Do Augers scare fish?

[Gillgrabber]

I'm looking for a new power auger (haven't settled on gas or electric yet) but was wondering what your experience is with scaring fish.  Do you believe gas augers scare the fish off?  Electric?  Does depth of water play a part in it?

[Crumps brother]

I saw a fishing show years ago, don't know which one, but they had a diver below the surface and they tried a gas, hand, and then a spud bar. The only difference I heard was the gas motor running once the hole was finished. The spud bar could be heard and it was really loud.

[shawnbialobrzeski]

Millions of people use gas powered augers and seem to catch fish. Use gas, dont have to worry about a stupid battery. My Eskimo hasnt failed on me once on the ice and ive owned it for  a while

[Neptune]

Buy Electric, you don't have to ever tune it up, carry gas, START IT...  you just push the on button and it goes....they are faster at drilling holes and every bit as realiable

I have one of the early Ice Gators and I have drilled 54 holes with an 8" head through 15" of ice in one day and it was still drillin...Never pulled a rope once to make it work!!!

Oh ya, and they are more environmentally(sp) friendly...if that matters to you...



In direct response to your question, I would have to agree with the answers above.  And if you think about it, the only way to make it through the ice quietly is to melt it, and I haven't seen any device that does that yet....


Good Fishing

[FishingNewEngland]

  Do you believe gas augers scare the fish off? 

No.

[JimB]

I don't think it does I drilled holes and my buddy caught a perch less than a minute later.Trout might take a little longer to come back to the area.

[J_Edwards]

I've popped holes with gas augers and immediately marked and caught walleyes in 4-5 FOW.

[jibbs]

i would say no......gas destroys electric.....

[J_Edwards]

I had an electric, not good for me, some lakes I've drilled 150 + holes in 36 + inches of ice searching for fish, depends what type of fishing you do I guess.  Myself, I'll be sticking to gas.

[kasilofchrisn]

I saw a fishing show years ago, don't know which one, but they had a diver below the surface and they tried a gas, hand, and then a spud bar. The only difference I heard was the gas motor running once the hole was finished. The spud bar could be heard and it was really loud.

I believe I saw the same show years ago. Tony Dean outdoors?
If I remember right the power auger was the quietest at drilling. I believe the ice blocks most if not all of the engine noise.
I think what scares the fish the most is if you are fishing shallow and plunge the auger in and out several times to remove all the ice chips. If you stop after you drill the holes and scoop them out when fishing shallow I don't think there would be much impact on the fish.
Some people drill a series of holes over a given structure and give them a few minutes rest after drilling for things to go back to normal before fishing in them. I sometimes drill a series of holes then go back to the first one and start fishing and checking for fish with my Vex.
IMHO a power auger has no discernable impact on the fish unless you are fishing really shallow. Since drilling is so much easier and moving is easier with the power auger I would definitely say I catch way more fish with a power auger than I ever would without one.

[kasilofchrisn]

Buy Electric, you don't have to ever tune it up, carry gas, START IT...  you just push the on button and it goes....they are faster at drilling holes and every bit as realiable

I have one of the early Ice Gators and I have drilled 54 holes with an 8" head through 15" of ice in one day and it was still drillin...Never pulled a rope once to make it work!!!

Oh ya, and they are more environmentally(sp) friendly...if that matters to you..

I did a trip last year here in Alaska for 3 days and 2 nights in a remote mountain cabin. We had snomachined into this lake and there definetly no electric power. I must have drilled 30 holes each day through 2 1/2' of ice.
No way an electric auger would have worked for me on this trip.
I think Electrics DO have their place but they certainly are not for everyone.
Also if your local power plant burns coal or other fossil fuels are you really saving the enviroment? Just a thought.

[Jrod0582]

Check out the Jiffy Pro 4. It is a power auger but it has a propane powered 4 stroke engine. This makes is a lot quieter than a gas auger with the same power. Runs off of the green coleman 1lb'ers

[fishermantim]

Do you believe gas augers scare the fish off?  Electric?

Only if it drops thru the hole!

Sure, if your cutting holes in 3-5 feet of water, then noise could be a factor.
One thing to remember is that you are there for awhile. If you were drilling holes and fishing for 5 minutes at a time then I'd say why bother. Since we are usually fishing for hours at a time, once you are done cutting holes the fish will return to their normal activity. I don't think the fish get spooked and leave, but rather they just seek cover as close as possible and then return to their regular spots. If noise is that much of a concern, then you'd also have to include sleds and ATVs, walking, talking and even getting in an out of chairs. They all create noise thru the ice.

