Author Topic: How thick are hand augers good for? (Read 2126 times)

northernnyice · « **on:** Jan 16, 2009, 11:07 PM »

Most of my fishing destinations are not the shortest to get to. I'm really looking into an 8" hand auger for when I'm out alone and have no help hauling equipment. Now ive used a 6" hand auger and it cut through 5" ice very efficiently. Will an 8" blade be harder to cut with? if i had to cut up to, say, 14 inches of ice would it be okay? Im 6'2 200 pounds and in pretty good shape..Am I going to exhaust myself punching 5 holes? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks

fishingabomb2006 · « **Reply #1 on:** Jan 16, 2009, 11:14 PM »

i got an 8 inch hand auger, its decent for thinner ice like under 8 inches and you can bore holes fast and dont mind adding more later. but with thicker ice or cold tempts its too much. the water freezes on the blades and makes it near impossible to drill a hole and not kill yourself

northernnyice · « **Reply #2 on:** Jan 16, 2009, 11:23 PM »

Thanks. Well I originaly said 14 inches because occasionally during a really cold winter (like this one) we'll get some real thick ice, but I mostly fish somewhat swift rivers so 8 or 9 is about the high-average for ice. I will probably get one for early ice anyways, but just wanted to know about when it got thicker as well.

coleman 1 · « **Reply #3 on:** Jan 16, 2009, 11:32 PM »

man you can auger through ice right to the handle with a 8' hand auger keep your blades sharp ,and no problem have done it for many years.14 inches of ice is not even a work out.... 8)

northernnyice · « **Reply #4 on:** Jan 16, 2009, 11:42 PM »

So as long as i have good blades I should be good eh? Recommend any?? Stainless steel teeth?

Wisdom · « **Reply #5 on:** Jan 16, 2009, 11:48 PM »

Quote from: northernnyice on Jan 16, 2009, 11:07 PM

Most of my fishing destinations are not the shortest to get to. I'm really looking into an 8" hand auger for when I'm out alone and have no help hauling equipment. Now ive used a 6" hand auger and it cut through 5" ice very efficiently. Will an 8" blade be harder to cut with? if i had to cut up to, say, 14 inches of ice would it be okay? Im 6'2 200 pounds and in pretty good shape..Am I going to exhaust myself punching 5 holes? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks

Just wanted to point out cutting an 8" hole requires the removal of almost twice as much ice as a 6" hole, so don't buy an auger bigger than you will need.

northernnyice · « **Reply #6 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 12:07 AM »

Well the 6" auger was my buds, simply used to check ice thickness. I fish for walleye and northerns so I'd definitely need the 8".

Jack Magnum · « **Reply #7 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 02:10 AM »

Quote from: northernnyice on Jan 16, 2009, 11:07 PM

Most of my fishing destinations are not the shortest to get to. I'm really looking into an 8" hand auger for when I'm out alone and have no help hauling equipment. Now ive used a 6" hand auger and it cut through 5" ice very efficiently. Will an 8" blade be harder to cut with? if i had to cut up to, say, 14 inches of ice would it be okay? Im 6'2 200 pounds and in pretty good shape..Am I going to exhaust myself punching 5 holes? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks

My Gosh, The new breed are such babies !!!! Me and a buddy used to use 8'' moras and drill thru 3' plus of ice at Dresden and Lake Champlain. I used to get into some friendly competitions . We loved it and had strong arms and shoulders. I was 5'9'' and 200llbs then and had 181/2 '' arms. How much ice can you go thru

?? As much as the handle will allow.

Flag!!Man · « **Reply #8 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 02:32 AM »

There is technique in drilling holes...The more of em you do the easier it becomes... I've watched many a friend have trouble drilling holes that I could zip right through... I believe the trick is knowing where to apply weight & force

You can drill well beyond 14" of Ice with a hand auger. I would recommend a Lazer

travisj88 · « **Reply #9 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 02:40 AM »

I have a 8" Nils Master and 14" of ice is no problem. When the ice gets 3' or so it starts to be a pain.
Travis

Cheeks13 · « **Reply #10 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 06:26 AM »

I have a six inch strikemaster and have had it up to the handle many times. I think the lasers cut a little better but they are also a little more money. Elbow grease is all you need, but sharp blades also help. Cheeks out!!!

