Running Drill Powered Augers Setups in Reverse

[stinkyfingers]

Some years ago, before IceGator flamed out, there was much discussion on their reversible feature that would enable the user to essentially drive the slush still in the flights at breakthrough back down the hole and disperse it under the surrounding ice. One could decide for himself if that's a worthwhile thing to do but I wondered if anyone practices that technique with the drill powered units that they use. I believe that Ions have that ability built in. Anybody spin their augers in reverse as a final step?

[Junkie4Ice]

I found it no more beneficial than flushing the hole out by pulling the auger up and down a couple times like I used to with my gas auger. I also had my bit fall off the drill several times which seemed to happen after throwing it in reverse to clear a hole. Maybe I didn't have it in the locked position though. Either way, it's easily doable but not worth it to me.

[eriksat1]

The only time it might be beneficial is if you are inside a shack and don't want to deal with a lot of wet slush. Outside I like to water wash the surrounding hole so it ices up with nice smooth edges.

[chilly-willy]

I have tried flushing a hole you will have floaty shards of ice coming up threw the hole for a long while after flushing..   then the chips freeze edges sides etc.. then if you get a big fish on light line usally they cut the line .. you better off just scooping the chips out.. I find don't know who esle has had similar problems flushing the hole ..

[Gunflint]

Nice to know. I always wondered if the reverse trick really worked.

[Iceassin]

Nice to know. I always wondered if the reverse trick really worked.

 

[chilly-willy]

Nice to know. I always wondered if the reverse trick really worked.

Got to remember ice chips tend to float in drinks etc same with open water..  when you power flush a hole it tends to push chips almost all the way to bottom..  in shallow water and if there's any current it tends to push them back towards hole some times..  plus there not very easy to see threw they tend to move and squirm as as they float up towards surface giving a bad day trying to sight fish.. kinda like haveing cataracts in your vision like stuff floating around in your eye ball wile trying to sight fish.. this is ware I found it's better to just scoop the hole clean..

[stinkyfingers]

I have tried flushing a hole you will have floaty shards of ice coming up threw the hole for a long while after flushing..   then the chips freeze edges sides etc.. then if you get a big fish on light line usally they cut the line .. you better off just scooping the chips out.. I find don't know who esle has had similar problems flushing the hole ..

Got to remember ice chips tend to float in drinks etc same with open water..  when you power flush a hole it tends to push chips almost all the way to bottom..  in shallow water and if there's any current it tends to push them back towards hole some times..  plus there not very easy to see threw they tend to move and squirm as as they float up towards surface giving a bad day trying to sight fish.. kinda like haveing cataracts in your vision like stuff floating around in your eye ball wile trying to sight fish.. this is ware I found it's better to just scoop the hole clean..

Chilly, big guy, it feels like you're making it up. I used that trick many times when I was running my Gator and it works.  The water just blows the chips down and out to the side. They float to the underside of the ice and stay there  though some small proportion at the edge may float back up the hole . As for them freezing to the walls of the hole and cutting your line I frankly don't believe it and never experienced it, I know that a high speed IceGator will do the job and I think most of the power drill units can move enough water for that effect but I've never tried it with my Fuel/Clam setup. Ion, probably not. What type of auger were you using?

[chilly-willy]

Chilly, big guy, it feels like you're making it up. I used that trick many times when I was running my Gator and it works.  The water just blows the chips down and out to the side. They float to the underside of the ice and stay there  though some small proportion at the edge may float back up the hole . As for them freezing to the walls of the hole and cutting your line I frankly don't believe it and never experienced it, I know that a high speed IceGator will do the job and I think most of the power drill units can move enough water for that effect but I've never tried it with my Fuel/Clam setup. Ion, probably not. What type of auger were you using?

Maybe that ice gators some thing special?  just have not had luck doing it so I stoped doing it..  with my laser style auger..

[chilly-willy]

Maybe the ice gators rpm is lower I know the rigid I tried it on last year has a 500 rpm ... in gear 1 drill mode.. you go to gear 2 it has 2000 rpm.. but that's not suggested.. if the ice gator turns slower I am sure it may work better or if you use a drill with gear reduction.. like the clam gear box it may work better for ya??  I do not have a gear box yet for mine..  till I get one can't tell ya if that will help..

