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If you already have a hand auger, I would opt for the shanty. The power auger will make you comfortable for a few seconds, a shanty will make you comfortable all day!
Well how many poles or tip ups you intend to run will answer that question for you. If you run all the poles you can, maybe the auger is a good idea. Ice thickness also factors in. I have found that two good holes with one or more of those holes producing fish is more than one guy can manage. Your greatest advantage is the ability to eliminate unnecessary holes with the addition of a flasher/finder. If you drill and can't mark fish or structure, re-drill in another location. This is where your efficiency and success come into play. If the ice isn't unmanageable, you can literally run around with your hand auger in one hand and a flasher in the other until you get a decent mark. Then you can set up a shack if you have one. There are times where we don't set up a shack for hours until we locate a good mark on the vex. In my opinion, a hand auger and flasher is the way to go. Expense to success ratio is way higher than having the ability to tirelessly drill thousands of useless holes. Flasher first, shack second, gas auger last. P.S. I can't go alone to ice fish if I intend to use my flip over, and gas auger because there is no way to transport both, if fishing in new waters. Just too much to carry or haul around.
100 holes a day... holy hell... I will bet I've drilled no more than ten on any given day. Get a lake map, they are free on the internet or a few bucks at a local baitshop. Look for a drop or ledge and drill a couple holes until you mark something. I know that the crappie are in ten to fifteen feet and the gills a bit shallower. The trout are in anything less than 20. I am shocked at that number. I will not argue with you there... power auger for sure!!! I can't intelligently defend the need to drill that many holes using a hand auger. If that is what ice fishing is like in Montana, I would leave the shack at home and carry the power auger a bucket and the vex only. Maybe you can help me out... How do you keep the auger from leaking onto your sled???
I would definitely go with auger then shanty. we rarely even bring our shelter with us anymore. we like to troll though, (drill about 15 holes at different depths and go from hole to hole finding the active spots.) I will fish a hole and if i dont see activity in 10 to 15min i move on. i figure the more ground you can cover the better. I dont even start to fish until i have about 10 to 15 holes in the ice. if it is slow fishing we will drill sometimes as many as 30 to 50 holes. although on a side note i would go fishing in sandals before i went without my vexilar. that would be my 1st purchase if you dont already have one of those.
That was my point, make sure you have a flasher first. I guess I spent too much time and energy explaining myself. I do drill more holes than two, just to find fish and I am happy to drill more if need be. My point is do your research and know the lake a little bit. I did put in my post that we rarely set the shack up right away, which is why I asked about where you keep an auger. I understand the sled is for hauling things, that's why I bought it. However, you have to open up your cover and dig to get it out, or lay it across the top and get gas and oil all over it. I couldn't see where you were from upland, that's why I was being respectful about it. I don't fish montana, never have... things are probably different there than the puddles we fish around here. And.... I love trout, stocked or not. I guess I'm not as cool as someone who catches a real live trout.