Author Topic: Power augers do not spook fish (Read 8238 times)

flyguyonice · « **on:** Dec 17, 2009, 04:47 AM »

Well I broke down and bought an electric auger this year. I like the idea of being quiet and not smelling the exhaust all day. That being said, I'm going to p--- off a bunch of stubborn folks here and say this: POWER AUGERS DO NOT SPOOK FISH, EVEN IN SHALLOW WATER! But people walking with cleats on do. 2 years ago, I saw the best evidence of this. My father and I were fishing Sandy Pond, in front of the Wigwam. We were on the weed bed in 6-8 foot of water and the gills were biting pretty good. I was using my aqua-vu. After pulling several keepers up, my father came over and drilled a hole about 6 feet from me with my gas auger. The fish in the camera did not respond at all to the auger. They stayed right there and kept on biting. About 5 minutes later a guy walked by about 10 feet away with cleats on and the fish scattered and sunk back into the weeds. It shut us down for a good 10 minutes. They slowly came back out and then the guy walked by again and they were gone again. Since owning my aqua-vu for the last 5 or 6 years, I've seen this over and over again with the auger. I have NEVER seen a fish respond in ANY WAY WHAT SO EVER to someone drilling a hole with an auger. In my opinion, they are only loud to us. Ice cleats and Spuds are the biggest things that spook fish. I know I'm going to get flamed for say this but I don't care. All you grumpy old guys that want to yell at people on the ice for drilling holes because you think they're spooking the fish are just locked into a myth. If the fish stopped biting after a hole was drilled 20 feet away from you, it was for a different reason. Get yourself an Aqua-Vu and see for yourself.

Doubles Shooter · « **Reply #1 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 04:55 AM »

Many, many years ago In-Fisherman magazine had an article in it about power augers. I believe it was in Minnesota, divers went in and reported the gas machines did not make any more noise than the hand augers. All that was heard was the sound of the blades cutting the ice. Motor noise stayed on top. Spuds on the other hand could be heard hundreds of yards away.

FISHFORPIKE · « **Reply #2 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 04:59 AM »

I'll agree with you, to some extent. I believe there are instances and circumstances when almost any kind of "noise" will spook a fish under the ice.

bird21s · « **Reply #3 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 05:58 AM »

4 wheelers are by far the worst. especially when the guy drives right up to ya to ask how the bite is....lol

Captain1978 · « **Reply #4 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 06:55 AM »

That makes since, since the motor is above the ice. I'm sure they hear it but it's not enough to spook them. Interesting about the cleats though. I don't have an underwater cam so I can't really voice a true opinion. Interesting topic...

blackbeast · « **Reply #5 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 06:57 AM »

well i personaly don't own an aqua view yet. but i have noticed that people around you can drill holes all they want and it dose not wreck my fishing at all, but if some comes up to spud a hole don't plan on catching a fish for awhile. you think about it its just like that fish tank at home you pound on the side and the minnows realy scater and try to swim into the corners. but when your running the radio really loud close to the tank they don't really do anything. then again thats just my opservation.

deebsey · « **Reply #6 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 07:26 AM »

Quote from: blackbeast on Dec 17, 2009, 06:57 AM

well i personaly don't own an aqua view yet. but i have noticed that people around you can drill holes all they want and it dose not wreck my fishing at all, but if some comes up to spud a hole don't plan on catching a fish for awhile. you think about it its just like that fish tank at home you pound on the side and the minnows realy scater and try to swim into the corners. but when your running the radio really loud close to the tank they don't really do anything. then again thats just my opservation.

I never had thought of it this way. I do believe noise will bother fish but to what extent. I have been fishing and had people gas auger within 20 feet of me and still kept catching fish. I have an underwater camera and its amazing the stuff you see and can learn. If you think out side the box for a minute.....When the bite slows what do we do? I drill more holes heading out, if the auger scared the fish away all we would be doing is chasing them around the lake? Tip up bite dead....drive the machine around the outside of the spread....flags will pop. I do know there is limits to how much and how loud like I have fished far enough away from people play loud radios and caught fish while they got skunked.

pikie · « **Reply #7 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 07:31 AM »

Thanks for this post, very interesting. I might bring my hand auger with me this weekend, and just use the spud to define a safe area to fish. I normally use the spud only till there is 6 inches of ice.

