Buying Nils auger

[cps420us]

I'm planning on purchasing a new Nils gas auger this fall. Does anybody know when they will start being stocked in stores? Also, I have two questions. I mainly fish the metro and southern MN. Is it necessary to get the 48" auger, or would the new 42" work just fine? Also I know alot of you guys run the Amsoil in them, where can I get some of this?

[Northlander]

Get the 48" shaft and you wont have to ever worry about too much ice no matter where you are. You can order Amsoil from the Oilman who is a sponsor here or directly from Amsoil. You may also have stores near you that carry it. Im not sure who will around you.

I would guess Nils will be in stores sometime in late Oct or maybe Nov.

I know we will have them in our Nilsmaster booth at the Ice Show in St.Paul and selling them through 3 different stores there.

Call Marine General in Duluth and talk to Russ or Corey and they may have one left from last year they can sell you if your in more of a hurry.

[Mike Stark]

i bet some stores already have Nils stocked. i would go with the 48" unless you are worried about weight. then when you do make that trip to LOTW you will have an auger that will have no problem getting through all the ice.

[thorson]

I am 6'4" and I love the extra height. If you were really short it may be a different story.

[Jim Almquist]

The Nils will cut so easy that the extra height will not make any difference. I cut through 2' of ice and was able to do it one handed. That would NEVER happen using my old Jiffy

Go with the 48"

[cps420us]

Thanks for all the input. I saw Marine General had them in stock, so I'll be ordering one this weekend.

[Esox_Magnum]

May be the last auger you'll ever buy, you'll love it.

[deadeye]

May be the last auger you'll ever buy, you'll love it.

++

[Northlander]

The only reason Im selling mine is to get a new one. Its been bulletproof. I want to see if the locking shaft makes any difference at all or if its only good for when you may get hung up in something in the ice. I hit a log last year and I had to get a monkey wrench and turn the shaft backwards to get it out. That sharp Nils balde really cut into that dang thing. Just glad it wasnt a rock or my day would have been cut a bit short.

Anyone have anything to say about the locking auger shaft on the newer models.

[theoilman]

To buy AMSOIL Saber Professional online go to my site below please.

I will be posting a fall promotion and special in about a week. Look for it in the Sponsor Showcase forum. Several have already been asking for it.

[Mike Stark]

anyone know why nils doesnt make a 10in?

[Kodiak]

essox magnum-

i see your in the muskie 29 chapter, what is your email address, or your initials so i can find your address on the muskie chapter 29...i see skip frakes is a board member also, that is far out he was my art teacher!

i am going to be down home fishing this weekend and am bringing my tuffy, going to hit the perch bite and walleye fish, but i have some time on friday to go muskie fishing and i am going to give it a try..would not mind learning some from the master! you going to be out?

[Northlander]

Because where they come from there was no demand for anything that big. they shoot a lot of small holes over there. I would like to see if that motor would have the tork/power to turn a 10" Nils blade. Im betting it would.

I have never had a fish I couldnt get through a Nils hole though. If I was worried I cut 2 holes over lapping.

[Mike Stark]

a switched to a 10in blade at the end of last season...i loved it. really all i fish for in the winter are lakers and pike..and maybe some sumo greenbacks if im lucky. that 10in hole makes it so much easier to get the lakers head started up the hole. i might make the switch if they had a 10in blade.

[Esox_Magnum]

Northlander, that locking transmissions great for times like you described and it does work.....I have used mine once in 2 years is all....

[harvey lee]

I used a 10" for years and switched back to a 8". I have yet to loose a fish due to the decrease in the hole size. One weekend last winter, I believe I iced 19 northern up to 19#'s with no issues with a 8" hole. I was jigging mainly.

The other thing I do not like is it leaves a huge hole in the ice. Smaller kids boots can fall into the hole and I have seen this happen.

[Jim Almquist]

The other thing I do not like is it leaves a huge hole in the ice. Smaller kids boots can fall into the hole and I have seen this happen.

Small kids ?

I watched Steve Foss go right up to his thigh one day. Thank Goodness he was all right but it happened so quickly you could see where one could break a bone real fast.