Steelhead71 · « **Reply #11 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 06:41 AM »

In my opinion anything over 1' hand augers are more effort than they are worth and sharp blades are the key.

frozengator · « **Reply #12 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 06:50 AM »

they do make extentions for the hand augers too. Man I sure don't know what that would be like. never seen more than 14" of ice.

ship of fools · « **Reply #13 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 07:30 AM »

With sharp blades you can get through thick ice with no problems. I put new blades on mine last year and went through 18" of ice with no problems.......i just figure it keeps me from getting cold.

TROPHYMAN · « **Reply #14 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 08:00 AM »

If you are concerned about ease of drilling make sure you have sharp blades and if you do not need the full 8inch hole put 7 inch blades on your 8 inch hand auger and you will think you are cutting butter and i have pulled 13 + pound pike thur the 7 inch hole

Oldtimer · « **Reply #15 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 08:06 AM »

If you think it is tough drilling through any depth of ice, grab a spud and then you will see how easy the augers are... I can well remember a double bitted ax, a spud and 20 inches of ice..

captain guy · « **Reply #16 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 08:17 AM »

At your size, you should not have a problem drilling five holes.On the other hand,if you move three or four times during the day,well,if your'e not in shape,you will be after a few outings..
As i have fished hard water for over 45 years now,used every hand auger design out there,a 6in. is considerably easier drilling than an 8in. I.M.H.O. i find the lazer to be my auger of choice. Just replaced the blades. Had the original blades on for 8 years,drilled a whole bunch of holes,still felt scary sharp. The new blades are scarier sharper...should have changed them out a few years ago...like a hot knife through butter once again.
Myself, i hand drill up to 12 or so inches,after that,out comes the power auger...
My ultimate ice drilling depth with a 6in. Lazer hand auger,was 39 1/2 in. on the Bay of Quinte in Ontario Province (North shore of Lake Ontario)at 14 below zero, a few years back. The last few inches we used a spud as it was tough to drill at that low of an angle.
Drill five of those holes,and you will find out if your fancy insulated underwear wicks sweat away from your skin as well as they claim......

OneBucketMike · « **Reply #17 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 09:05 AM »

Quote from: northernnyice on Jan 16, 2009, 11:07 PM

Most of my fishing destinations are not the shortest to get to. I'm really looking into an 8" hand auger for when I'm out alone and have no help hauling equipment. Now ive used a 6" hand auger and it cut through 5" ice very efficiently. Will an 8" blade be harder to cut with? if i had to cut up to, say, 14 inches of ice would it be okay? Im 6'2 200 pounds and in pretty good shape..Am I going to exhaust myself punching 5 holes? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks

I'll throw my "old man" two cents in. Back 30 years or so ago, all we hand were hand augers and they were the spoon variety. We had up to 30" at Oneida in those days but we got through it (had to have at least one guy with an extension on his to get through the last 6"). With old spoon augers you had to scoop the ice chips out evrey foot or so to not get stuck (then you had a mess). The new Lazar type are better as they remove the ice chips as they go. But a good sharp spoon can cut through a foot of ice in 10 seconds (won a bet on that once). With the spoons you definately only wanted to use the smallest spoon for the fish you targeted. Had a 4" one for panfish and found a metric one (I believe it was 6.67") for walleye. OK, now I've shown my age so I'll put my "pen" to rest. Cya....

pikenforcer · « **Reply #18 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 09:33 AM »

Ah yes, the old spoon auger. I am in my 30's and still remember the spoon auger. Used it for about 15yrs. It worked like a charm if you kept it sharp. I couldn't find anyone to sharpen it anymore and had to get rid of it. Too bad although I do like my Mora much better. I have a 7" and it works great. The hand auger definitely has its' advantages when pulling your sled by hand and trying to get out to farther areas. A lot less weight. I always keep a spare set of sharp blades on hand just in case and get them resharpened every year no matter what. Nothing worse than drilling holes with dull blades. I think the main thing to keep in mind no matter what is sharp blades, sharp blades, sharp blades and you shouldn't have any problems no matter what the thickness.

northernnyice · « **Reply #19 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 12:16 PM »

Thanks guys, very persuasive, I do believe I will be getting one

Now to pick one out..

marcus · « **Reply #20 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 12:38 PM »

back in NH where the ice actually got thick me and my buddy able would use a hand auger for 30"+ sometimes quite the workout but better than our original equipment which included an ice chisel for any hole we needed once again thru 30" of ice sharp properly aligned blades and a hand auger isnt that bad if the angle is off even just a little good luck ... I now only own a power auger and say what you will but 2"+ I use what I have... also have noticed a huge difference in effort from 6" to an 8 " . I helped a guy 2 years ago on conesus land a 36" FAT northern thru a frozen up 6" hole with the edges frozen like they were it was probably only actually 5" or so and it came through no problem. I have nothing against bigger augers and like the ease of a bigger hole but if I were using a hand auger I would certainly choose a 6" or 7" would be ideal if they make them . like said earlier the only real limitation to using a hand auger is bottoming out.

