Strikemaster auger swap

[rusty rapala]

Towards the end of last season I received an awesome deal on a closeout 9" Strikemaster Auger. I used it a few times before the season ended and it would get hung up on the bottom of the hole. Strikemaster said if it was made in China to bring it in and they would swap it out for one made in Sweden. When I brought it in I asked if I could swap it for an 8" shaft and they said no problem. I did this because the 9" blades could only be bought from Strikemaster for a premium. I told this story to someone over Thanksgiving and they said I should have swapped for a 10". Being a panfish and walleye guy I still think 8" holes allow one to be more mobile than to be drilling a bunch of 10" holes. Did I make the right decision?

[Northlander]

I think you did.

[deadeye]

Sounds like you made the right choice to me. 10" just adds more weight (the enemy of run and gun fishing) and since your not targeting giant slimmers you will be fine.

I have never had a fish that wouldnt go through a 8" hole even counting all the pig slimers and lake trout i have caught. I still have yet to get a fish that wouldnt come up the 6" hole the hand auger makes.

[Learning2Fish]

Smaller the hole less chance of the fish getting off and turned around back down the hole. 8 inch is plenty big

[Riich]

Interesting reading this thread after my experience. I purchased a brand spanking new Jiffy 2HP STX Pro last season with the 10" auger. I never did get out last season due to the heavy amount of snow we received along with a rotator cuff surgery.

With all the time I had on my hands I read a lot of forums, including this one, plus I had lots of conversations with friends about augers and such. Somewhere in the last few months I decided I really wanted an 8" auger instead of the 10" I purchased.

I walked into the place where I purchased this auger a little over 12 months later, and asked if I could swap auger assemblies, minus the powerhead which I was wanting to keep. No problem, I was told. So I walked out with the 8" I wanted, and everyone was happy.

I see this year that Jiffy does not even offer the 10" with the 2HP units. I'm pretty tickled that I was able to swap mine, I have come to the conclusion that an 8" hole is plenty for any kind of fishing I plan on doing.

[leech~~]

Jeez guys! I just picked up a 10" SM this summer. Now your making me rethink it. I still have me old 8" mag III that I've had for ever, and notice the the 10" unit is a lot more heavier. I may just put the new head on the 8" and go with that?

[Esox_Magnum]

11 pound walleyes come through 8" holes with ease unless your fishing big lakers or in a permy I see no reason for a 10" Stepped in to many 10" holes so far and had 2 buddies with broken ankles from stepping in them in the dark and under fresh snow.

[toughguy]

I run a SM 9" and I love it. If I had to ditch my 9" I would choose an 8 over a 10. 99.999% of the fish you'll ever catch will fit thru a 8" hole. I'll bet you there is a lot more stuff in your ice house that will fit down a 10" hole that won't fit down an 8". Including your foot or a small child.

You beat me to it esox

[paceman]

I ahve young kids in the house alot. The 8 inch hole is just safer plain and simple...

[Riich]

I figure any fish that is too big to come up an 8" hole deserves to live.

Actually, the killer deal for me was a neighbor who, upon hearing I had a 10" auger, said "you couldn't give me a 10". He was dead serious.

[Rick G]

I have steped in way too many 10in holes and got wet over the years.

[793bob]

I too had my auger swaped out because it was made in china.i hope the new strikemasters aren't made in china either,thinkig of getting 3hp solo.

[jwmiller33]

hey leech you lookin to get rid of your other auger?

[leech~~]

Not really, I think I will keep it as a back up. But after reading all this, I maybe thinking about selling the 10" bit?

[Riich]

Don't worry so much about having a 10" auger, a friend of mine working at Scheels says they sell pretty much half and half 8" vs 10". Lots of guys still like the big holes.

[stumper]

From what I see, the guys running tip ups are the ones that like the 10 inch holes since they wont freeze up as bad and are easier to chip out around the tipup if they do. I like my 10 in the permy ,but thats it. I run a 6 the rest of the time .

[jigging-matt]

I always liked the 8 inch hole better than the 10. Seems like the bigger the hole the faster stuff goes down. And my boot fits alot easier in a 10 inch hole .

[McGurk]

"The size of your auger isn't as important as how you work your rod."

[gritsnham]

The new solos are made in Germany, I have never had problems with getting fish through 8in holes (would nto be the worst problem to have) anyone have somo good stories about fish getting stuck or not fitting through an 8in at all???

[chalupa]

I currently have a 10" auger, any chance they would take it as a trade in for an 8"augerblade plus alittle sumthin at strikemaster?

[&JAG]

Wow, I thought more people would like there 10" Augers. I fish Walleye, Northern and c&r a lot of large mouth when chasing pike along the way. The bigger hole seems to make tip-up fishing easier for landing fish. Another aspect I like is when fishing clear lakes the visual effect is more exciting. Plus, just the idea of less ice for the fish to wack on the way up the hole is reassuring when dealing with those nice Walleye.

[Fred_Bear]

The new solos are made in Germany, I have never had problems with getting fish through 8in holes (would nto be the worst problem to have) anyone have somo good stories about fish getting stuck or not fitting through an 8in at all???

Actually happened twice last winter... Kind of. All 8" holes

Both were laker fishing but neither were on lake trout. Fist one was a 42" pike. The guy thought it was a laker and got it up right to the bottom of the hole then the fight was over. He thought he lost the fish and got hooked on the bottom of the hole. He called us all over and we looked down the hole and could see his lure and everything else was just white with no movement (the underside of the pike's mouth). Finally after letting it go back down twice, the fish came up at an angle where we could see the gill plate and some reached their arm down 2 feet and got their fingers under the gill place and pretty much forced the fish up through the hole.

The second was on another fish we thought was a huge laker, it wasn't. Same thing the fish came up to the bottom of the hole, and then it got stuck again. This time when we looked down, all we could see was the eye and a bit of the face of a muskie. We tried reaching down the hole again but as soon as the fish was touched it took off and snapped the 10 lb mono.

My favorite story is from the two 80 yr old guys that go with us who've been fishing lakers 3x as long as i've been alive!! 1 guy was fighting a fish and the other standing by to help land it when the line came tight again and they thought he lost the fish and was hooked on the bottom of the hole. The guy waiting to land the fish stuck his face in the hole and saw nothing but the mouth of a laker. He yells "Charlie that's the biggest gawd dammn fish I've ever seen!!" He runs to get the auger to drill the hole wider and as he's drilling the other guy loses the fish. It seems we hear this story every year and it just never gets old haha.

[Fredd]

8" is plenty, I can't believe that 8's and 10's are sold in even numbers in a given store. You don't see that many "leg biters" out there when you're navigating the frozen tundra. I think that the huge sturgeon caught a few years back on the border water even came through an 8"er.

[chaffmj]

I like 10 and have a 3hp SM lazer. Some of the lakes I fish I will go out and reopen the holes with a chisel and that works great if you started with a 10. When I get old or if I had to walk long distances I would go for something lighter.