Gonna buy one this year, either a hand auger or just a cheaper one to use with a cordless drill.
just wondering if the bigger hole is worth the extra cranking or if you go with a 6 and its fine
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Gonna buy one this year, either a hand auger or just a cheaper one to use with a cordless drill.
just wondering if the bigger hole is worth the extra cranking or if you go with a 6 and its fine
8 is better if you put anything but a fishing line down the hole, ie. fish-finder, camera, or drill 2 holes, 1 for the electronics.
If your going with the hand auger I would recommend the 6 . Its alot easier to punch a bunch of holes with the 6 . Depending on the amount of ice you chew through a season,the 8 inch I always had the replace twice a year. The 6 inch cut better and I went through a set of blades in about a season and half.
Last season I upgraded to the clam plate and Milwaukee fuel 18v . Wow what a game changer that was ,easily drills through 40 feet of ice per battery. That's with the 6 inch witch I think most are using on the clams. The 8s seem alot harder on the drills but I may try the 8 this year. The kdrill is a good option for bigger hole ,but then again the 8 is only 7.5 .
Also you then have to consider what kind of fish you are after . If your only after big simcoe trout then a 8 would be nice.
I fish simcoe and never have a problem with the 6 .now when the day come I hook a trout over 20 pound then I may have a problem I will deal with. Hopefully that day my buddy drilled it with his 10 lol. But seriously I have take trout 18 pounds out of the 6 ,the whitties come up the hole every time without an issue. I drill alot of holes on most trips twice a week about 10 to 20 holes in the morning. That's why I choose the 6 if you not going to drilling alot of holes the 8 may work for ya.
The clam plate is the cats a s s
On sale your looking about 450 all new if you dont already have a good drill.
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I've used a 8 inch manual swede bore for years. I rotate 3 sets of blades on it. I primarily fish Simcoe. Early season isn't bad but as the ice thickens, I really wish I had a 6 inch auger. It tires you cranking holes with the 8. This year I'm also upgrading to a cordless set up, and from everything I've read, most 18-20V brushless drills with high ah battery ratings and the Clam Plate is the way to go. I'll buy a new auger blade to go with it, and keep the manual for early season ice use only.
Having the option of both is nice, but if I had to do it all again, and could only buy a manual auger, I would get a 6 inch.
OP check out Normark Finbore3. No downward pressure needed, just have to turn the auger, the blades do the digging on their own. Even the 8inch unit cuts holes fast.
I pulled a 22 lb laker with a girth of 22 inches from a 6 inch hole when fishing for specks off a beaver house. How often are you going to have to do that? Other than being able to start a fishes head easier into an 8 inch hole the only other reason I'd say an 8 inch hole is better than a 6 inch hole is that it takes a bit longer for the sides to freeze in on those super cold days. And that problem can be beaten by chipping away the top of your 6 inch hole with an axe till it that area fills with water.
I’d say go 8 inch I have a 10 inch And wouldnt wanna go any smaller
Yeah, that’s the one I was looking at. Pretty impressive watching it work in the video.Quote:
Originally Posted by canadaman30
Six inch swede bore does the trick. Keep the blades protected
I lucked out and grabbed a 6” Finn-bore off Kijiji for 40 bucks, blades look quite new
Sometimes Kijiji is great...other times not so much
The clam plate with a 6" swede bore works great when I am fishing St Clair or Simcoe for perch. If I am after walleye on the Thames River or Quinte I use my gas powered 8"
All depends on the fish you are after IMO but if you are on a budget go with the 6" hand auger
Always used an 8 since i was little, but just got my new 6 pistol bit yesterday. If that works well the 8 gasser is going up for sale.
From what I have read the pistol looks like a winner, lets know how it works sherlock
I have a 10" propane auger and I love it. Hand auger I always used an 8"
Got out yesterday and drilled around 30 holes. Mine is the gen 1 wo the centrepoint. Worked great. Good length so you are not hunched over like a hand auger conversion. With the drill attached (no battery), still lighter than my old 8" hand auger.Quote:
Originally Posted by huntnmachine
Good to hear
I hope everything works out great for you but I would be not likely to buy a used auger unless I could actually see it work.Quote:
Originally Posted by 73hunter
Just someone tapping it on the ice to clear off slush can totally wreck a auger and it's hard to see.
Once the blade attachment points have been bent out of the proper angle the auger is scrap.
OP, you can always buy replacement blades if they dull.
I say it depends on how thick the ice usually gets where your fishing. In north bay I find an 8in is nice because once the ice gets over 30in it's easier to guide the fish up the hole with a bit larger diameter .
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That's very trueQuote:
Originally Posted by Brien
I use a 6 inch but mainly after whitefish and perch. The whitefish cannot swim backwards so once it's in the hole with thicker ice it will stay there all day if you let it. . Once you get the head in the hole it will come up and just bob around in the hole .
So if you dont rush the whittie when there like 14 inch of ice you should always be able to land it. Rush it from excitment it still can slip back down from the momentum if the hook pops.
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