Hole Size

[bullpine]

I just put a 6 inch Nils on my Clam Plate.  I have an 8 inch too.  But I just read a 15 crappie is 8 inches in height.  Will I lose fish I would have landed in a bigger hole???  What size hole do crappie fishermen use and why? 

[Rebelss]

Have you ever seen a crappie with an 8" BODY WIDTH?  Me either. 

[Ronnie D]

I've always used a 6" auger for tipups and primarily target pike. I've pulled many a 30+ inch fish out of that size hole and lost a few also but in my 50 yrs on the ice I've never had or saw it happen and winter bass on a private lake can get quite fat. I've heard this story more than once though. It's usually a guy at the bait shop w/ a cover story about the filet-o-fish sandwich that's his dinner. Don't get sucked in to buying more gear because of a fish story, use what's been working and put the $$ in your gas tank.

[dsupercat]

I used 5" and 6" and have pulled many 14" crappies threw the hole with no problem. 

[DR.SPECKLER]

I like 8" hole for ever species,why go smaller if you already own a 8"?i set up 2 tipups for northerns and jig 1 rod and with a 8" hole i  dont have to pull the ducer out as much and know that any fish will come on thru.ive had a few large specks not fit in a 5" hole before.6" is doable but my drill setup cuts great with a 8" bit.

[Db1]

I have always used 6in i have pulled nice 15in crappies out of the holes plus a bunch of other species of fish

[river_scum]

i have pulled many many 16"+ crappie up 6" holes over the years.  typically, a 15-16"er will have a body height of 6-7" without the fins.  they come up just fine.  i still drill 6" holes to this day. 

[bullpine]

Thanks for the reassurances.  Now I just have to worry about a big pike or bass. 

[river_scum]

well ive pulled a 7.4# bass and several pike up to 38" through a 6" hole too.  so dont fret. haha

[QuinnTheEskimo]

I lose fish not because they won’t fit through the hole but because I don’t get them centered and hang the fish or jig on the edge of the hole. 
I did have a guy tell be last year that I should get a 6” auger because it saves ice….

[dsupercat]

I like 8" hole for ever species,why go smaller if you already own a 8"?i set up 2 tipups for northerns and jig 1 rod and with a 8" hole i  dont have to pull the ducer out as much and know that any fish will come on thru.ive had a few large specks not fit in a 5" hole before.6" is doable but my drill setup cuts great with a 8" bit.

Only one reason drill gets litter and drills faster if you hole hop. If you only drill a couple of holes then it really doesn't matter but when drilling 50-100 holes a day makes a big difference.

[river_scum]

lol saves ice. i like that 1.

[slipperybob]

I've had like a 13" crappie get itself stuck in my 8" hole.  Don't know if the hole was still 8 inches, but don't know how the fish position itself in such a way.  Once in a lifetime I guess.

Then again just a few days ago, I had a 13" walleye wedged itself stuck in my 8" hole.  The head and tail bend at just the perfect angle and it wasn't moving.

[bullpine]

I have heard of drilling two 6 inch holes and then using a spud, I guess, to open up a bigger hole.  That would be a better hole for keeping the transducer off to the size and out of the way.  Anybody doing that or tried it? How did it go?

[Sylvanboat]

I have always used 6in i have pulled nice 15in crappies out of the holes plus a bunch of other species of fish

X2. 6” is also lighter.

[FM67]

Haven’t used anything but 6” in over 20 years. Never had a fish not come up and that included plenty of big bass

[RyanW]

Only one reason drill gets litter and drills faster if you hole hop. If you only drill a couple of holes then it really doesn't matter but when drilling 50-100 holes a day makes a big difference.

I mean, not really. Not in my experience anyways. I also appreciate an 8” hole. More real estate means less problems. And, 8” isn’t super huge to where guys are falling in them but it’s big enough for 95% of the fish you’ll ever catch. A bigger hole means my transducer is also out of the way and less tangles happen when I hardly ever pull it out. My drill setup is almost 18lbs after a 12ah battery, clam plate w/ extension, and an 8” Lazer. Works great. 50-100 holes is nothing when all you have to do is walk. It also helps knowing the area. Where I usually fish, I only “have” to drill one, maybe two, holes. If I want to stay in top of them, usually no more than a dozen.  But I haven’t noticed a difference in fatigue from 1 hole or 100 holes. I also came from hand drilling 8” holes the last 20 years so I may not notice the fatigue as much. 

[FishGut]

I've landed plenty of 32" channel cat through a 6 inch hole. Good northerns too.

I used a spoon auger for DECADES. Still would, if I could sharpen the blades.

[bigfoot86]

I pulled 15-16" crappies through a 6" holes no problem.  Shouldn't be an issue.  You would be surprised what u can get throug a 6" hole.

[Bduals207]

I run a 8 for everything from brookies to muskies and everything between em. BUT when I had my kids on ice as baby/toddlers 6in gave me that false security i was looking for.

[Van_Cleaver]

Have always used a 6" hole for crappie; though obviously a bigger hole provides more room for pilot error. Might try my 7" tomorrow for fun. Honestly unless I have met my dinner quota (usually 7-8 fish) I scoop them once they are in the hole as opposed to dead lifting them; big difference.

[spoofhoundicefisher]

used an 8" hole for years then got tired of lugging around the power auger.  hooked up the 6" hand auger to the drill when the craze hit and have never looked back.  another unintended positive is when a fish comes unbuttoned at the top of the hole it does not have as much room to turn around in hole to get away and can save most all the fish that come loose.

[chumster]

Been using a seven for the last ten years. No problems.

[rdhammah]

I fish a 6" hole and recently caught 2 that were 14" and 14.5" and they came out no problem.

[Uppervalley Kid]

Had a 13 in get stuck in my 4in hole the other day! I got her through though.

[Sylvanboat]

I used 5" and 6" and have pulled many 14" crappies threw the hole with no problem.

Ditto. I have a 6” Ion and never lost a fish because of hole size. Different story for other reasons. 

[jbird68]

I used a 7 inch for years. But then I got the Garmin Panoptix with PS-22 tansducer. The transducer would barely fit down the hole. Now I'm using a 8 inch auger.