Auger or hole size preference...

[jign4eyez]

I prefer 8". Just bought K drill and couldn't be happier

[struckus]

I prefer 8". Just bought K drill and couldn't be happier

isn't the k-drill a 7"?

[DucksAndDogs]

Where I fish you have to have have a ten inch.  I’ve heard plenty of disappointing story’s about guys and there 8 inch augers.  I’ve also caught fish that would have been lost if I hadn’t cut a larger hole.  If they made a 12 inch auger I would buy it in a heart beat.

This x2.

[skifisher]

Depending on which water I’m fishing, it’s usually a 6” Nils or Mini Nero. When it gets later in the season, I haul out the 8”Strikemaster gas, especially when the ice gets thicker. I see no reason for a 10” unless you’re specifically after “monster” fish. There are very few fish that won’t wiggle through an 6” or 8” hole.
By the way, I once stepped in a 10” hole covered with snow. Took a while to get my 🦶 out, and I had a boot full of 💦 which almost ruined the day. Glad I had extra 🧦!!!!

[DucksAndDogs]

They’ll wiggle through a 6” or 8” hole assuming it’s still that diameter.  When the hole starts to freeze and you’re losing diameter quick enough to watch it happen, it’s nice starting at 10”.

[slipperybob]

They’ll wiggle through a 6” or 8” hole assuming it’s still that diameter.  When the hole starts to freeze and you’re losing diameter quick enough to watch it happen, it’s nice starting at 10”.

Yeah when it takes only two hours for an 8" hole to become a 6" hole and another two hours to drop to 4", then another two for it to close and that's in the heated shack. 

[skifisher]

Yeah when it takes only two hours for an 8" hole to become a 6" hole and another two hours to drop to 4", then another two for it to close and that's in the heated shack.

...and that’s why there’s a chipper blade on one end of my ice scoop! 

[Agronomist_at_IA]

6in for the one man Eskimo wide one inferno. Camera and jig holes.

6-8 for the clam voyager....6in if 3 people go. 6-8in of two go depending on what we fishing for and the lake. If we run two cameras and 4 poles it's the 6in.

8-10in for the wheel house. If it's a one night 2 day it's 8in. If it's a few day few night trip it's the 10in.

Hole size for me isn't about fish so much......it's more about what I'm fishing out of and the hole room or freeze down temps.

[Iceassin]

So I'm looking into purchasing another auger to add to my collection.  I have a 8" strikermaster lazer hand auger and an 8" Eskimo P1 propane.  Was looking at the new strikemaster lite flite which does look really light and also look at a nils just because I always wanted one.  Obviously to be used with a power drill.

I also always wanted to try a smaller size auger like a 6" but don't know if that's really any advantage over an 8" hole.  Only upside I could see with a 6" auger is it is lighter?   What are people's thought on the six inch hole?

Well, you posted this almost a year ago so you probably already got what you wanted, but I'll throw in my .02 anyway.

I go small as possible...lighter, faster and usually a little cheaper.

4" for panfish. I can get any gill or crappie through this. Never lost one because the hole was too small. Yes, they have come off the hook at the top of the hole many times. But it is difficult for them to turn around and go back down the hole so plenty of time to reach down and grab them.

6" for tip ups (Pike...never fished Walleye, Lakers ,etc. so could be different). My PB Pike was a 34"-13# full of eggs...a bit of a fatty. And I got it through this hole with very little effort. But that's why I use steel leaders. Don't have to worry about finessing too much.

The other thing, 90% of the time, my fish is going to hit the edge of the hole no matter what size it is. Rarely does it come straight up into it. But once in there...with the smallest hole possible...lessens the chance of it swimming and flopping around and getting off.

Again, just my .02. Hope you got what you needed.

[VelocitySk]

Usually run 8” to fish with transducer and then a 5” hole 2’ away for my camera if I’ve found a good spot and have the shack up

Db

[DrummerManDrew]

In response to holes closing up in a couple of hours in a heated hut... I have fish lakes at 9-11k in elevation in Colorado were morning temps with be -17 and a solid -3 during a windy day. When I would set up after punching holes and got the hut up and heater going, I’ve never had a hole close up on me like described above. I do run an insulated hut at 600d and a mr heater on the little 1lbs tanks. I may go through 2-3 tanks if I’m running all day and have the heater on high. But if holes closing up is a concern, you could always get a hole warmer puck? I’ve never used them so I don’t know if they’re super beneficial. I drill a 10” hole and I prefer to fish around 12-8 ft of water at some of my lakes. The benefit of a bigger hole in my opinion is, when I spot a fish on the flasher and then look in the hole, I have just a little more diameter to use to tell where the bit will be coming from and be able to set the hook properly. If I was fishing deeper water I would probably use a 6” or 8” hole with a flasher but because I only travel with one auger bit, it’s just what I go to.