Jack Magnum · « **Reply #8 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 10:53 AM »

Quote from: flyguyonice on Dec 17, 2009, 04:47 AM

Well I broke down and bought an electric auger this year. I like the idea of being quiet and not smelling the exhaust all day. That being said, I'm going to p--- off a bunch of stubborn folks here and say this: POWER AUGERS DO NOT SPOOK FISH, EVEN IN SHALLOW WATER! But people walking with cleats on do. 2 years ago, I saw the best evidence of this. My father and I were fishing Sandy Pond, in front of the Wigwam. We were on the weed bed in 6-8 foot of water and the gills were biting pretty good. I was using my aqua-vu. After pulling several keepers up, my father came over and drilled a hole about 6 feet from me with my gas auger. The fish in the camera did not respond at all to the auger. They stayed right there and kept on biting. About 5 minutes later a guy walked by about 10 feet away with cleats on and the fish scattered and sunk back into the weeds. It shut us down for a good 10 minutes. They slowly came back out and then the guy walked by again and they were gone again. Since owning my aqua-vu for the last 5 or 6 years, I've seen this over and over again with the auger. I have NEVER seen a fish respond in ANY WAY WHAT SO EVER to someone drilling a hole with an auger. In my opinion, they are only loud to us. Ice cleats and Spuds are the biggest things that spook fish. I know I'm going to get flamed for say this but I don't care. All you grumpy old guys that want to yell at people on the ice for drilling holes because you think they're spooking the fish are just locked into a myth. If the fish stopped biting after a hole was drilled 20 feet away from you, it was for a different reason. Get yourself an Aqua-Vu and see for yourself.

Having many years experience at ice fishing and making holes in ice with just about all the acceptable methods I must say I agree to your post content PARCIALLY ! Some fish don't seem to be bothered by the gas augers but I am positive that salmon definitely are. Fish are also turned off by creepers and that's why years ago when fishing for salmon and lakers and wearing creepers I would allow the fish to take my bait for about 5 minutes before heading for the tipups. Even banging an ice skimmer on the ice will scare them and I have seen that countless times. 4 wheelers aren't the worst of the machines to turn the fish off but snowmobiles rate right up there being the worst offenders. I have been on the bite and have these squatter guys next to me start their sleds up and you could see the fish go to the bottom. When the noise was gone they bit again.

ICE-ADDICT · « **Reply #9 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 11:46 AM »

I talked to a guy who scuba dives, he said they were doing some kind of research on a Canadian lake under the ice. He said when he was down there he heard a THUNDERING noise that scared the crap out of him. When he rushed to the surface, he learned the noise was a Snowmobile pulling up...He described the noise from down under as " the end of the world"....I forgot to ask him if there was snow cover or not, but nonetheless LOUD!!!

bigredonice · « **Reply #10 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 11:50 AM »

Snowmobiles push the fish right down. Quads to a lesser extent. When the laker fishing gets slow, we do big wide circles on the quad around our jigging area and it always gets the fish going again.

SNAGGER · « **Reply #11 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 12:02 PM »

Stay away from me with your power augers, sleds, or 4 wheelers. When I'm walleye fishing it ALWAYS makes my marks go away, if I'm lucky they come back in a hour, but most of the time I half to move because someone came over on a machine to see if I'm getting anything! I've noticed that power augers don't bother perch as much, but machines can sometimes! There should be a unwritten rule that you can't use power augers within an hour of sunset, I don't know how many times I've waited all day for the evening bite, only to have it ruined by somebody! I love the guys who use there power augers through 4 inches of ice!

