I have done 4 trips to BWCA. This year I need to do a summer trip and take my wife for the first time. It is very important to me that she has a great experience for some northern MN camping and really good smallmouth fishing.

I want to bring my flat back canoe w/ 3 hp outboard but I didn't land a BWCA motor permit. Are there any remote locations outside BWCA that would offer my wife a great experience and have great smallmouth fishing and I could use my little motor?

Do you want to camp right next to your car, or out of your canoe?

For out of the canoe I'd recommend these places for USFS campsites you can paddle/motor to::
West Bearskin Lake
Gunflint/Little Gunflint/North Lake area
The Timber-Frear area out of Tofte (more walleye than smallies though)

For next to the car camping::
Crescent Lake
East Bearskin Lake

Yes. Lots of options.

Use that and MNDNR Lake Finder for species etc.

It is not in Minnesota but in northern Wisconsin on the Turtle Flambeau Flowage. We fished there a couple years ago and spoke with a group of paddlers that were camping with their kids. We had very good luck fishing the flowage as well. You are also not far from a small town if you forgot a necessity.

+1 on the The Timber-Frear area out of Tofte. Holiday weekends might bring a few people. Otherwise I would call it bwca experience without the restrictions. Timber-Frear-Link

I was going to suggest Timber Frear also.

Rs130754: "It is not in Minnesota but in northern Wisconsin on the Turtle Flambeau Flowage. "

What he said. For mapping purposes, the closest small town is Mercer, WI.

If you aren't set on going north, consider spending time on the St Croix. Afton State Park has reservable canoe/boat campsites. I've heard good things.

Didn't even know you could get a permit for a motor! Why not ditch the motor and paddle!

Two Island lake north of Grand Marais, good smallmouth bass fishing, plus your close to the shore and can hike waterfalls, took my wife there several times.

I would second both of the USFS campgrounds at Crescent Lake and Two Island Lake. They are both pretty remote with few amenities but do have pit toilets and water available. Both have some great campsites including several lakeside sites where you could pull your boat right up to the site if you can get them. Both are also pretty good fishing lakes with great smallmouth options and decent walleye options available. Crescent Lake also has Muskies that are pretty catchable, even by accident. They are two of my favorite spots in Minnesota, outside of the BWCA. Neither are far from the BWCA and offer similar wilderness character. Two Island Lake does have a few residences on the lake on the far western end of the lake, but it is mostly undeveloped. Crescent Lake is completely undeveloped(except for the campground of course).