[DucksAndDogs]

In response to holes closing up in a couple of hours in a heated hut... I have fish lakes at 9-11k in elevation in Colorado were morning temps with be -17 and a solid -3 during a windy day. When I would set up after punching holes and got the hut up and heater going, I’ve never had a hole close up on me like described above. I do run an insulated hut at 600d and a mr heater on the little 1lbs tanks. I may go through 2-3 tanks if I’m running all day and have the heater on high. But if holes closing up is a concern, you could always get a hole warmer puck? I’ve never used them so I don’t know if they’re super beneficial. I drill a 10” hole and I prefer to fish around 12-8 ft of water at some of my lakes. The benefit of a bigger hole in my opinion is, when I spot a fish on the flasher and then look in the hole, I have just a little more diameter to use to tell where the bit will be coming from and be able to set the hook properly. If I was fishing deeper water I would probably use a 6” or 8” hole with a flasher but because I only travel with one auger bit, it’s just what I go to.

Sometimes I have to crank my heater inside the insulated shelter to get it up to -17. 

[Iceassin]

I would wager to say you have never caught any 16+ inch crappies.  Just to give you some perspective, they are as big around as a dinner plate.  And, they can be 12 inches from top to bottom.  Good luck getting one of those hogs through your 4 inch hole.  As stated on here many times, I  mainly use a 4 inch auger for gills but big crappies is why I purchased a 6 inch auger, this past week.  Now, I don't have to worry about busting a slab crappie, while fishing for gills!

Nope..you're right...I haven't. But the OP asked for my opinion and I gave it to him. And I'll thank you for yours...even though I didn't ask for it.

And my apologies to the OP...but here is my perspective:

First, a 16" Crappie is a big 'un...but far from "average" in most lakes. But if I were to lose one that big...so be it. Not the end of the world for me.

But I'm a Bluegill man and been doing it a long time. My Dad took me out for the first time when I was 5 (I remember... first year of kindergarten) and I'll be 65 in 6 short days. And ice fishing has been my passion during that entire time. Except for deer hunting and Walleye fishing on the DR and Lake Erie it's what I do. Almost everyday when ice is on. So I've gotten a lot of "perspective" on my equipment and what works for me. Enough to where I can put plenty in my freezer and give some to friends and family. So when someone asks for my experiences and opinions...I'll give it. But I also don't or won't disparage anyone else's. What works for one doesn't necessarily work for others...and the fish they're trying to catch.

[zcm_82]

Another 7" Lazer guy here. I used to run a 6" Mora, but I'd lost a couple catfish, because if you get tubbo and they lock those pectorals splayed out, it is a real pain getting it up a 6" hole on 3-4# test mono without breaking the line.

I had upsized to an 8" Lazer, but I have bad shoulders, and it was just murder on them to punch even a small handful of holes. Backed off to a 7" Lazer and cured the shoulder issues, and haven't hung a cat up in a hole yet.

For some reason, just going from 7" to 8" made a huge difference in cutting effort, but 6-7 didn't. Physics are weird. 

[schollmeier]

Naturally this topic brings as many opinions as bringing up flasher brands...

Personal experience, 6" and 8" are my preferred sizes - that's what's hanging up in the basement right now (plus a 7.5" k drill and an ice saw), though I'm tempted to add a 4" or 4.5" for dedicated perch/tullibee days.  When I target panfish, eater eyes or eater pike I grab the 6" almost always.  I prefer the smaller hole for fish in those size ranges and if I'm hand drilling it, the easier drilling.  I rarely camp on a 6" hole long enough to worry about significant shrinkage.  All in all, I find myself grabbing the 6" auger the most.  Maybe that will be the same for the OP, maybe not.

If I'm headed out after large predators (bigger pike, walleye, burbot) then I prefer the 8".  Especially with Burbot, since you never know if the head or the tail is coming up first...