[tsande00]

My 5 year old (then 4) was out with my last winter on the ice. He kept kicking snow in all the holes I had drilled, essentially making them invisible. I told him it wasn't a good idea because he might step in one.

Fast forward 10 minutes...I'm in the porty while he's playing outside when I hear a cry for help. I run out to see him laying face down on ice with his foot twisted in a hole. He could not get out.

Even with an 8" auger kids can easily drop a boot in...10" could darn near swallow the small kids whole...no pun intended, and is certainly large enough for an adult foot to drop in.

I brought my boy out 4 times last year and I think he managed to drop a foot/boot in the hole 3 of them. I'm starting to wonder if he does it on purpose when he is ready to go home.

I'm glad I went with an 8". The smaller holes take up less floor space in the flip over shack which is nice too.

[Northlander]

Ya them holes are dangerous especially when parents are too busy fishing to be watching their kids. Not sayin Im just sayin.

[tsande00]

Ya them holes are dangerous especially when parents are too busy fishing to be watching their kids. Not sayin Im just sayin.

No worries. I was expecting a comment like that. Never know what crazy things can happen out there with your child 5 feet away building a snowman.

It was pretty traumatic after all. I mean we had to put him in the truck and put a dry pair of socks and a new pair of boots on him. Darn parents not watching their kids on the scary ice!

They might step into a fish hole! Much like I did 18 times as a little guy learning the ropes of ice fishing.

Not saying, just saying.

[muskE]

Call me paraniod but I started putting a life jacket on my 4 yr old when I started bringing her out last season. At first it didn't dawn on me. I was amazed at her fascination with the 10" holes in the ice and trying to backfill every one with shavings like it was a sandbox.

Kids are lightning fast and even when I was literally 1' from her (and watching her play, not inattentively fishing) while she was building a new tower, she bent over to pile more shavings and slipped a hand in the hole up to her elbow. On the way home I started rethinking the experience and then it hit me... What if she went through?

It wouldn't be a normal break-through where there's a hole the size of a car to make rescue possible. Neigh neigh! This would be a 10" hole in 20" of ice and I would have no way to reach her if she drifted even slightly off pure vertical.

It's now boat coat for baby! Worst case, she slips in and gets wedged by the extra bulk. She's not a fan of putting it on when she sees "other kids" playing on the ice without one so it plays as a win-win for everyone. If she puts up a fit about it, she can't leave the perm and "stays inside" and colors or plays while we fish. The pull for pint-sized companionship to usually too great and she puts it on and we go out together.

The great thing- While I was talking to the other dads while our kids were playing one guy mentioned that he thought it was a great idea to have life jackets on the kids on the ice. The next day, he had jackets on both his kids and said he always felt a little funny about the "what if's" but now doesn't worry about it as much knowing he's passively increased the safety of his kids.

[L_Cappo]

you wait for the ice fishing show in dec.might find a good deal on 1

[Brad B]

this is exactly why I am going to go with a 6 inch auger drill unit when I take my son out with me next year(I feel he is still to young to go out this up coming season he is 4 and has autism and doesn't talk yet).

[chris63]

Mike, Have you ever tried drilling your hole at an angle when fishing for Lakers?They seem to come up the hole much easier.c63

[tsande00]

A life jacket isn't a dumb idea at all really. I mean they are already bulked up with snow pants, sweat shirts, long underwear, etc. What is one extra layer going to do? Lets face it, young kids tend to get bored if a few minutes go by without catching fish. The first thing they want to do is run around and play (any of us who fished as kids understand what I am saying) A life jacket would absolutely give some peace of mind.

Another thing I always do is put him on my lap and keep the door wide open when/if we are driving out. It's pretty difficult to do, with both of us wearing bulky clothes, but leaving him in his own seat is a risk I am not willing to take, no matter how thick the ice is.

Sorry for continuing on with the thread hijack.... Those 10" augers really seem unnecessary to me. If your fishing Lakers on Superior than we're talking a whole different story... But landing panfish on the little local lakes around my neck of the woods is different.