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IceShanty Main => General Ice Fishing Chit Chat => Topic started by: GRIZZ08 on Sep 18, 2013, 01:00 PM

Title: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: GRIZZ08 on Sep 18, 2013, 01:00 PM
i have been seeing that many people are asking about buying power augers with the season coming up, and i see alot a people posting that they can get away with just using a hand auger or a drill adaptor on a hand auger.  i dont know about most people but for me i would have to carry like 10 batteries with me as i tend to drill tons of holes.  i am just curious as to how many holes people drill and what species of fish they are targeting???

i would say that on a weekend trip i make in south dakota chasing perch i have no issues at all drilling 200-250 holes in one hole day of fishing thats fishing with about 6-10 guys, unless we find them right away and they dont move very much.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: stripernut on Sep 18, 2013, 01:08 PM
For me, Bass, Perch, Pike, Trout, I drill for myself 50-100 holes with a 6 inch hand auger. In MA we are allowed 5 lines, so most days, 4 tilts (traps) and 1 for jigging... Rules of thumb for me is jigging 3 minute a hole and 45 minutes for a tilt, with out a fish, then I move on. Unless I am feeling lazy that day...
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: perchnut on Sep 18, 2013, 01:30 PM
Usually its my dad and I, sometimes one other person. Dad isnt as mobile as me, so when i find fish, i usually put him on it.  We also can fish 5 lines each.  I use an Ice Gator, and Id say on Average, I probably pop 50 holes or so.  We fish perch and walleye.  Also, last year, the thickest Ice we had was around 8-109 inches, and that was right at the end of the season.  Most of the year, we were on 4-6 inches of ice. 
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: toofuss on Sep 18, 2013, 01:32 PM
I have some days when i feel like i never put the auger down. Other days i might drill a dozen then stop. It mainly depends on the body of water im on and what fish im targeting.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: Rebelss on Sep 18, 2013, 01:35 PM
Usually its my dad and I, sometimes one other person. Dad isnt as mobile as me, so when i find fish, i usually put him on it.  We also can fish 5 lines each.  I use an Ice Gator, and Id say on Average, I probably pop 50 holes or so.  We fish perch and walleye.  Also, last year, the thickest Ice we had was around 8-109 inches, and that was right at the end of the season.  Most of the year, we were on 4-6 inches of ice. 

Boy, that's some thick ice!!!!  :roflmao: Just kiddin'.... ;D
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: r3kenned on Sep 18, 2013, 01:43 PM
Some lakes I know exactly where to go for pike or panfish…thank you GPS…and I only have to drill 2 holes (Michigan only allows 2 lines per man) and will kill them all day.  Last season I landed 52 pike in a weekend and only cut about 6 holes.  Caught my limit in perch with only cutting 2 holes on another outing as well. 

Other lakes I will end up chasing the fish and will drill 30-40 in a day.  If I am fishing a lake for the first time, I just expect to have to try about 40 holes before landing a fish.  Mostly looking for good weed cover and depth.  My usual rule is 15 minutes on a new lake or new spot without a fish and I move (45 minutes if the ice is really thick or the weather is nasty).  I use a 7” hand auger, but I am planning on buying the 8” Jiffy pro4 before the season starts.  I don’t know if having a power auger up my drilling or not…

200-250 holes in a day sounds like a ton, but if you have 6-10 guys with you and have to look for the fish, this sounds about right to me.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: hardwater diehard on Sep 18, 2013, 01:46 PM
I drill in a "wagon wheel " pattern ....5 holes out 30 or so yards ...return "spoke" to center and so on ....  for t total of 25 or more holes ..covering shallow and deep  ...structure ...non structure . Place my traps sporadically in the "spokes". Jig the other holes . Based on the activity of the day  ill drill more holes with my second wind in similar depth/structured areas that have produced .....by days end ....no sign of that "wagon wheel " pattern . 
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: krcat40 on Sep 18, 2013, 02:06 PM
Some lakes I know exactly where to go for pike or panfish…thank you GPS…and I only have to drill 2 holes (Michigan only allows 2 lines per man) and will kill them all day.  Last season I landed 52 pike in a weekend and only cut about 6 holes.  Caught my limit in perch with only cutting 2 holes on another outing as well. 

Other lakes I will end up chasing the fish and will drill 30-40 in a day.  If I am fishing a lake for the first time, I just expect to have to try about 40 holes before landing a fish.  Mostly looking for good weed cover and depth.  My usual rule is 15 minutes on a new lake or new spot without a fish and I move (45 minutes if the ice is really thick or the weather is nasty).  I use a 7” hand auger, but I am planning on buying the 8” Jiffy pro4 before the season starts.  I don’t know if having a power auger up my drilling or not…

200-250 holes in a day sounds like a ton, but if you have 6-10 guys with you and have to look for the fish, this sounds about right to me.
Isn't MI 3 lines per man? If its not all of us have been breaking the law for a long long time.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: Fontona19 on Sep 18, 2013, 02:08 PM
The short answer is as few as possible.