I know some people will say you can barely fit the Crappies they catch through 10" holes, I guess they catch bigger fish than I do. I can say that a 53" Sturgeon can be safely landed and released through a 7.5" if it sucks up your walleye jig but there sure isn't much space to spare and you definitely are going to want to take your jacket off... I wouldn't want to target them on purpose on a hole that size though (that's what the ice saw is for)

[kasilofchrisn]

Reading some of these comments make me laugh.
10" augers should be illegal?lol
No one needs a 10" auger?lol
Those kinds of statements are hysterical.
I have and use a 10". Also an 8" and my K-drill in 7.5".
It's all situationally dependant on which one I use.
Have I ever stepped in a 10" hole and got wet feet? Yes I have.
But it wasn't the fault of the 10" hole or the guy that drilled it(though that was me In my case).
I blame myself for not paying enough attention.
I was being dumb and not paying enough attention and stepped in the hole I had drilled.
I don't have kids but when my friends kids have stepped in a hole we didn't blame the hole either.
It was a lesson learned for all of us.
The kid for not watching where they were stepping and the adults for not watching the kid close enough. And in that case it was an 8" hole.
Yup kids feet can fit in 8" holes also.
So if you don't like 10" holes don't buy a 10" auger.
But if you step in a hole quit blaming other people for your mistakes!
That and crap happens in life get over it.

[eriksat1]

My personal best crappie caught a few years ago and had mounted was 16" I thank god I had a 8" hole it touched both sides of the hole coming out. And here holes do shrink during the coarse of a very cold day. When it is below zero a 10" hole is nice, the holes really shrink at the top of the ice.

[esox_xtm]

And the hits just keep on comin'!

The best answer is...

Reading some of these comments make me laugh.

It's all situationally dependent on which one I use.

This.

[missoulafish]

Just sold my 8" auger and headed back to the 10" world!!!

[Akhardwater]

I think I’ve already said it on this thread but for the love of god would somebody please make a 12”.

[stuckinohio]

Been using an 8" my entire life. 4" would be great (IMO) for pan fish but I use tip ups and 8" isnt too large for some of the fish I have caught. I had a laker barely make it in an 8" and if not for me pulling him through it, he wouldn't have come.
I have never given a though to a 10"

[Agronomist_at_IA]

I think I’ve already said it on this thread but for the love of god would somebody please make a 12”.

I don’t think you’d seen a company sell them unless is was a rescue type deal. A 12in hole would be so large children could fit  through them and the company liability would be to much

[jimhaney08]

This X3.

Just be sure to know your local regulations.  Based on your user name, I am guessing you're from Pennsylvania too.  Here we can only use a 10" hole max.



https://pfbc.pa.gov/fishpub/summaryad/equipment.html

[kasilofchrisn]

I don’t think you’d seen a company sell them unless is was a rescue type deal. A 12in hole would be so large children could fit  through them and the company liability would be to much

What about spear fishing holes?
Is the manufacturer of my ice saw liable if someone falls in the hole?lol
That's just nonsense!
I do feel that the demand for a 12" auger probably isn't strong enough for manufacturers to warrant building them for commercial sale.
I know they make industrial ice augers larger than 10"
They have them where I work for use on the ocean and lake ice during ice road construction.
But they are hydraulic powered and mounted on the back of a large 4 wheel drive tractor.

[DucksAndDogs]

Yeah I wonder if you start bringing the motor’s capabilities into the question at 10”.  Maybe not, though.  My 10” eats ice.  Not sure making it a 12” would change that too much...

[GBguy]

A 12" hole is almost 50% bigger than a 10" hole and 125% larger than an 8" hole.

[JohnnyO19]

My drill turns a 8” easily so thats what i use.i see no reason to go smaller even tho i have a fleet of augers from 4” up to 10”.

This^^^^^^   All I've used is  the 8in. Mora + Milwaukee for 2 seasons now, never had a problem. Bought a 7 Nero, got it dirt cheap, will try it this year, so we'll see. I do have a 10in, that is best for the Lakers, but it's gas & HEAVY! Haven't used it in 3 seasons now.

[DucksAndDogs]

A 12" hole is almost 50% bigger than a 10" hole and 125% larger than an 8" hole.

Yep.  Math.

But can you quantify that in terms of motor output vs. hole diameter?  Is it linear?  Can I expect a ~50% reduction in performance/efficiency?  Are there confounding variables?  Etc.

I reckon we could teach a chimp to do simple geometry, but putting it into terms of performance is where it gets tricky...

[eriksat1]

I think I’ve already said it on this thread but for the love of god would somebody please make a 12”.

12" hole is the max. legal in WI. I know that if someone made one there are people who would buy it. I don't fish very often around other people or big groups on most days by the next day morning what ever size hole you made yesterday would be totally froze back over you would need to chisel it out. Just like keeping fish if it is legal who is to tell you not to do it?

[SLAYERFISH]

I have a 6" mora/ fuel that gets most of the use. Eyes, perch, crappie, even large trout come thru easily.  Light and get approx 100 holes on 8" of ice.
I also have a 7"nero/ fuel for when I feel the need for a larger hole.   
Have a 10" Strikemaster with the solo engine its a beast!  Haven used it in 3 years either.

Anymore we all need a plethora of specialized augers!