[Ice Scratcher]

I've had much better luck clearing by pulling up and out..

If you have a bunch near your hole they'll come up with every fish you catch too..

I've tried it enough times to know it's not for me..

<°)))>{

[Seamonkey84]

I’ve had cleaner results from running it up and out as well. I’ve done the reverse before, and let it flush for a while even, but always had more stuff floating back up over time than if I just flushed the water up, along with air bubbles.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

If I'm fishing outside, I'll usually just run the auger a bit and plunge up and down. Clears the ice out great.

In the wheel house once I break through the ice I reverse it and run it for a bit. Leaves a pretty clean hole to. Beats hauling it out the door for 9holes in the slush bucket. Never had an issue doing it. My augers are bolted to a clam plate so no issues with the augers coming off. When drilling 9holes in 30in of ice the reverse method saves a ton of time in the wheel house. The only reason I don't reverse it when fishing outside is because it takes longer then just running the auger normally and doing a plunge clean. If I'm outside fishing in a spot with a decent amount of snow cover and my shack, I will do the reverse clean. It beats sitting in a pile of slush.

[3300]

after the bit is in the water i keep the bit turning in the same cutting direction to clear the hole and bring lots of water top side on purpose. no need for reverse for me or any one i fish with. nice to have the option.

[Iceassin]

What's wrong with doing it the same way as by hand?

1) Drill hole until through or almost through
2) Push through rest of way, then pull up (without drill running)
3) Sweep slush away with boot
4) Scoop (most times, unless hole is freezing quickly, don't need all of the slush removed...beauty of fishing Tungsten.
5) Fish
6) Repeat

[Seamonkey84]

What's wrong with doing it the same way as by hand?

It flushes all the slush out instead of having to scoop it, that way friends can follow and set their traps instead of having to scoop. Even when fishing with heavier jigs and spoons, I just like having a cleared hole.

[michianafisherman]

I use the reverse. I also use an old thing I can't remember the name of. Stick it in the hole and the two pieces swing open. When you pull it back up then it will close.
I lift it slowly and let it drain on the way up, and tend to catch more chips.

[stinkyfingers]

I've had much better luck clearing by pulling up and out..

If you have a bunch near your hole they'll come up with every fish you catch too..

I've tried it enough times to know it's not for me..

<°)))>{

Now that I think about it, this rings true. Every fish you'd catch would bring up a bunch of slush with it and you'd be right back to work with the skimmer. Probably best to be free of it on the front end.

[lefty2053]

[Agronomist_at_IA]

I use the reverse. I also use an old thing I can't remember the name of. Stick it in the hole and the two pieces swing open. When you pull it back up then it will close.
I lift it slowly and let it drain on the way up, and tend to catch more chips.

One shot skimmer?

[jethro]

I've tried it with my K-Drill and it doesn't seem to save time or effort with scooping.

[Iceassin]

One shot skimmer?

Basically is what I do here...at least now. When I used to fish with floats, I always kept my hole free of slush and ice. Helped in keeping the bobber upright and easier to detect bites, especially the light ones. But now that I fish with wires it's not as important. One, a little slush and ice helps, although little, to filter out sunlight. Two, as I stated before, fishing tungstens allow me to get down through a little bit bit of the slop. And three, a couple of the lakes I fish on a regular basis require a lot of hole hopping...the gills are usually suspended and always on the move...so there isn't a lot of time to get the hole nice and pretty. Got to get them while they are there and move on. It's nothing for me and my buddy to punch 30 holes in about 2-3 hours. And if the bite is decent, we can usually have our limits of nice slabs in that length of time...with a little sorting on occasion. So it's a couple of scoops, down the hole, pick up 1 or 2 and on to the next.

