New to Ice Fishing
Planning on purchasing a powered auger, and some sort of sonar. Looking for suggestions on what to get. Right now I am thinking used equipment, trying to get in at a somewhat low cost to start. I already have a pop up, buckets, some tackle, a few rods and tip ups.
Any suggestions would be awesome! Thank you!
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by janders34
The first time I went ice fishing I had an axe and a pole. As my grandfather got progressively older our trips got much more comfortable. If you buy a used auger make sure you run it before you hand over the cash. Small engines can be notorious. As for a fish finder, I've got nothing. Never owned one.
Don't forget the little scoop for the ice in the hole. That thing is a hand saver.
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by Amperage21
I think I have one of those scoops. Haha. That's some serious fishing going out there with an axe.
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by janders34
Usually we would find a hole from the day before.
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by Amperage21
Augers can be finicky. If you have a nice cordless drill you can buy a simple kid for that (battery above 3.0ah). I'd avoid a two stroke engine, I just purchased a four stroke Honda made by strike master. The old phrase "buy right or buy twice" certainly applies. But think how often your going to go out and where. If your just going to set tip ups, a hand auger might work as you don't need to punch multie holes in a day, maybe drilling three holes in two feet of ice will be okay. If you're going to hole hop and look for nice pan fish, then more auger is nice. Flashers and fish finders have changed a lot In the last few years. You can do a lot with a little, I use a vexilar FL 12 and like it. Others swear by what they have. Get on Youtube and check out some unboxing videos, see if you can borrow, rent, or try before you buy from a local outfitter or small mom and pop shop.
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by t8hkey13
Thanks for the reply. You may have swayed me to buy new on the auger. Seems like there's not much saving on the used. Even ones 10+ years old they're asking $150, which seems like a lot to me.
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by janders34
I tried that with an older jiffy 30. Never ran right. Leaks gas. Needs adjustments all the time. She still cuts holes, but it's more of a production than it should be. Identify what you need to get on the ice today. You can add pieces as you go. Wait for sales... Everything goes on sale sometime. I just bought a new 1 man flip over for 100 off. New heater for 25% off. Pay attention, be dilligent, but also realize you can use a home made sled and 15 dollar rod, and used hand auger and have fun!
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by t8hkey13
Best Propane Ice Auger: Eskimo 40cc 10-Inch Propane Ice Auger In my opinion..
https://outdoorempire.com/ice-drills-reviewed-buying-advice/Eskimo knocked another homerun with their 40cc 10-Inch Propane Ice Auger.
Designed to take advantage of propane’s higher octane rating than gasoline, this is one powerful tool that cuts through ice quickly and easily.
Features
Featuring a clean-burning, 4-stroke engine, it is a low-maintenance tool that performs well as most gas powered units do.
The high-compression engine packs plenty of muscle for turning a 10-inch blade.
Most users have been impressed by how easy to start it. Unlike gas powered models, it does not require priming – simply flip the switch to “on,” pull the cord and start drilling.
What’s More
Fueling up your ice auger has never been this easy. You don’t need to worry about mixing fuel and oil in the proper proportions, or trying to pour the mix into a small tank while you’re shivering from the cold.
Instead, just attach a pre-filled, 1-pound propane tank and start drilling. When it’s time to switch fuel tanks, which you won’t have to do very often thanks to the efficiency of the Eskimo motor, just remove and safely discard the old tank and hook up a new one.
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Put your money in the best auger that you can buy, it will pay you back with great dividends... You can go out on the ice where you want to fish and dig a “DOZEN HOLES” and start fishing as soon as you have a few cleared... Then clear the rest of the holes... You will need covers on the holes that you aren’t using because they will ice up... Years ago we used winter ❄️ time windshield washer fluid, I don’t know if it is legal with today’s rules...
FS Digest wrote:
Planning on purchasing a powered auger, and some sort of sonar. Looking for suggestions on what to get. Right now I am thinking used equipment, trying to get in at a somewhat low cost to start. I already have a pop up, buckets, some tackle, a few rods and tip ups.
Any suggestions would be awesome! Thank you!
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by janders34
I fish in northern Wisconsin. Ice can get pretty thick. Twenty-four plus inches by last February. I purchased the Ion. Rechargeable battery and it will drill your holes all day long, and it's light and very portable. I have the eight inch, and that's plenty big enough. I highly recommend the Ion. Never need to mess with fuels of any kind. Good luck fishing.
I agree depends on where you live and how often you fish live in Iowa I have electric drill auger clam run with rigid 18 volt 5 amp battery runs great cut 20 holes 10 inch ice is only 6 inch hole . I know those Ion our very nice had gas never again. I have vexlar fl18 had for years I would get one shows bottom 6 ft a lot nicer
Ibclyde
Loc: Cloverleaf Lakes Wisconsin
From someone who has had them all,,,,,,Go with a battery powered auger!
Go with an underwater camera in lieu of a flasher. They are so much more fun
Consider the drill approach(20 volt) lithium batteries with a standard Mora auger and conversion kit. I can punch 20 + holes in 10 inches of ices in less than 10 minutes . I usually carry 2 extra batteries and cut a hole much quicker than most gas powered augers. Cost of this approach is must less than power augers .
HawkOBX wrote:
Consider the drill approach(20 volt) lithium batteries with a standard Mora auger and conversion kit. I can punch 20 + holes in 10 inches of ices in less than 10 minutes . I usually carry 2 extra batteries and cut a hole much quicker than most gas powered augers. Cost of this approach is must less than power augers .
Me and a buddy have races from time to time to see which auger is better with a drill. I use the Snap on 1/2 inch drill 20 volt with a nils ice auger and my buddy uses the Milwaukee 1/2 inch drill 20 volt with a strike master chipper and we were drilling through about 12 inches of ice. It appears the Nils is a much better auger all the way around. even if you use it by hand and not the drill it is must faster than most. I use the lowrance hook 7 ice package, I love it. I will use my Marcum VS 485 HD and that gets pretty fun when you can really see the fish go after your bait. and my buddy uses the Vexlar f12
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