Northwest Fishing Reports

I realize it depends on how deep the ice is, but what is better for Eastern Washington ice? I have never drilled a hole in the ice and am looking to buy an auger that is sufficient for the job without giving myself a heart attack. How much effort does it take to drill a hole by hand compared to machine? (dollar-wise). Also, if one wants to drill many holes, is the hand auger still a good choice?:study:

It depends how much you want to spend. The best hand auger on the market bar none is the Normark Swedish Finn Bore III. It sells for about $130.00. Mora makes a great auger as well and range in price from $59-$89. If you are just planning on perch or trout fishing a 6" auger (diameter) will suit you just fine but I personally prefer an 8" diameter. Just be weary. If you seen an auger for sale for $30, you are probably getting what you pay for. Try to stick with Mora,Normark or strikemaster.

a hand auger has some benifits: cheaper, lighter weight, more compact, no mechanical failure. Drawbacks: more energy input, slower.

Power auger benifits: easier (less energy), quicker. Drawbacks: expensive, heavy, bulky, mechanical problems.

SO....when i hike two miles up the mountain to get to that secluded lake, the hand auger suits my needs. Light, compact. If I'm really tight on cash, the hand auger suits my needs. If I don't have a gym membership and need the exercise, a hand auger suits my needs.

NOW, if i drive twenty miles to the boat launch and take my sled or quad pulling my shack out on the lake, chasing perch on a new lake, the power aguer suits my needs. If I am am out there to fish (time is critical) and not really in the mood for excersice, the power auger suits my needs. If I'm looking for subtle structure in a bay that holds crappie, drilling 30 holes, the power auger suits my needs. When the ice is 2-3 ft thick, the power auger suits my needs.

Just figure your needs. Most serious ice anglers just drop the $200 +/- for a power auger.

Personally, I keep my hand auger razor shape (extremely important, I bring stones with me to sharpen on the ice) and can chew threw 12" of good ice in less than a minute (probably 30 sec). Mora is what i got, two piece 7". Had it for 10 years and wouldn't trade it for anything. (even power) But then again, i'm a little non-traditional.......good luck.


TIP: If you have a hand auger, and you ever get cold out there on the ice, just go drill a few holes by yourself, warms you right up! (works for kids too...)

I was wondering about this question myself. Seems like 6" or smaller will save you time; Hand-drilling 8" holes seem to take a long time. From various reviews I've gleaned online and threads on iceshanty.com, I've found:

Eskimo hand augers: bad

Strikemaster Mora: OK for the money

Strikemaster Lazer: significantly faster than Mora, more expensive than Mora, but you gotta get the Swedish blades; I recently purchased one from Cabela's and noted it was made in China (which indicated Chinese blades, which threads stated were not as effective as the Swedish made blades), returned and have ordered a Nils from Cabela's.

Nils: faster than Strikemaster with less effort, offset handles seem to be the key, fragile tip though - if you drop it an inch onto it's blades or use it as a walking stick, you'll bend the blades a fraction offset and it throws the whole drill out of whack; Handle folds in half for easier carrying.

Normark III: Has offset handles and can use Lazer blades (I read)

I'm trying to go light, so I purchased the hand auger. Don't plan on going through multiple feet of ice (prob not present in Spokane), so the hand auger should do. Sounds like the Nils is effortless; I'd have picked up the 4.75", but Cabela's only carries 6" and 8".

I purchased the Eskimo auger two years ago. Yeah, it's the cheaper one, but I didn't feel like forking out $80.00 for one. I only go ice fishing about 6 times a year, plus I got it for $25.00. I've been happy with it's performance, and haven't had any problems with it. It does what it is suppose to do (drill holes in the ice). Yes, the Strikemaster, and Nils are faster and better quality. However, if your looking for one on a budget or only go out several times a year the Eskimo will work for you.

There was only once where I wish I would have bought a different auger. That was when the ice was about 20" thick. That day I wished I would have bought a gas powered auger.

