Power Auger

[Mueller]

Thanks to all who responded to my post on what ice shelter to purchase. I will be picking up the Otter Lodge and sled today. Now I need to purchase a power auger...this decision looks more confusing than the shelter one. So here it is; what should I get for a power auger. I assume I will be drilling 10" holes and that's the only criteria I have atr this time. Looking forward to your responses.

Thanks

Mueller

[Valv]

Look in the For Sale section, there's one for sale, just like you wanted it.

[Borch]

You'll get lots of feedback on augers including brand and size. Most fisherman use 8" augers with 10" being a somewhat distant second choice. If you're doing a lot of pike fishing the 10" is nice. Other than that it's more than what needed, heavy and a hazard for those walking around and stepping into the old holes.

Personally for me an 8" strike master lazer or the Nils Master are very good choices. Both are fast and relatively light. The Nils is lighter and faster. The Lazer is less expensive and has great accessable customer service with their factory in Big Lake MN.

Good Luck!

[jweitgen]

In my mind, lighter is better. I don't think you can go wrong with the strikemaster and this is coming from a guy who owns a Jiffy. Good luck with the decision.

[Northlander]

I love my 8" Nilsmaster. Light and fast and I didnt need a extension the last 2 years even on LOW or Red.

[Paul Waldowski]

Nilsmaster all the way.

Steve....extension? What the #$%%^% is an extension?

[deepportage01]

Mueller, Strike master ice augers they are really hard to beat... mine is 13 or 14 years old. The blads are ez to find that can be a big ++++ at times

[dirtking]

What do you guys use to drill holes in your wheel house. A four stroke or electric? Or do you use the regular auger with the smokeless oil.

[fishinalot]

I have a jiffy with the smokeless oil and love it!

[Whoaru99]

My .02.....

Depends on how much ice fishing you do. In my case, I don't go all the time and I typically don't move the house 5 or 10 or 20 times an outing to find the fish (which probably explains why I don't catch as many as some ).

I get by perfectly fine with my 2hp, 8" Jiffy Lightning. Does it cut as fast as the Nilsmaster? No. Is it the lightest thing around? I doubt it.

Does it start good, run good, and cut holes? Hell yeah. So it takes a few seconds longer than the top of the line auger to drill a hole. Not that big of a deal to me, I'm never in that big of a hurry out fishing...

OTOH, if I went all the time, drilled tons of holes, and speed and weight were really key factors, perhaps one of the more "upscale" augers would then be worth it to me.

[deepportage01]

Quote:

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What do you guys use to drill holes in your wheel house. A four stroke or electric? Or do you use the regular auger with the smokeless oil.

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Regular auger with smokless oil, but with the 12v system I have now the 12v auger is looking good but I have never seen one drill and I'm not sure how many holes you can get out of one charge, I may have to do some reserch on them

[Guest]

10" holes are overkill, but are nice for sight fishing. Theres not much out there under the ice you wont get into an 8" hole easy enough... maybe a manity(sp??).

I hate 10" holes because they are a serious foot hazard, and a magnet to lose things down... including my 5 year old! Its no fun if your tire gets in one either.

8" is fine, I get by with 6" most of the winter, I just pull my transducer out when I have a fish on, or drill a 2nd hole very close to the holes I am fishing for the transducer.

[Sutty]

I agree in most instances. The bigger holes are great for Red Lake Crappies. Other than that 8 inchers are fine

[Hookmaster]

I second the Whoaru99 post about the Jiffy 8" Lightning. I've had one since 1995 and the only trouble I had was when someone else pulled the rope all the way out and it stuck. My friends all say how good it runs and cuts. I sharpen the chipper blade myself with a file once a year. It still has the original blade.

[boston]

Have a 10" jiffy stealth - if i had it to do over I would probably go with a 8" 2 hp model. Mine is heavy and the 3hp is a little finicky to start,the nice part is the blade design, (absolutely eats ice)a nice plus when going through 2Ft.+ ice

[R_B]

I have an Eskimo Shark with a 9" blade. I love it. Starts with 1 or 2 pulls and the 9" holes are the perfect size.

[upnorth]

I have the eskimo 9" cuts ice pretty dang good. May not be as fast as the real elite, but I got it for about $280 a couple years back.

[R_B]

What brand of smokeless oil do you use with your auger?

[Hookmaster]

I use the universal mix synthetic that I got from Fleet Farm. It is by the chain saws and two-cycle oils.

[McGurk]

In the house I use SM mag2000 w/ amsoil mixed at 80/1. No Oil trails, cheap auger, no problem redrilling holes. I might get a new auger w/ the 8" laser blades and run the same powerhead this fall for running and gunning.

[theoilman]

AMSOIL has 5 different 2-cycle oils. For your Air-Cooled Pre-mix engines, use the Saber Professional (product code ATP). It can be mixed as lean as 100-1, though many use it at 80-1, and even at 50-1 it is still a smokeless oil in most machines.

Don Dawson, Your AMSOIL Dealer, Your Lubricant Partner

http://www.the-oilman.com/fishingminnesota

[email protected]

1-800-662-0532 (please no calls after 8:00pm Central)

[Deitz Dittrich]

theoilman- welcome to FishingMinnesota.com.. great to have you with us! I look forward to reading more of your posts for sure..

For most augers, this ATP will be best?

[cold one sd]

I have a Jiffy 2 hp 8" Stealth. I use Amsoil Saber Professional 100/1 oil mixed 100/1 also. I drill all my holes with this auger whether in my ice house or my flipover. I sharpen the blade myself and have never had a problem with any Jiffy that I have owned. I use the difference in price between this and the high end models to buy other ice fishing gear. I guess this means I'll have to skip the auger races this year too. lol