6", 7" or 8" ?

[PaperMouthPersuer]

6"

[lockdown199]

A 6 inch auger will be more than big enough. I've seen 36 inch pike come through 6 inch auger holes.  Anything over 6 inches can be tough to drill by hand.

Drilled 20 holes on Monroe last year by hand with a 8". Wish I had a six.

[FISHFORPIKE]

Well, I been using both for several years and I can tell you that a 6" hole has or would have handled any fish I have hooked.  And I can tell you that I would much rather be turning, by hand, a 6" auger rather than an 8"; no matter what the ice thickness.  And that is with a top condition 6" Finbore Micro and a freshly sharpened Nils 8".  I use the Nils, mainly on my IceGator when the ice gets to 8" or more and I'm using my ATV to get around.  I would be just as happy with a 6" Nils for the IceGator.  If someone wants to trade their top condition 6" Nils with two freshly sharpened heads for my 8" with two heads I will take the deal. 

[boder]

if you are dead set on the lazer line of augers you should get the 6". I am half your age and now way i am using an 8" lazer. an 8" nils on the other hand is the cats.

[Carl.j.o]

I use a 8 inch Eskimo long story short pulled a muskie of of Murray in the winter of 2011 on a tip up. 25 pounds 44 inches. Girth like you wouldnt believe and she just squeezed through  the hole went shoulder deep to get her. Glad I bought the 8 inch tougher to operate but hey who couldn't use more excersise

[bullpine]

A smaller hole is better in shallow water as the fish can be spooked by seeing up the hole or when a shadow passes over the hole.  I would use a 4 inch for panfish in the shallows.

[crappieslayer2]

A six should  be perfect

[TType86]

Another vote for 6". Especially if hand drilling! Id love to here a story of a LM hooked through the ice that wouldnt fit through a 6" auger hole! Not sayin it couldnt happen but......

[Sportsman44]

6" hole = 28.27433 sq. in.   --  8" hole = 50.26548 sq. in. 

Thanks for posting this.   Appreciated info!   Cheers

[backwoodswalker]

I use a 6" lazer for early ice. when it gets around a foot I switch over to my Jiffy. Also have a 4" I use when walking into lakes in the woods for panfish. 4" hole looks small, But you will be surprised what fits.  Anything I catch will fit through 6 but the extra room for transducer is nice too.  Steve

[bugchazer]

6" nils then when it thickens up my 8"gas.

[Fatfish]

6" worked for a long time till we bought a gas power auger. I have took some real big pike out of a 6" hole. If it were arm strong go with a 6" with good sharp blades.     Fat Fish (Jerry)

[JustOsmo]

I guess it depends what brand you go with. My 8" nils cuts fast and i never get tired.

[gearheart]

I also will opt for a sharp 8 over a dull 6, but that was not the question.  As for having room for the transducer, just yank it out before you bring the fish to the hole.  Drill a 50 hole grid with that 8 and tell me you're not tired. 

[JustOsmo]

I also will opt for a sharp 8 over a dull 6, but that was not the question.  As for having room for the transducer, just yank it out before you bring the fish to the hole.  Drill a 50 hole grid with that 8 and tell me you're not tired.

I wasnt talking about sharp vs dull. Nils cutting head is alot different then the other brands and it cuts differently. I would say using my 8" Nils is as easy as using a 6" Mora.

[gearheart]

You are saying that a quality 8 cuts better than a cheap 6.  Come on, we all know that.  A 61 years old guy was asking about ease of use / adequate size.  You are introducing 2 variables into the question. 1=your high quality auger vs an unknown quality other brand.  2: your physical condition vs that of the OP.  Sure your auger is fast.  No argument there.  You could use the same make and style in 6 inches and be almost twice as fast doing just over half the work per hole. 

[JustOsmo]

You are saying that a quality 8 cuts better than a cheap 6.  Come on, we all know that.  A 61 years old guy was asking about ease of use / adequate size.  You are introducing 2 variables into the question. 1=your high quality auger vs an unknown quality other brand.  2: your physical condition vs that of the OP.  Sure your auger is fast.  No argument there.  You could use the same make and style in 6 inches and be almost twice as fast doing just over half the work per hole.

