Gas augers

[Rebelss]

And our ice here is often 24"...or more. That's why I like gas augers.

[brooktre]

Ah Hell! I’m turning a 40 year old 8” mora by hand. I guess I’m saving the planet  but it’s killing me. I have gas (Old Jiffy) that works great but it’s heavy and most years ice isn’t so thick.

I’m with you Drillin - I’ve got an old Jiffy that I’ve been using for 25 years and it still fires easy and does the job.  When I bought my home in 1991, the previous owner left some ice fishing equipment which included an 8” Arjon / Snabb.  It has been sitting unused, but since I retired I thought I would give it a try.  It actually works very well.  You get a mild workout but it cuts a nice hole.  I’ve read that keeping them sharp is critical and the one I used still had the price sticker on it although it was somewhat faded.  I think it was $22.95.  I’ll be using it again next year!

[IceSpartan]

The biggest difference I’ve noticed between my Ion and an old Jiffy is the fishing.  If you can hear that gas auger halfway across the lake, so can the fish.  Especially with a species like Trout.  I’ve noticed that the bite is on much faster after drilling with a quiet electric than any gas machine.  I don’t miss scaring them away. 

[Fishingjg]

Hey Spartan, I haven't noticed that. I have caught fish after drilling a fresh hole. Normally we always fish with tipups though if that matters. I have to say that Gen 2 is a nice auger.

[IceSpartan]

Hey Spartan, I haven't noticed that. I have caught fish after drilling a fresh hole. Normally we always fish with tipups though if that matters. I have to say that Gen 2 is a nice auger.

My Gramps always said to approach a trout stream quietly and light footed.  I thought he was crazy when I was a kid.  But I’ve learned over the years fish spook easily, including the use of things like motorboats and loud augers.  Anything you can do to reduce noise and vibration improves fishing in my opinion. 

[HWeber]

Majority of sound being transferred into the water is going to be from the blades regardless of how they are being driven

[IceSpartan]

Majority of sound being transferred into the water is going to be from the blades regardless of how they are being driven

I would disagree.  Have you ever heard your neighbors’ snowblower running while all of your windows and doors are closed?  A lot of times I’m ice fishing in 10 feet of water.  Do you think the fish can’t hear a motor through 6 inches of ice? 

[DR.SPECKLER]

I dont believe it scares fish.we used spud bars to cut holes back in the day.noise from cutting ice with a auger,doesnt matter be it spud,hand crank,gas or electric .to each there own.

[IceSpartan]

I dont believe it scares fish.we used spud bars to cut holes back in the day.noise from cutting ice with a auger,doesnt matter be it spud,hand crank,gas or electric .to each there own.

It’s a personal choice for sure.  If you are catching fish than keep what your doing.  But I do believe noise and vibration scares fish.  The next time you’re on a dock at a lake and you see some fish underneath, jump up and down on the dock a few times and see what happens. 

[DR.SPECKLER]

Depth comes into play.15ft and over is not like a shallow dock.anyways just stating i mark fish immediately after cutting holes with any auger.

[HWeber]

I would disagree.  Have you ever heard your neighbors’ snowblower running while all of your windows and doors are closed?  A lot of times I’m ice fishing in 10 feet of water.  Do you think the fish can’t hear a motor through 6 inches of ice?

I'm not under water in my house. The noise of blades being driven through ice will transfer pretty well to the water, noise above not so much. Fish in a fish tank are a great example imo kid can sit and yell at the tank all they want fish don't flinch but they tap the glass and the fish lose it. Luckily most fish don't seem to care much about drilling holes as loud as it may be for them down there

[IceSpartan]

I'm not under water in my house. The noise of blades being driven through ice will transfer pretty well to the water, noise above not so much. Fish in a fish tank are a great example imo kid can sit and yell at the tank all they want fish don't flinch but they tap the glass and the fish lose it. Luckily most fish don't seem to care much about drilling holes as loud as it may be for them down there

If you have ever been underwater in a swimming pool you can definitely hear people yelling.  And a loud motor is quite audible.  My original point was that the gas auger will scare more fish away than the electric, yielding more potential fish soon after drilling.  After some time they will come back and it won’t make much difference. 

[Rebelss]

Water is a poor conductor of sound. It's a great conductor of vibration.