Hammer614 · « **Reply #21 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 12:41 PM »

I have both a 7" and 8" strike master auger. I think they work great.....just be sure you dont bang the blades on the ice....I cracked a blade doing that. But I've cut through 2 1/2' of ice with them before.....I would cut a few holes and fish them. Then when I got a little cold I would go cut a few more holes. It definately keeps you warm using a hand auger. Also a little helpful hint......spray your auger and blades down with a little cooking oil (PAM). It definately helps prevent water and ice from sticking to your auger

Tight Lines

GAMBELL · « **Reply #22 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 02:26 PM »

If you want a good hand auger, buy a Nils 8" or a Lazer 8". If you buy a Mora, you will spend half the money but make up for it replacing blades in a few seasons. If you have the extra money buy a gas auger. The only down fall is the weight and the gas smell on your hands.

perch-eyes · « **Reply #23 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 02:29 PM »

Quote from: pikenforcer on Jan 17, 2009, 09:33 AM

Ah yes, the old spoon auger. I am in my 30's and still remember the spoon auger. Used it for about 15yrs. It worked like a charm if you kept it sharp. I couldn't find anyone to sharpen it anymore and had to get rid of it. Too bad although I do like my Mora much better. I have a 7" and it works great. The hand auger definitely has its' advantages when pulling your sled by hand and trying to get out to farther areas. A lot less weight. I always keep a spare set of sharp blades on hand just in case and get them resharpened every year no matter what. Nothing worse than drilling holes with dull blades. I think the main thing to keep in mind no matter what is sharp blades, sharp blades, sharp blades and you shouldn't have any problems no matter what the thickness.

i'm using a spoon auger still, i got a 6"and a 8". Everytime we get more than 8" of ice i'm asking myself why i don't have a new auger lol

Tombo · « **Reply #24 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 02:47 PM »

If you're drilling through a lot of ice...I would definately not go any bigger than you have to,an 8in. is a lot more work than a 6in., I have had both. It is quite possible that todays augers are a lot better than they were 30+ yrs. ago,Thank goodness I don't know since I got my power auger....at my age I would die if I had to do that again.
Talk about frustration...I remember drilling with a 6in until the handle hit the ice .....chopping a dished out portion with an axe,drilling as far as I could,and still not being through because I didn't have an extention and couldn't get a spud bar to go through(I realize now I didn't have the proper bar either in those days).

Mainehazmt · « **Reply #25 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 02:56 PM »

up untill I got my icegator I used to drill right up to the handles 6" that is there was no way I could stand to do it with the 8" strikemaster used to sell extentions for the handaugers they were going tostart again this year but icegator made me an extention as last year 42" of ice and I was done! gets anythicker with the extention I wont be going out! lol ice age!

nypike · « **Reply #26 on:** Jan 17, 2009, 06:06 PM »

8" lazer and a little azz and you can go through 2' like nothing.

BobOlink · « **Reply #27 on:** Jan 18, 2009, 07:58 PM »

I use 8" lazer good blades, steady pressure cuts quick 9" should be no problem

Timber · « **Reply #28 on:** Jan 18, 2009, 08:43 PM »

Quote from: GAMBELL on Jan 17, 2009, 02:26 PM

If you want a good hand auger, buy a Nils 8" or a Lazer 8". If you buy a Mora, you will spend half the money but make up for it replacing blades in a few seasons. If you have the extra money buy a gas auger. The only down fall is the weight and the gas smell on your hands.

I popped the cherry on a NILS 6 " today alls I can say is AMAZING ! First thought I had was damm maybe I should have got the 8 " . I'll be 50 this summer and have been running a Mora 7 " the last few seasons . I haven't whipped the crap out of it or anything , but it will wear your a$$ out in short order . I'm not going to retire the mora , might get new blades but the NILS was effortless today and made drilling holes fun and not work .

You get what you pay for i guess .

RebelIceFshr · « **Reply #29 on:** Jan 18, 2009, 09:30 PM »

I have a lazer, had it for years, drilled holes all day that had me on my knees with the handle bouncing off the ice. Couldn't beat it. Got a gas auger for Christmas.... can't wait to use it.

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Author Topic: How thick are hand augers good for? (Read 2126 times)