Bottom line: unless it's sustained for long term, noise isn't too much of an issue. (long term being things like an ice auger-hole cutting contest or sled/ATV races on the ice.)

[DR.SPECKLER]

i use a spud early ice and catch fish then its the 8 inch mora and catch fish then when theres 10 inches or more i use the ol gas auger and still catch fish.fish are curious to sound sometimes and i dont believe augers scare fish.

[ice dawg]

I saw a fishing show years ago, don't know which one, but they had a diver below the surface and they tried a gas, hand, and then a spud bar. The only difference I heard was the gas motor running once the hole was finished. The spud bar could be heard and it was really loud.

I think the show was Tony Dean Outdoors and was filmed in Pierre,SD. The power auger and hand auger sidn't seem to bother them, but the spud bar sure did. I have actually seen Perch move through under my shack going toward an auger that was cutting holes about 100' from me. There was a Snow Bear belonging to an outdoor magazine on the ice that day and they would follow it as it went by. I knew that Perch liked a bit of commotion, but I didn't know they would actually follow something on the ice.

[knotreelly]

very little

[two_fish_tommy]

If thats the case noone would catch fish, have used a gas one for years and never had a problem. First time ive heard this question usally hear the one about electronics scareing them

[pirkaus]

I have caught fish on a tip-up 10 feet away from where I am drilling another hole.
Pirk

[Mainedog]

Mine does.  Fish always run scared when I drill holes.

[Gillgrabber]

Mine does.  Fish always run scared when I drill holes.

 

[Litchfield Fisher]

I have found fishing trout especially browns noise can play a factor however I don't think an eletric causes any less commotion than a gas auger, eventually they will return, or in the case of trout cruise through the area after the holes have been drilled so buy yourself a jiffy and save yourself some trouble

[Skipper]

Making a hole in the ice will turn the fish off in an area for 5-10 minutes in most cases. Fish mood has allot to do with this. Actively feeding fish will pay much less attention to noise than fish in a neutral or negative mood. If the fishing is crap, the auger can really shut them down. They will usually pin themselves to the bottom instead of swimming away, but they need a few minutes to recover. This is when it pays to drill 15 to 20 holes on a piece of structure before you even start to fish. That way the auger isn't messing you up. Some guys on the Swiss Cheese Brigade will punch 4 or 5 holes, fish them, start the auger back up, drill 4 or 5 more holes, fish them... ect, ect. They really shoot themselves in the foot with this because the fish never fully recover and they are pinned on the bottom so the flasher does not mark them.

Auger noise is part of the game, the trick is managing it.

[Mainehazmt]

rf energy from a battery operated auger may bring the fish in outta curiosity or stimulation

[mealworm]

i really don't think it matters i'v caught salmon trout pike perch immediately after drilling with my gas auger.if the bite is off the bite is off,when the bite is off i'v noticed sometimes that making a ton of noise drilling running etc. will often trigger a strike,i'm sure that sometimes making noise around your hole will spook the fish as well, depending on the mood of the fish.in most cases though i really don't think the noise matters much

[michianafisherman]

I have drilled holes by hand and with a gator. I drop a camera down to make sure I am in the right spot. I almost always see fish right away. I sometimes believe the fish are moving toward the noise or perhaps attracted to dirt or debris falling from the drilling.

[Iceassin]

JIFFY...STRIKE MASTER...MORA...ICE GATOR...OMG...THEY'RE ALL HERE!!!

[gaudetskie]

....Do you believe gas augers scare the fish off?...

No, but when they look up through that hole and see me, I think it scares the snot out of 'em!  8)
Nick.

[panfishman13]

if it weren't for the price i would have a gas auger. i've grown up with hand augers and while they work, i'm glad i have an electric this year, cuz it's gonna be a long cold winter

[royjulius]

No, but when they look up through that hole and see me, I think it scares the snot out of 'em!  8)
Nick.

Then you need to come fish with me and scare the snot off them northerns for me!!

[gaudetskie]

Then you need to come fish with me and scare the snot off them northerns for me!!

Well I'm glad somebody got that pun!! 
Nick.