[SLAYERFISH]

Basically is what I do here...at least now. When I used to fish with floats, I always kept my hole free of slush and ice. Helped in keeping the bobber upright and easier to detect bites, especially the light ones. But now that I fish with wires it's not as important. One, a little slush and ice helps, although little, to filter out sunlight. Two, as I stated before, fishing tungstens allow me to get down through a little bit bit of the slop. And three, a couple of the lakes I fish on a regular basis require a lot of hole hopping...the gills are usually suspended and always on the move...so there isn't a lot of time to get the hole nice and pretty. Got to get them while they are there and move on. It's nothing for me and my buddy to punch 30 holes in about 2-3 hours. And if the bite is decent, we can usually have our limits of nice slabs in that length of time...with a little sorting on occasion. So it's a couple of scoops, down the hole, pick up 1 or 2 and on to the next.

We fish the same here chasing perch schools.  By the time you have a pristine hole the school is gone.  Reverse wastes time and battery.   Run and Gun baby!

[muskyon46]

I run my 8in Nils/Milwaukee combo in reverse at every hole, thing a beauty to not have to clean it out. Wham bam thank you mam time to fish. Never had any issues with chunks coming back up and if there was it was small stuff that didnt affect anything I was doing from perch to lakers. Did the same with my 6in Nils also but it doesnt get as much use anymore. One trick I have learned with this is to leave my auger in when it breaks thru, then do a quick walk around the hole either pushing the shavings in the hole or away from it. Then put it in reverse, run it for a few seconds and its all good to go.

[mcflyfisher]

Running my 6 inch laser in reverse with a 2:1 gear reduction plate does not work well for me.  I end up with slush floating back into the hole for about an hour after I drill it.  Pumping the drill up and down while running in forward and then scooping the remaining slush seems a more sustainable approach for me.

[michianafisherman]

I think this all depends on if you fish in a warm shanty or not?

In my warm shanty its not a problem.

[Seamonkey84]

I think this all depends on if you fish in a warm shanty or not?

In my warm shanty its not a problem.

How does a warm shanty keep shavings from floating back up into the hole?!?
If there’s any slope to the underside of the ice itself or if there’s any current to guide the shavings away from your hole it would prob work fine. Or depending on the way your auger shaves/cuts the ice, some might make chunks that float back up, others make ice dust that drift off easier or might even melt a bit as it hits water that is just above freezing. Either way, since I fish outside and don’t need to worry about making a mess inside a shack, it’s just faster and cleaner to keep running the drill after breaking through and pull all the slush up and out one one go.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

How does a warm shanty keep shavings from floating back up into the hole?!?
If there’s any slope to the underside of the ice itself or if there’s any current to guide the shavings away from your hole it would prob work fine. Or depending on the way your auger shaves/cuts the ice, some might make chunks that float back up, others make ice dust that drift off easier or might even melt a bit as it hits water that is just above freezing. Either way, since I fish outside and don’t need to worry about making a mess inside a shack, it’s just faster and cleaner to keep running the drill after breaking through and pull all the slush up and out one one go.

Temp my friend. If you are in a warm shanty. And it keeps the water in the hole warm.. It can melt any ice shavings.

For an example in my wheel house I have two vents with fins that blows the hot air out towards three of my holes. Those holds tend to be ice fee and will even grow a bit larger at the top if it's not bitter cold out. If it's really cold out like -20 or worse those are the holes I tend to fish in my shack since they down't freeze down like the other holes. Or ice over. Go to grab a fish out of the hole and you can feel the water get colder if u dunk your arm down in it very far.

Regaurdless of all this, if I'm in my flip over, and reverse blow slush out of my 2-3 holes I cut I haven't really ever had an issue with shavings coming back up a hole.

[Ice Scratcher]

Regaurdless of all this, if I'm in my flip over, and reverse blow slush out of my 2-3 holes I cut I haven't really ever had an issue with shavings coming back up a hole.

That reminded me of another issue I didn't like about trying to reverse it down the hole.. It seemed like half of my second hole's chips ended floating back up in the first hole...

<°)))>{

[glenwyo]

Wow, after 40 some years of ice fishing, I didn't realize there were so many ways to remove ice shavings from the hole! Lol. Forward, reverse, plunging, half rpm's, full rpm's, metal scoop. Hope everyone has a great and safe season on the ice regardless how you remove the ice shavings!