Fish's Ice Saw

[hole_hopper454]

Anyone ever use one of these? Debating on getting one to cut a 3' x 8' hole for sturgeon spearing on lake winnebago. The couple youtube videos I've seen make it look like it cuts pretty easy. Figured I'd drill a dozen or so holes with my k drill then cut between them with the ice saw. Would be cheaper than buying a chainsaw with a long bar for the one or two holes I would cut each year.

[DR.SPECKLER]

I got one.cuts so easy.takes out almost 6" of ice each swipe.i drill 4 holes in a square,then connect the dots with the saw.effortless and worth every penny.

[hole_hopper454]

I got one.cuts so easy.takes out almost 6" of ice each swipe.i drill 4 holes in a square,then connect the dots with the saw.effortless and worth every penny.

Glad to hear this! Some guys said I was crazy for wanting to cut a hole by hand. Probably 99.9% of guys use a chainsaw out there or pay someone to cut their hole. I tried telling them it looks easy in the videos, but having never used one it was hard to back up this claim.

[DR.SPECKLER]

Its amazing.i cut 9" of ice and each swipe takes out huge cuts across it.doesnt take many swipes at all to cut a big hole.i use it for spear holes.chainsaw throws water all over,heavier and expensive.not to mention dealing with gas and 2 stroke oil.

[Bucket Rump]

I use a Fish's Ice Saw for cutting my spearing holes - cuts good but you still get a workout once that ice gets 18"+ thick.

[DowneastPescador]

I have a Nils 84”. Like the others say it is basically effortless. I don’t know why you’d ruin/maintain a chainsaw when you have this option. Plus it weighs next to nothing and fits in a rifle bag. I use it for sight fishing mostly and we have cut some big holes with it.

[fishermantim]

How thick have you cut through?

I can only presume that pushing the block down and under must be fun the thicker the ice is?

My BIL has an old DVD of clips from up in Maine when they used to harvest lake ice for the ice houses, and the saws they used were impressive.
One was a large buzz saw that cut most of the way thru, and a had saw to finish the job.

Like most cutting devices, you need a sharp blade for the easiest and best cuts. 

[DowneastPescador]

How thick have you cut through?

I can only presume that pushing the block down and under must be fun the thicker the ice is?

My BIL has an old DVD of clips from up in Maine when they used to harvest lake ice for the ice houses, and the saws they used were impressive.
One was a large buzz saw that cut most of the way thru, and a had saw to finish the job.

Like most cutting devices, you need a sharp blade for the easiest and best cuts.

We haven’t cut through more than 16 inches I’d say. If you go for a really big hole it can be hard to push it under the ice. We usually use the shovel or a stick from shore when two people are needed. That was early on in the process, we make the hole size more manageable now. 3ftx3ft hole no problem for one man.