FishTank19 · « **Reply #12 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 12:25 PM »

cmon snag I don't even own a hand auger.... lol

FISHFORPIKE · « **Reply #13 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 12:27 PM »

They ALL get power, from somewhere.

bushyjr · « **Reply #14 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 12:28 PM »

i will have to stop letting the kids ride the atv all around this year we always got fish even with them riding around more walking to holes then too will see how this works

SNAGGER · « **Reply #15 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 01:02 PM »

Quote from: FishTank19 on Dec 17, 2009, 12:25 PM

cmon snag I don't even own a hand auger.... lol

I said WALLEYE, not perch and other panfish, I had a day where I had iced 14 walleyes in 3 hours, a guy came over on a snowmobile to talk to me, I watched the marks leave!! I never refound that school of eyes!!! Probably would have been my best day ever!! here is one thing I like is a group of noisey people, fish 100 yards from them, they push them over too you, now that's fun!!!

ICE-ADDICT · « **Reply #16 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 02:11 PM »

I've found the same thing Snaggy...

I've found it with pan fish as well, especially Crappie and gills.....

holehopper · « **Reply #17 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 02:34 PM »

Out on 4 inches of ice last weekend. Heard a guy outside who must have spent 5 minutes pulling his power auger over to get it to start. I have to believe he put more effort into trying to start that stupid thing than he would have had he drilled 10 holes by hand. Literally 10 turns with my hand auger and I was through. Kind of the winter version of watching a rookie try to back his boat down the ramp.

GAMBELL · « **Reply #18 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 02:48 PM »

I saw something online about this. It showed hand augers make more noise than gas augers. Gas augers go through the ice quick therefor the nosie (the same deciples as a hand auger) was shorter in duration. I will try to find it.

freeman77 · « **Reply #19 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 03:11 PM »

we have a koi pond and when I was talking to the lady that sold us the fish she told me never to pound on the ice if it gets too cold and freezes over when you hit the ice it send shock waves through the water and the lightest tap can give fish concussions. this maybe why they scatter when using a spud.

just a thought and I am sure that the creepers might make shock waves also with the clunking on the ice. I personally only use my gas auger when the ice get really thick I bought one three years ago and I think I used it maybe 5 times. I also try not to go near my holes with tipdowns/ups in them I think the more you leave them alone the more the fish will come in. alot of times I will only jig unless it gets real slow then I might put a tip down out but alot of time I think I do better with just my jigging rod then to have all my tipdowns out.

Hardwaternubie53 · « **Reply #20 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 03:15 PM »

Based on the above discussion, I must have the best of both worlds, a battery operated auger. Faster than hand, more quite than gas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL, A GOOD BITE!!!

HWN

FishTank19 · « **Reply #21 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 03:56 PM »

Quote from: Hardwaternubie53 on Dec 17, 2009, 03:15 PM

Based on the above discussion, I must have the best of both worlds, a battery operated auger. Faster than hand, more quite than gas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL, A GOOD BITE!!!

HWN

I'm still waiting to see how sub zero temps and drilling 20 holes will effect battery life on them tho...?

flyguyonice · « **Reply #22 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 04:01 PM »

I'm shocked more people aren't killing me for this. 2 winters ago on Chaumont I had an old fella come over and read me the riot act for using a gas auger about 100 yards away from him. I was just setting up and drilling holes for tip-ups and jigging. I told him that the auger didn't bother the fish at all and tried to be nice about it but I got the idea he was about to punch me so I just said sorry, it's a public lake and went about my business. I bought an electric auger this year for the simple reason that I want quiet, not for the fish. I can't wait to not have to pull a cord 20 times at the start of a morning.

As for salmon, I've fished salmon and lakers through the ice a lot and I've never had a problem with them being spooky, either. Not saying you're wrong, just that I've had a different experience with them. I use the hell out of my ATV during the winter but I try not drive too closely to people because I'm sure they have somewhat of an effect. Sometime, though, people just don't give you the space to go around.

muskrat bay · « **Reply #23 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 04:19 PM »

i fish with an aqua vu and i have never noticed any effect a gas auger has on fishing i welcome people to fish with me if im catching them if they get spooked for some reason they usually come back within a few minutes. i think the biggest kick i get out of people is when i take my gas auger to big bay and drill about 200 holes around the village WOW talk about some pissed off people I LOVE IT ! give me a break

bigredonice · « **Reply #24 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 04:34 PM »

