and we had to help him the rest of the week on close work. The story I tell the new people on our yearly trip and start by saying you are not going to believe this. The next year I brought Floyd up with me and when we fishing in the area that Duane lost his glasses, Floyd caught a large pike and when he pulled it in the pike was wearing Duanes glasses.
Over the years there has been from 4 to 8 people on our trips. One of the highlights of the trips is the shore lunches we have each day and we have never failed to have fish to fry. When we are planning these trips in January the shore lunches are in peoples minds. A lot of times we eat fish for supper and have had fish at breakfast time. I have been the cook over the years and the first one that complains gets the job.
One time we came up in May. After a shore lunch on the small island up toward 3 Sisters my minister friend Bill and my son-in-law Allan went skinny dipping, but Floyd and I had all the clothes we had on, plus insulated jumpsuits and we were freezing. By the way it was sleeting/snowing out.
On our first trip over to Clark Lake, Floyd and I were not too well prepared. We caught a lot of walleye and pike that day and no way to clean the fish over there. Mike had given us a gunny sack an we had a full sack of fish. What a chore that was to carry the fish and all our gear back.
The last 14 years I have lived in Florida and go back to my summer home in Ohio come May to prepare for our June trip to Oba Lake. Most of my fellow fishermen are from Ohio and were those that I had worked with or went to the same church. Some have joined us from Florida, Tennessee, and North Carolina. One sad note for me, some friends can not make it anymore. My wife has been a big encouragement on this, by saying you better go when you can.
Every trip has had a story to tell about. Like being caught in the rain, and one time it hailed about the size of a quarter and filled the half full. Bear in the camp, seeing moose. A man crowing like a rooster in the early morning. the champion screamer from Ohio. Having to call 911 to find my buddy Bill on the Ohio Turnpike.
All the improvements in the cabins like running water instead of carrying in a bucket. Gas refrig. instead of ice boxes. Showers instead of the lake to bathe. Propane lanterns instead of white gas. Better not say anymore or the rates will go up.
I have enjoyed the trips very much.
Bert Kolhler, Michigan