[HWeber]

Point is the engine is nothing when compared to the blades. You can't cut a hole without driving blades through the ice.

[IceSpartan]

Point is the engine is nothing when compared to the blades. You can't cut a hole without driving blades through the ice.

Sorry, but the blades are nothing compared to the engine.  My blades are very quiet.  Noise scares animals of all types.   If you want proof I’ll come to your deer blind with a siren and see how well you do.  LOL.

[HWeber]

It's all about how the sound/vibrations transfer. If you put your siren in a bucket of water you're welcome to sit in the tree with me

[RuttNutt]

It's all about how the sound/vibrations transfer. If you put your siren in a bucket of water you're welcome to sit in the tree with me

What about the vibration of the engine transferred to the ice by the shaft/auger? 🤔

[Rebelss]

You fellers need to spend a day on a Virginia class sub and learn all about stealth and noise underwater. 

[HWeber]

What about the vibration of the engine transferred to the ice by the shaft/auger? 🤔

When starting the auger I could see that being possible so I'll give you that one. When drilling it'd have to be louder than the blade. Folks seem to underestimate that noise/vibration. We'll need a government funded study to find out. Then another to see if the fish even care

[Doeslayer]

I actually watched a video on this before and it isnt the motor noise thats heard underwater... Ill look for the video for the skeptics... But ive also seen walleye spook from my cleat scraping the ice in about 12fow.... So depending on depth ANY noise CAN spook a fish.... Some fish more than others

[IceSpartan]

A lot of good debate here on noise.  I think I’ll stick to my strategy.  Whenever I approach a trout stream I am quiet and stealthy.  Same thing in my kayak on a lake, I try to paddle lightly and avoid banging on the gunwale.  And on the hardwater I prefer my quiet electric auger and lightly treading around the ice in my cleats.  I’ve had some good results. 

[jarhead]

I really doubt that noise from augars has much effect on fish in a lake, now trout in a stream maybe.Have you ever seen the pics from  the fishing contests up in minesota (sp) there are literlly hundreds if not thousands of fisherman drilling holes in the ice.They still catch fish.Hre at pymatuning on a nice ice fishing winter day many many augars drilling and we still catch fish.

[IceSpartan]

I really doubt that noise from augars has much effect on fish in a lake, now trout in a stream maybe.Have you ever seen the pics from  the fishing contests up in minesota (sp) there are literlly hundreds if not thousands of fisherman drilling holes in the ice.They still catch fish.Hre at pymatuning on a nice ice fishing winter day many many augars drilling and we still catch fish.

Again, the point wasn’t that you won’t catch fish using a gas auger.  The point was that I have found I do better immediately after drilling with an electric than with a loud gas auger.  They don’t get spooked as much.  In any situation when you scare the fish away, eventually they come back. 

[Scranton Joe]

Again, the point wasn’t that you won’t catch fish using a gas auger.  The point was that I have found I do better immediately after drilling with an electric than with a loud gas auger.  They don’t get spooked as much.  In any situation when you scare the fish away, eventually they come back.

Really?

[IceSpartan]

Really?

I’m starting to wish I had never mentioned it.  Should have kept it my secret.    In other news, I do much better fishing on a dock when there isn’t ten kids swimming and doing belly flops off the end of the dock.   

[uncleshorty]

I don't think fish "remember" like human beings.

If they did, how do you explain missing a fish and then catching it on the next cast?

I think that noise from the blades contributes the majority of sound transmitted to the water.  Sound travels better in ice than in water and better in water than air.  Blades are in direct contact with the two best sound transmission paths.  They'd contribute the most noise.

But I don't think it matters.  Once noise and vibration stop I don't believe fish are thinking, "I better not go over there, even if there's food, because it was noisy and shakey over there 5 minutes ago."  Fish are tuned to realtime threats.

[HWeber]

I think we need a few more open water false equivalencies.. 

[Scranton Joe]

I think we need a few more open water false equivalencies.. 

I'm going to stop fishing for trout in waterfall areas because obviously it's too loud for them there.

I guess I've caught deaf brook trout all these years.

[Rebelss]

I threw some M80's into the water once, pretty sure they heard that, 'cuz they all floated to the surface to see what happened...

[IceSpartan]

I love all the gas auger people rushing to the defense of those dinosaur machines.