ARRRRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

[Drifter_016]

T'was one of those days on the lake today. Got to my spot shoveled out the spots where my holes were going, unzipped my auger hauler to get my new Eskimo out................... ...........WTH........ ................BROKEN   THROTTLE LEVER!!!!!             
I wasn't overly impressed with it on it's maiden voyage last week and am even less so now. Would I recommend an Eskimo auger? Definately not!!! I was worried when I took it out of the box and saw the cheap plastic throttle lever and I though "well this ain't gonna last". little did I know it wouldn't even get me through to a second trip.
So if you're looking for a new auger look for one with a metal throttle lever.

I managed to get some holes drilled after removing the pivot and spring so I could get some revs.
So at least it didn't ruin the trip.   

My trusty Strikemaster has been through 1000 times what this Eskimo has and hasn't blinked. 

Got my tipup set and into the Frabill for some jigging.   
The tipup was not producing like last week, but the jig rod was!!!
I ended up the day with only 5 flags on the tipup and only one little guy landed on it. I had one relly heavy fish on the tipup that felt like bottom when I set the hook, did a 5 second run and spit!!! 
I landed a bunch of smaller fish jigging (the biggest about 34") and had the biggest ice pike I have seen on and up the hole with my hand under his gill plate only to have him surge forward shake his head slip my grip and spit the hook and slide back down the hole!!!!  I fought this fish for over 10 minutes before getting it to that point. His head almost completely filled a 10 1/4" hole!!!   
I have no doubt it was the tourney winner and very possibly the tourney record pike as it put the 45 incher I landed last year to shame.

Now I'm gonna have to go back out there again!!!!     
I wanted to start chasin' lakers and whitefish!!! GEEEZ!!!   

[GAMBELL]

Still better than sitting here with no ice!   

[Mike47]

X2

[tbass]

Going on my fifth year with my z51 i love it. Just have to take extra care how you handle it.

[kevs]

And here I sit w no fishable ice and your complaining? (kidding). Hope you hook that monster and post the pics

[Drifter_016]

Going on my fifth year with my z51 i love it. Just have to take extra care how you handle it.

Didn't realize I had to wrap it in 37 layers of bubble wrap and a down duvet!!!   

[jopes]

I do not know of any auger thay has a metal throttle handle.

I know the floppy plastic ones on strikemasters is a joke.

[PerchFace]

I do not know of any auger thay has a metal throttle handle.

I know the floppy plastic ones on strikemasters is a joke.

My made in the US jiffy has a metal throttle

[Junior58]

My made in the US jiffy has a metal throttle

Older made in the USA Strikemasters did too ..... Now none of them including Jiffy's are made in the USA.

[yukon_guy]

If this works I'll be amazed .... my first post to a forum ... here goes.

I saw a nifty trick on the Marmish site (no, I'm not a rep) where a guy taps a pikes upper jaw with his rod and the fish clamps down on it and gets pulled out of the hole. I'm thinking of trying this trick with a bit of carpet or a rough stick next time I go for pike.

I see you are in the NWT, I look forward to your posts because a lot of fish caught by members to this site look like bait to me, poor things! This is only my second season on the ice and I have so much to learn. Thanks

[Drifter_016]

Older made in the USA Strikemasters did too ..... Now none of them including Jiffy's are made in the USA.

My Strikemaster has a metal throttle lever.  It's the red thing in these pictures. 

[eriksat1]

If it ain't broke don't fix it. That is why I'm sticking with my all metal (except for the plastic gas tank) 20 year old Jiffy model 30. Sure these new augers are light weight and cut quick, but I bet I'll still be running my old jiffy after they are in the scrap heap.

[Walleye Annihilator]

If it ain't broke don't fix it. That is why I'm sticking with my all metal (except for the plastic gas tank) 20 year old Jiffy model 30. Sure these new augers are light weight and cut quick, but I bet I'll still be running my old jiffy after they are in the scrap heap.

X2

[lake snake]

I do not know of any auger thay has a metal throttle handle.

I know the floppy plastic ones on strikemasters is a joke.

 My Nils has a metal throttle handle.

[dawnordusk1]

I thought I would say , thank you for your feed back on the actual fishing part of your day. Sounds like it was both fun and frustrating.  Plastic is the "New" material. My dad and his cronies beat this to death in the 50's. Like saying  all metal cars were better in the old days when those parts "rusted out" like a good car part should. If you were born after 1950 , let it go already.

[Art 53]

Driffter Sorry to here of your problems. I had an Eskimo for years finally killed it last year.  When I went to replace it I couldn't believe the changes with all the plastic. I figure plastic and cold don't mix. I went Jiffy

[surflizard]

Sorry to hear of the tough day Buddy, The new Plastic Fantastic augers are a joke, They are all junk ! I would run the old metal Cobra even if it means rebuilding the motor, I seriously Doubt any of the new augers, no matter what brand will handle the cold that you deal with up there in the NWT !! Good luck and keep plugging away, you have a lot more big Gators in your neck of the woods, you'll hook into another ! 

[TIBS]

I thought I would say , thank you for your feed back on the actual fishing part of your day. Sounds like it was both fun and frustrating.  Plastic is the "New" material. My dad and his cronies beat this to death in the 50's. Like saying  all metal cars were better in the old days when those parts "rusted out" like a good car part should. If you were born after 1950 , let it go already.

Until someone figures out how to make plastic not brittle in cold weather, broken auger parts will be a problem I dont want to deal with.  I'm glad I got one of the last all steel Jiffy augers in 05.  I believe there are a couple model years after that where they went to plastic gears in the trans, before tecumseh went under.

[eriksat1]

The problem with plastic is it is no good! In the cold it gets too brittle and snaps like glass. I bought these fancy expensive new UNBREAKABLE plastic clutch and brake levers for my dirt bike, took it out to do some ice riding wiped out and promptly snapped off the new lever, at least the old metal ones you could bend back into shape.

[surflizard]

Until someone figures out how to make plastic not brittle in cold weather, broken auger parts will be a problem I dont want to deal with.  I'm glad I got one of the last all steel Jiffy augers in 05.  I believe there are a couple model years after that where they went to plastic gears in the trans, before tecumseh went under.

I hear ya there TIBS, I found extra parts for my 13 year old 8" Jiffy Lightning and for my 18 year old 10" Eskimo Shark and the TC-300 motors are a snap to rebuild and they will outlast me or any of the new High Tech Plastic Fantastic augers out there !!
  The really strange part is that NO ONE will lay claim to who is actually building these Canadian markey only Frabill, Rapala, Costco augers 

[Drifter_016]

To tell you the truth, I'm way more choked about losing the fish than breaking the auger.   
I have a fix in mind for the throttle and it involves a cut down old bike brake lever.   

[musky mike]

To tell you the truth, I'm way more choked about losing the fish than breaking the auger.   
I have a fix in mind for the throttle and it involves a cut down old bike brake lever.   

thats what i was thinking.... make it drifter tuff...

im sure you can "pimp that auger" into a decent machine