Hi all,

Have a group of 6 heading up in July for our 10th annual trip to base camp and cast lots of lines. Looking for any insight into the area between little loon and pocket. Our goal is to base camp on Finger, any info on campsites in the area that comfortably fit 6 (mostly hammocks) and any advice on lakes to target for SMB and walleye is appreciated! Also any experience on the PMA/Bushwack south of Thumb?

Happy paddling,
Cole

The large island site (south side) on Finger is very nice and there's good fishing on the lake. Smaller rock island just west of the big island is one area to focus for fish.

There's a pretty easy (as PMAs go) trail from Thumb to Contentment. I think the other lakes are a true bushwhack.

sns: "The large island site (south side) on Finger is very nice and there's good fishing on the lake. Smaller rock island just west of the big island is one area to focus for fish.


There's a pretty easy (as PMAs go) trail from Thumb to Contentment. I think the other lakes are a true bushwhack."

That’s the goal, hopefully the site is open, thanks for the info!

And FYI - we fished Contentment and caught many........15" pike.

The south side island site is gem....you can hang 20 hammocks there...good luck getting it. West end of island is fishy. So is long bay to north.....east shoreline from mouth of bay all the way up to north tip and the the flat in north tip. Campsite on west side of mouth of that bay is next best IMO....not the north one but the south one thats out on the main part of lake more. Its tight out front by lake but there is a clearing in woods behind camp...at least for tents. 6 hammocks might be tough. Decent fishing out front of camp too...the non island one.

We did finger-pageant this past summer. Getting to contentment was pretty easy. Initially difficult to find the trail but if you stay on the right side of the creek you should be able to find it pretty easily. We had 3 or 4 large logs to crawl over, it's pretty much all up hill, and you will have to climb through a rock fall. If you are not experienced in bushwacking I would say avoid going past contentment. Brigand was extremely difficult as a lot of the footing is mushy and going around the swampy area isn't an option.

Pocket and finger were great SMB lakes. I'm sure there are walleye in both but we never got into them. That portage from little beartrack to thumb is a beast, take your time and enjoy the scenery. It's a gorgeous hike.

Great info, thank you! Will probably end up spending a day in the PMA, other day trips will be to Ge-be and LLC. Maybe look for some lakers on Gun.

Do gebe for sure. Best small mouth fishing we found our whole week out. The stone chairs are super cool too and if you like the pma exploring you can check out charm, people on here have said its pretty easy to access

The island site on Finger every one is discussing is very nice. Camped there 3 years ago and loved it. We did take 2 days to get there with Day Two being a bit strenuous for our party. We were all pretty bushed. Our first night was at the top of Little Loon.

We are headed to that entry point again August 18th. Not sure if I want to do that loop again in 7 days or just putter around Shell, Lynx and heritage for the week.

If i do that loop again I would like to take at least ten days to do it so i could explore more of the area rather than pack and go.

Lynx is a beauty as well and we caught lots of fish and one really nice 26" walleye.
The campsite across from the portage to Little Shell is a gem and has a great jumping rock into deep water. Also the landing is one of the best.

Shell looked very fishy but I am nervous about crowding. However when we went through their on our way out 3 years ago we didn't see a soul on the lake. It was also during the fires and the day we exited was the day they shut the entry point down.

Bushman: "The island site on Finger every one is discussing is very nice. Camped there 3 years ago and loved it. We did take 2 days to get there with Day Two being a bit strenuous for our party. We were all pretty bushed. Our first night was at the top of Little Loon.


We are headed to that entry point again August 18th. Not sure if I want to do that loop again in 7 days or just putter around Shell, Lynx and heritage for the week.


If i do that loop again I would like to take at least ten days to do it so i could explore more of the area rather than pack and go.


Lynx is a beauty as well and we caught lots of fish and one really nice 26" walleye.
The campsite across from the portage to Little Shell is a gem and has a great jumping rock into deep water. Also the landing is one of the best.


Shell looked very fishy but I am nervous about crowding. However when we went through their on our way out 3 years ago we didn't see a soul on the lake. It was also during the fires and the day we exited was the day they shut the entry point down."

We will likely take two days to get to Finger as well, camping on Little Loon or Slim the first night. We base camped on Lynx several years ago and really enjoyed heritage and hustler, had some weird weather patterns so fishing was a bit off but we did fine. If you want an adventure, head up to Yodler and bring a fishing rod.

Bushman: "The island site on Finger every one is discussing is very nice. Camped there 3 years ago and loved it. We did take 2 days to get there with Day Two being a bit strenuous for our party. We were all pretty bushed. Our first night was at the top of Little Loon.


We are headed to that entry point again August 18th. Not sure if I want to do that loop again in 7 days or just putter around Shell, Lynx and heritage for the week.


If i do that loop again I would like to take at least ten days to do it so i could explore more of the area rather than pack and go.


Lynx is a beauty as well and we caught lots of fish and one really nice 26" walleye.
The campsite across from the portage to Little Shell is a gem and has a great jumping rock into deep water. Also the landing is one of the best.


Shell looked very fishy but I am nervous about crowding. However when we went through their on our way out 3 years ago we didn't see a soul on the lake. It was also during the fires and the day we exited was the day they shut the entry point down."

Hustler is one of my favorite lakes in that area, it's hard to go there without looping from EP14 to EP16, but if going to Lynx, i'd tell you to go one further, or at least consider a day trip to Hustler. I've done almost all the lakes in that Fishers Map except the finger lakes (it's on the list one of these days), good luck and should be a fun trip.

Slim. Eugene, Gebe, and Hustler are all top smb lakes. I've caught some nice walleye on Gebe, but it's been challenging.