He and others MAY NOT KNOW THAT. Not everyone knows what a Nils auger is and just assumes all augers are the same. Its important to note the brand difference when someone asks about what size to get and one of his worries is ease of use. If you can cut a 8" hole as easy as a 6" hole then the difficulty of cutting the holes becomes a moot point in part of their decision. If he wants go go with a bigger hole "just incase" but is worried about cutting an 8" hole then its damn good to know there is a superior product out there that can make cutting that 8" hole the same as a 6" hole with one of the regular brand augers.

[rdhammah]

Please, guys. Let's not get into an argument. granted, Nils is a great auger. I know that you guys that own them can't say enough about them. out of my price range. also sharpening the blade is tricky (from what I have heard) also replacement blades are more expensive. when you guys talk about "Mora" is that the strikemaster Mora that you refer to? anyone ever have an exkimo hand auger?

[filetandrelease]

I drill several holes in the course of a day ,run and gun , for what he is fishing for a 6" is fine I have pulled a 32" cat through a 6", far as augers I have spun a lot of different ones but my choice is the nils , and far as age I resemble that remark pushing 58,  easy kids 

[JustOsmo]

Please, guys. Let's not get into an argument. granted, Nils is a great auger. I know that you guys that own them can't say enough about them. out of my price range. also sharpening the blade is tricky (from what I have heard) also replacement blades are more expensive. when you guys talk about "Mora" is that the strikemaster Mora that you refer to? anyone ever have an exkimo hand auger?

Wasnt trying to argue. Just trying to point out that what i said wasnt pointless like he was getting at.

IMO all of the other augers are pretty equal. They may change from year to year of which is being manufactured better at that time.

But ya you are right, Nils heads are pricey. 100$ usually. Sharpening them is a pain because they are a curved blade. I sent mine out a week ago for sharpening. Cost me 32$ total shipped both ways. But that sharpenign will last me 2 years atleast and i can sharpen that head atleast a dozen times. So really unless i REALLY mess up the head I am looking at having that Nils head for a good 10-15 years while a Mora and the like will need a new set of blades every 2-4 years.

[dabills]

I got the 8" fin-bore this year. I finally settled on it because I wanted the exercise, and bigger is better!

[Wildakchef]

Id go with the 6' it's lighter to carry and way easier to drill. Like most others have posted you can get a big fish through a 6' hole. One downside is they do freeze up faster.

[dawnordusk1]

I'm 62 ,I've always had a six incher and drilled allot of holes with it over the years. No doubt about that 6 incher will do the job. 

[adm]

6" nils. Best ice fishing purchase I've made.

[pmac3]

6" nils. Best ice fishing purchase I've made.

x2

[filetandrelease]

JustOsmo hope you get more than 10 yrs I have two orginal tanakas [nils] 6"and a 4.5"  that are 30 yrs old  and I'm still cutting with them , I've had them sharpened a few times and have a spare for each, year before last sent  in all four came to $80.00 total round trip, but the ice I cut is pretty clean , and I'm the only one that uses them, learned that lesson a long time ago 

[Martian]

 6 lazer, and you will love it, and won't work you to death, and I don't believe there is a fish in Mi, that won't come out of that hole. I had a 5, and took a pike w/ a 15 in girth, and when i  seen his head, I was sure it would not come out, but then it was on the ice. good luck. Also a smaller bit like this works well with a drill motor. good luck, be safe

[pimplejigger84]

I would go with the six in ch lazer or Nils if you want to spend the extra money and can find one. The nice thing with the Nils is that it has the offset handle and all you have to do is turn the crank. With the Lazer downward pressure is required as the handle is inline with the drill.  Another option is the Fin-bore III. This is a combination of the Nils and Lazer. It has the same blade style as the Lazer but has the offset handle like the Nils. It is slightly more $ than the Lazer, but less then the Nils. Again, availability may be an issue.

[FISHFORPIKE]

Definitely go with something that has the offset handle.  Nils or Finbore, maybe some others.  It makes hand drilling so much easier.

[Nozzlejocky]

The smaller the bore, the easier it'll be drilling by hand.  I'd say the 6" would serve nicely.  If in doubt, go to the 7".  I'd doubt you'd like the 8" after a few holes.