If you don't like power augers, don't fish around me! I am a mobile angler, and I drill alot of friggin holes. Check out the december issue of infisherman, the article on "trolling for walleye" under the ice. They do for walleye exactly what I do for panfish and lake trout. Punch a bunch of holes covering every inch of the structure they are working, and then quickly cover the piece and find any active fish. No active fish? Move on!

raate · « **Reply #25 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 06:17 PM »

Quote from: muskrat bay on Dec 17, 2009, 04:19 PM

i fish with an aqua vu and i have never noticed any effect a gas auger has on fishing i welcome people to fish with me if im catching them if they get spooked for some reason they usually come back within a few minutes. i think the biggest kick i get out of people is when i take my gas auger to big bay and drill about 200 holes around the village WOW talk about some **censored**ed off people I LOVE IT ! give me a break

Everybody wants to ice fish in FANTASY LAND.....

Out here in reality....

..

You are going to have to deal with other people, their machines, and the good time they are trying to have!

if you want total quiet, no people in sight, no other noise than your own.

GO SET UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAKE WHERE NO ONE ELSE IS FISHING, OR EVER FISHES....

and expect someone to come up to you on a machine once in awhile to say "hi, how are they biting" ...........

FishTank19 · « **Reply #26 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 06:47 PM »

Quote from: flyguyonice on Dec 17, 2009, 04:01 PM

I'm shocked more people aren't killing me for this. 2 winters ago on Chaumont I had an old fella come over and read me the riot act for using a gas auger about 100 yards away from him. I was just setting up and drilling holes for tip-ups and jigging. I told him that the auger didn't bother the fish at all and tried to be nice about it but I got the idea he was about to punch me so I just said sorry, it's a public lake and went about my business. I bought an electric auger this year for the simple reason that I want quiet, not for the fish. I can't wait to not have to pull a cord 20 times at the start of a morning.

As for salmon, I've fished salmon and lakers through the ice a lot and I've never had a problem with them being spooky, either. Not saying you're wrong, just that I've had a different experience with them. I use the hell out of my ATV during the winter but I try not drive too closely to people because I'm sure they have somewhat of an effect. Sometime, though, people just don't give you the space to go around.

buy a jiffy they start fist pull, and if they don't its the second, and if not you didn't do your normal maintenance....

SNAGGER · « **Reply #27 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 07:22 PM »

Quote from: bigredonice on Dec 17, 2009, 04:34 PM

If you don't like power augers, don't fish around me! I am a mobile angler, and I drill alot of friggin holes. Check out the december issue of infisherman, the article on "trolling for walleye" under the ice. They do for walleye exactly what I do for panfish and lake trout. Punch a bunch of holes covering every inch of the structure they are working, and then quickly cover the piece and find any active fish. No active fish? Move on!

Ya your covering alot of water, plus giving your first holes you punched time to relax, I'm talking as a WALKER and just want someone who is fortunate enough to own a machine to give me a Little room as I can't cover alot of ground without using alot of effort! Many people with machines don't realise how easy it is to ruin a walkers morning or evening walleye bite, meanwhile it was just one stop of many for them!

Hardwaternubie53 · « **Reply #28 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 07:58 PM »

Hey Fishtank-

I've never been out in 20 below. Just usually dosen't get that cold here. I usually get 25 - 30 holes easily out of one charge. I used to just carry an additional battery & swap out the dead one, or (the auger came with a jumper cord) I can hook it up to my flasher batter or my ATV battery & can drill all day long!

HWN

njduquette · « **Reply #29 on:** Dec 17, 2009, 09:32 PM »

i fish a shallow harbor for perch. the max. depth is less than 10ft with the average around 6ft and i noticed by using my aqua-vu that the power auger spooks the perch in that shallow of water. i never understood why someone fishing on 6-8" of ice over 10' of water would need more than a hand auger anyway.

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Author Topic: Power augers do not spook fish (Read 8238 times)

FISHFORPIKE

FISHFORPIKE