I use an Eskimo hand auger and I love mine. With new or taken care of blades it makes good holes. I have used other kinds of hand augers and my Eskimo keeps up or out performs. I drill up to 20 holes a trip and it will wear you out but oh well my $10 pawn shop auger gets me fishing. (headed out now) 1 thing with a hand auger is to take it slow and not build up a sweat...

i used a cheep 6" to drill 15-7" thick ice holes in about an hour yesterday . the cheaper ones will cut a crooked hole if you don't watch how your drilling. I do prefer an 8" hole though.

Thanks for all of your input. It helps me and others I'm sure. I'm sold on the hand auger thanks to you!!:cheers:

I drilled 8 holes in 12-14" ice today and found out it is time for new blades The ice was as hard as I have ever seen though:-"

sharp blades = key. Each rotation, you should get 1/4"+ ice cut with the hand aguer (look at the lines after the hole is cut, just like a tree). With good blades, thats 4-5 sec. an inch. That's what i get. With bad blades, it's taken me up to 30 min for a hole in a foot of ice.

BTW, everyone knows NOT to re-drill holes, right??

Rollin with Rolland wrote:

BTW, everyone knows NOT to re-drill holes, right??

I'll bite, why not?

fish4brains wrote:

Rollin with Rolland wrote:

BTW, everyone knows NOT to re-drill holes, right??

I'll bite, why not?

IT DOESN"T WORK!!! I don't know why all I know is that it is a good way to break a blade:-"

Hmmm, works fine for me and never broke a blade. Re-drilled 10 holes this weekend, 100's in the past without issue. Maybe bad juju or something?

Ever since I was a kid I was taught by the old timers not to re-drill holes. Not sure if the science is sound, just what i've always been told....

apparently, the way the water re-freezes around the exsisting ice creates a different "freeze pattern" or ice structure in the hole. This different structure of the ice is more irregular and more compacted. SUPPOSEDLY harder, and will dull your blades quicker. Yes, you can re-drill holes, but it just dulls your blade quicker. I was taught it's better to drill a new hole right next to an old one instead of re-drilling. I guess there are other factors to consider (ie ice depth) but it always seemed slower to re-drill holes for me than drill new ones. If you are only re-drilling a couple inches, it might not be to bad. It's just a rule I follow.....anyone else heard of this??

even with my gas auger, when I try to re-drill a hole is the only time that the blade will stick and have a hard time cutting. just drill right next to it and avoid the risk

Makes sense guys. I am usually only re-drilling a couple inches. I guess I should pay more attention to re-drilling even though I carry spare blades with me. Rather be fishing than changing blades!

Rollin I found out the reason...

When re drilling a hole the ice is different density and can have pockets that leave an uneven cutting surface for your blades. This will then trap the blades.... If there is little ice you are okay because it usually is smooth for the first few inches....

Have drilled with my new Nils hand auger on three outings now. Takes seconds to drill a 6" hole in 6-8 inches of ice. Had power auger owners looking on n envy. Lightweight and the handle folds down for transport. Almost effortless. Only con includes difficulty drilling straight down due to offset handles, but not a significant problem. If I'd known how easy the 6" holes would be with this auger, I'd have sprung for an 8" instead.

Being a west side guy I don't get over the hill very often to ice fish. I grew up with ice fishing in the midwest and still enjoy it. I have a Nils Master 8" auger and it does a fine job cutting new holes. That said I'm old school and still use a spud (chisel), most of the time, that my dad made back in the 50's. It can really make the chips fly and works really well re-opening the holes that others augered and had frozen over.

to tell you the truth i have a power auger 10 in and i would never go to a hand auger for big holes i do see the benifit of using a hand auger for small perch size holes in some of the washington lakes. the lake i fished last year on the west side hade 22 inches of good solid ice so i was glad i was using my strikemaster 10 inch. i have fished the same lake this year 3 times and each time im glad i have the power auger expessually when i am on the last of my 8 holes i drill right at the start.

i hope this helps and you are able to see. but truthuflly its all about weight and energy you are going to have to make the decision as to what level of energy you want to put out.

i hope to see some west siders fishing one of these days but not to many of us out there.