Hi! I'm planning an early August trip. I'm looking for a less crowded route with base camping and good fishing for just eating fish, not trophy. Any suggestions would be appreciated! We would like to be out for 4 nights, with a base camp for at least 2 nights each or more. Fishing, swimming, beautiful campsites, minimal people would be our ideal trip! If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it!

Given that permits may be unavailable for many entry points (EP) and there's no sense discussing options that aren't available to you, what is your entry date or date range?

It's a dead end route, and I don't know if it has availability but, Crocodile Lake EP comes to mind.

BTW Welcome to bwca.com!

Quite the wish list for things within your first day's paddle from the entry point.

Most of the "less people" routes or entries have fewer permits available and therefore fewer campsites. You need to have a date or two and see what's open before people just start listing options (which may not have any open permits yet)

There are limited options currently for the 1st 10 days of August. Most of those days there are options for Trout Lake, Little Vermillion, or LaclaCroix ONLY. I don't know anything about those. They are accessed on the west side. Bog Lake has availablity most days, but it is a dead end with no other options and I believe campsites are limited. It is a south central location. Big Lake has 3-4 available during that time. I am not familiar with it. It is out of Ely. On Aug. 6th, there is one permit each available for Bower Trout, Moose, or Angleworm. If the 6th works for you, one of those is probably your best bet. Bower Trout is on the east end off the Gunflint Trail out of Grand Marais. Angleworm starts with a very long portage. It is out of the Ely area. Moose is very busy. It is centrally located. Bower Trout may suit you best. The next 10 days are a similar story, although there are a couple of other options if that time works.

Here's a Link to the permit reservation site where you can check availability. The permit type you'll need to select is Overnight Paddle, then the date.