I don't think I have ever contemplated how many holes I was going to cut, or how many I should cut. I cut as many as it takes. If that is 200 or 2.

I have many places I know where to fish and I don't have to search, and places I am not very familiar with and it looks like swiss cheese when I leave. 
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: r3kenned on Sep 18, 2013, 02:09 PM
Isn't MI 3 lines per man? If its not all of us have been breaking the law for a long long time.

I could be wrong.  I was always told 2 lines per man.  I will have to look at the DNR website again and get back to you.  If it is 3 lines that is great news for me!
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: krcat40 on Sep 18, 2013, 02:15 PM
Just looked on dnr site it is three for sure! More lines means more fish for you guys.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: r3kenned on Sep 18, 2013, 02:26 PM
Just looked on dnr site it is three for sure! More lines means more fish for you guys.

I found it too.  Wow so glad you pointed that out to me!  This must have changed some time in the past and I never looked it up.  Thank you so much!  Who knows how many years I have been fishing only 2 lines when I could have had 3.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: GRIZZ08 on Sep 18, 2013, 02:28 PM
i would like to say i drill as few as i can but for some reason when i pick up the auger i cant stop ill go out with one other guy to a local lake i fish alot and know where to go and ill drill 20 holes before i even think about picking up a rod might not fish them all but if im not marking fish off to a new hole i go.  this way i dont have to drill a couple more if the fish move outside there normal zone
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: neveruminda on Sep 18, 2013, 03:10 PM
Trout (with those waterproof smart phones used to communicate how best to evade fishermen)

2x Lines max here so 2x holes - average per outing is 2x to 8x holes in 20"+ ice at height of season

Showdown 5.6 dual beam sonar (through clear ice) helps quite a bit to see structure & depth before drilling.  I just carry bottle of water, drop approx. 1TBSP and quickly set down puck - don't leave it there long in cold temps; otherwise find the chisel
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: DR.SPECKLER on Sep 18, 2013, 04:27 PM
ive got lucky a few times and drilled 1 hole and caught limits of fish or I also have drilled 50 and caught nothing.but on average about 25 holes a day.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: BRIFISH on Sep 18, 2013, 04:36 PM
Most places i fish are small ponds and i know where they are, but in a new pond i just play hide and seek and start drilling holes in a tight zig-zag pattern till i find what i want.  Looking forward to getting a graph with gps so i can mark structure all summer and then start the search at those points.  So I would say prolly 10-20 holes when i am having trouble locating fish. 
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: gearheart on Sep 18, 2013, 06:01 PM
When the ice gets to be 18"and better the gas auger comes out.  Less than 18 i can hand crank 5-6 holes without breaking out a sweat and after fishing those holes for a half hour I'm good for more holes.  My 6" mora III with the curved blades cuts through the ice like it was hot butter. We're only allowed 2 lines at a time in Ontario. 
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: delta9 on Sep 18, 2013, 06:58 PM
Hand auger here 6 inch mora, I usually get 20 to 30 holes an outing.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: stripernut on Sep 18, 2013, 09:03 PM
Great Posts! Lots of good info!
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: da man cave shack on Sep 18, 2013, 09:50 PM
75 a weekend at most.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: michianafisherman on Sep 19, 2013, 05:05 AM
200-250 holes in one hole day of fishing?


If I counted all of the holes made by other fisherman, on the lakes I fish, they would not add up to that many holes the entire season.

Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: krcat40 on Sep 19, 2013, 06:58 AM
200-250 holes in one hole day of fishing?


If I counted all of the holes made by other fisherman, on the lakes I fish, they would not add up to that many holes the entire season.
Come on
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: chuckrudy on Sep 19, 2013, 07:48 AM
So many holes that's unbelievable :tipup: :icefish:
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: jethro on Sep 19, 2013, 08:05 AM
250 in a day? That's crazy. I would say on most days I drill around 25 holes, sometimes 40. If I fish by myself it's possible that I will drill 8-10 holes or so.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: GRIZZ08 on Sep 19, 2013, 08:09 AM
sounds like alot and it is but when you have 6-10 guys and we are all the type that we walk around and dont fish a hole if we dont mark fish after we have found a spot that has fish.  most of the time searching the holes are like 20 yards apart then when we find them they can be as close to 20 feet apart and you just chase the school around all your holes
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: DR.SPECKLER on Sep 19, 2013, 08:10 AM
sound like hes in the swiss cheese brigade.haha.whatever gets ya on the fish.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: iceskavenger on Sep 19, 2013, 09:13 AM
I drill about 50-60 a day. Like everyone I drill until I find the fish. 45 minutes for tip ups for pike.  I do this until I target fish.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: squ1rr31_ on Sep 19, 2013, 09:18 AM
Nothing wrong with drilling a ton of holes, just don't get mad if people use them, it comes with the territory.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: fishlessman on Sep 19, 2013, 10:13 AM
pretty much everyone i fish with brings their own auger. maybe 2 doz holes max for me in a day. only time i cut more is if im by myself and jigging for lake trout, i pretty much keep moving if its nice out
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: Bearsfan on Sep 20, 2013, 10:05 AM
Nothing wrong with drilling a ton of holes, just don't get mad if people use them, it comes with the territory.

