Hand Augers

[suckerbait]

I don't think it exists, but does anyone know of a company that manufactures a 9 or 10 inch hand auger? Any info would be appreciated. I am getting tired of lugging the power auger to some of the walkin locations I fish during periods when ice thickness is under 8 inches.

[MikePike]

10 inch hand auger? that would be like trying to turn a fire hydrant

[2 dogs]

I had an old 10 inch hand auger that got at a garage sale but it has no name on it. It was like new with good blades and I used it one time. It  took three men and a boy to get a hole in 6 inches of ice. Now I know why it was so cheap.

[fozsey]

1 10 inch hand auger at a garage sale...$5
2 Ice fishing poles from Wally World to fish in the 10 inch hole..... $20
1 dozen crappie minnows...... $2

A 7' tall gorilla that likes to drill 10" holes all day by hand....VERY PRICELESS 

[Gator-Bait]

 8) and works for banana's

[fdmkb]

What are you fishing for, that you need a 10 inch auger.I can get most fish Thru a 6 inch hole. Then again I am not catching any monsters...

[WARRIOR_ON_ICE]

A 10 inch hole in the ice is overkill for all but the largest lakers, pike or musky. At least in most states in the US including NY. Perhaps there are places in Canada where 30+ pound fish are hooked up frequently enough to make a 10 inch hole worth drilling. 99.9999999% of the fish alive in NY would fit thru my 8" holes.

The only reason that I could possibly see for using a 10 inch hole in NY would be the hole shrinkage on a very cold day, turning my 8" hole to 6".

[Lobes]

     I totally agree with dfuller. I have used a 4" lazer for years. Bought a 5" this year to fit my camera down better. If you need a larger hole, you can drill two side by side and ream out between them to make an oblong hole a lot easier with a small auger than you can with an 8" "back breaker". I've done this several times.
     I have heard of too many people stepping into 10" and larger holes and ending a day on the ice with wet feet and / or strained muscles. It would be nice if people using those larger augers could at least mark their abandoned holes with brush or something. I know that's a tall order since the best fishermen know they need to put down a lot of holes to keep on fish. Everyone can't bring a pile of brush with them to cover up old holes.
                                     

[rayfish]

Suckerbait,

I have a 8"inch auger and it's brutal to use, even when the blades are razor sharpe!!! I'm going to 6" next season! If you need a hole that big to pull fish through I need to be on your lake!!!

good luck!

[missfishylicious]

just a / my friend has an eight inch strikemaster (i think) auger that you cant cut a hole in butter with the blades are sharp and on properly.anybody got an idea do you think a wedge under the blade would help?

[BlackIce]

I had an 8" and it sucked.  I have a 7" now and it id better but I am thinking of a 5" or 6" next year.

[Chris Raymond]

I guess I'm a dinosaur in that I've never transition over to a gas auger yet...next year.  Hand drilling an 8" auger through 18" + of ice is getting old...thankfully not all of the lakes that I fish are at 18" yet though.  Under 18" it's manageable but still wears you out after 20 - 30 holes a day.  Next year I'll have a Nils with 6" and 8" heads and will probably still hand drill with the 6"er during the first part of the season.  After that, watch out baby, the shavings are going to fly!  ;-) 

[FishDaddy09]

This could make a great new kind of strong man contest! Who can drill a 10" hole through 3' of ice the fastest! Take your steroids and grab your auger!

[archbishop]

lol sounds fun you first

[BASSandICE65]

Buy a gas auger well worth the money when the ice gets thick. You will be grateful when you want to move to another location so much easier to drill holes. I had a hand auger eventually something about the angle of the cutting blades went wrong now it won't cut at all. Must have got bent or something anyway bought a strikemaster at the end of the season clearance and have never looked back.

[archbishop]

he has a gas auger    he wants a hand auger for thin ice instead of luging the gas one around

[MikeThePike]

Unless those blades stay razor sharp seems like one would get way to worn out after just a few holes. I have a 8" power auger and a 7" hand auger. Use the hand auger for jigging and after drilling in unwards of 75+ holes in 1 weekend decided to go out and pick up a 6" hand auger for that. A huge difference only an inch makes when drilling by hand.

[Chris Raymond]

This could make a great new kind of strong man contest! Who can drill a 10" hole through 3' of ice the fastest! Take your steroids and grab your auger!

Hey, they got lumberjack games for loggers...why not slab games for ice fisherman?  There could be a humilator sled pull, maybe an ice block toss, and of course timed auger drilling (somebody can have at that 10" bit though).  They already have speed games for the gas auger guys...wonder if there are separate divisions for stock and modified engines?  ;-)

[crappiegirl15]

A six inch hand auger can whip right through the ice and as luck would have it for me all my biggest fish have come through the smallest of holes.  However I have seen salmon being stocked that couldn't comfortably fit through a ten inch hole, those were upwards of 25-35# and real fat. Thats when it's handy to have a gaff along with your ten inch hand auger.

[missfishylicious]

we've been using a six inch auger on oneida but you always have to worry about the catfish.