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Abbott Pond covers 24 acres and is located in Sumner, Oxford County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 11 A1). Access to this pond is a challenge but well worth the effort! From Greenwoods Road in Sumner, turn onto Black Mountain Road (note: the Maine Gazetteer shows that Black Mountain Road splits off from Redding Road, but the road sign by Greenwoods Road reads Black Mountain Road… That confused the heck out of me). Black Mountain Road is paved at first but quickly turns into a gravel road and then into an ATV trail which is very rough in places. You will require a 4X4 vehicle or an ATV to make it all the way. Stay on the main stem of Black Mountain Road for 4.7 miles until you hit a “T” in the road, turn right and drive for 0.4 miles until you hit a “Y” in the road (look for the snowmobile club panel), then turn left and drive for another 0.7 miles until you see the yellow-painted metal gate to Abbott Pond on your right. The pond is an easy 5-minute walk down a good trail from that gate. Do NOT drive down Abbott Pond Road off Redding Road because it quickly transforms into a nasty ATV trail which crosses a small bridge that cannot accommodate larger vehicles, as I found out the hard way…
A gorgeous view of Abbott Pond from the launch
Abbott Pond is one of those rare brook trout waters in southern Maine that we love to discover and explore (click here, here, and here)!! It has the look and feel of places in more remoter corners of western Maine (click here and here for examples) and northern Maine (click here, here, and here for examples). That alone makes it worth the effort to reach this location. The pond sits in the shadow of Bald Mountain as well as Speckled Mountain with its grey granite cliffs. One discrete camp is visible from the water, but the surrounding area is otherwise fully forested and undeveloped. The pond was chemically reclaimed about a decade ago to remove all competing species and allow for intensive management of brook trout. Hence, this is a “pure” brook trout fishery, which is quite unusual in southern Maine: every rise, hit, and hookup comes from a squaretail, without interference from other species. The fishing rules are strict to shield this unique fishery and protect it from competing species, as follows: a) closed to ice fishing, b) use of live fish as bait is prohibited (but use of dead fish, salmon eggs, and worms is allowed, c) closed to all fishing between December 1 and March 31, d) all brookies <6” and >12” must be released at once, and e) open to fishing using artificial lures from October 1 to November 30 with release of all fish. The pond is unusually deep for its relatively small size, with a mean and maximum depth of 15 ft and 50 ft, respectively. Click here for a depth map and more fisheries information.
This little fellah fell for the dry fly.
I finally reach the Abbott Pond gate at 10:30 am after spending way too much time earlier this morning trying to find this place without getting stuck or lost. I tie my canoe to my canoe wheels, load it up with gear, and walk down the trail to the water’s edge. I immediately get the “vibe” I feel from other remote ponds I have fished in the past and know that this place is special! The weather is funky though: sunshine, then showers, then strong breezes, then no wind, then overcast, then sunshine again… The water is also a surprisingly cool 60°F and reflects the cold and unsettled weather we have experienced over the last two weeks. I cherish it because the lack of warmth is extending the spring trout fishing season deeper into June. I begin my exploration by trolling along the shoreline using lead core line and two trusted small trout spoons fished one color down, as well as my ultralight spinning rod and small reel fishing with another small spoon weighed down by two split shots. Somewhat to my surprise, I haven’t gotten a single hit 45 minutes later after I made a full circle around the pond. I need to change tactics. I notice a bunch of rises in a little embayment and stealthily sneak in and anchor the canoe. I do not see any bugs but the fish are insistently grabbing something from the surface. I set up my 4-weight fly fishing rod with a mosquito dry fly and send out my offering. It takes less than two minutes before I get a hit and set the hook on a feisty 12-inch brookie. Unfortunately, its play mates disappear in response to all the commotion. Damn!
It just never gets old…
Then the wind picks up and its starts raining. I put on my rain gear, store the fly fishing rod, and use my ultralight rod to toss a #2 Mepps spinner along the shoreline while letting the breeze push me downwind. I removed one of the three hooks from the treble and flattened the barb on one of the two remaining hooks to minimize harm to the fish. That angling approach works because I get four hits and land two more trout over the next 45 minutes. Great, I am certainly not skunked! I now find myself in the northern end of Abbott Pond. The showers stop, the sun occasionally peaks out through the clouds, and the breeze turns on and off. I see multiple rises around me. I can see that those fish are going after little mayfly duns that rest on the water surface. I tie on a dun imitator on my dry fly line and cast it out towards the rises. I have finally found my strides: I get six hits and land three more brookies. This kind of sight fishing is so much fun! I would like to stay much longer but need to break off because I have another engagement to attend later this afternoon. I reluctantly leave at 1:30 pm, fully satisfied with my experience. Although I did not catch anything bigger than 13”, I see no reason why much larger brookies should not be lurking in Abbott Pond. I will definitely return some other time to continue my investigations.
This section of the road is badly washed out. 4X4 vehicles or ATVs can still squeeze by on the edge of the road.
The results: I landed six brook trout (largest = 13 inches) in 2.5 hours of fun fishing.
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