Well said.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: tree-on on Sep 20, 2013, 12:42 PM
I have an 8" hand auger, tried the drill adapter but I have not had much luck with batteries lasting after sitting in the cold. I usually drill 10-15 a day ,but I will start moving quicker this year to find fish. My honey holes have not been the same since Irene (summertime too). I have used chainsaws and trimmers all my life and don't really want to deal with any more small engines, plus it is exercise. I just need to learn to be ambidextrous, otherwise I will start looking funny. ;D
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: addicted to ice fishing on Sep 20, 2013, 09:59 PM
Depends on how many people are fishing, and how soon we get on fish.  Could be as few as 10 -20, to over 100.  I would say 25 - 50 would be an average day.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: jumbo chaser on Sep 21, 2013, 12:15 AM
X2 on how many fish together as a team
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: brittlab on Sep 21, 2013, 03:13 AM
Mostly target panfish and perch. I'd say I average about 15-20 holes per trip but have 50-75 hole days while scouting.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: 3300 on Sep 21, 2013, 11:01 AM
as many as it takes.
some times it takes a lot and some time not so many.
depends if they are in their normal area where they get caught the most or moved in or out.
some days only one hole can get limits. go back to same hole next day and nothing at all.

making holes with battery power is too easy and when they are not biting or showing on flasher i drill tons of holes to try to see where they moved off to. also, making all of that noise can help or hurt the hunt for fish. some would get mad if you make auger noise in their area.

depends on what water i decide to fish upon. if it has a ton of people on it or no one at all.
too many variables to give an answer to.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: fishinpreacher on Sep 21, 2013, 01:17 PM
Usually drill 10-12 with my Eskimo 6" hand auger. However I bought a Strikemaster 8" lazer mag in back in May so I can pretty much gauruntee I'll be drilling a lot more this season! :)
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: rdhammah on Sep 25, 2013, 07:15 AM
think that the most that I have drilled is 15 holes for 2 people. never had any complaints of not catching fish. if I catch 3 fish, i'm happy. don't matter what kind. perch, pickerel, bass, crappie, gills. love catching ANYTHING on jig rod. I go out to have fun and meet people.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: Vex-Um on Sep 25, 2013, 08:23 AM
if I'm chasing perch it is at least 75 a day. If I'm with some one else we do several more because we can switch off the drilling duty.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: slamminsam on Sep 25, 2013, 11:21 AM
200 holes...Is there a problem with too many.  I've been on ice when a crew has left and I thought I was walking around land mines.  Every step could have been your last without breaking a leg...especially if they get a little snow cover.  I was scared to bring the young one out in fear of his safety.  I guess I'm just posing the question...is there a safe limit or practice we should adhere to?
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: chez on Sep 25, 2013, 11:50 AM
THERE is usally 3 of us.I bet 150 a day.Unless we find fish right off the bat with the VEXILAR.I will still drill 25 to 30 before i start to fish.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: Captain Happy on Sep 25, 2013, 07:02 PM
6" of ice or less up to 20, over 6" of ice and wind chill below 20 degrees--- 2
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: kasilofchrisn on Sep 26, 2013, 04:28 PM
I would say anywhere between 2 and 30 holes.
Sometimes you get on them right away sometimes not.
I will say that I don't think I would ever find the need to drill more than 50 holes a day even for a group of 6 or so anglers.
If I did somebody else would be sharing the drilling duty.
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: SkiSoloII on Sep 30, 2013, 02:24 PM
Boy, that's some thick ice!!!!  :roflmao: Just kiddin'.... ;D



Enjoy!

Dave
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: BLUJBURD on Sep 30, 2013, 04:53 PM
I try not to spend more time drilling than fishing. 
Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: wipike on Sep 30, 2013, 08:23 PM
Apparently I don't drill enough holes!   :o

Title: Re: How many holes do you drill?
Post by: tightliner812 on Sep 30, 2013, 08:45 PM
Between 3 and well over a 100 . It all depends on where I'm at or what I'm looking for . I have drilled as many a 50 before even getting a rod out just to have a grid to start fishing.