8" auger or 10" ???

[Raider4ever]

Your Vex WILL fit down a 10" hole quite nicely. It won't fit in an 8. That's enough reason for me right there.

[Getanet]

Hey BigWalleyeGuy, I bought a 10" strikemaster chipper 2 years ago and if I could rewind the clock I'd probably get an 8". I do like fishing out of the bigger hole and they don't freeze in as fast. However, later in the year when the ice gets real thick they do take quite a while (and muscle) to cut through the ice.

If you're mainly fishing out of a permanent than you might like the 10" better.

I'd ignore the rest of reasoning. You can kick your gear or sprain and ankle in a 8" hole just as easily. You don't need a 10" whole, but you don't need a 100+HP outboard either and I see plenty of them on the back of boats. I certainly don't want to make it dangerous for a small kid, but I've never heard of a kid drowning in an ice hole either.

[Gas Man]

In my humble opinion, a Laker that is old enough to have a girth of over 25” deserves to stay under the ice. I can honestly say that the stories of the ones that couldn’t get up my eight inch hole are every bit as satisfying as the photos of those that made it to the ice.

[harvey lee]

I have iced eyes up to 28" through a 8" hole and one pike that was 19.5#'s. I had no issues with the pike coming up through the 8" hole at all. That was on a rod and reel.

I have iced Laker's through a 8" hole but they were not monsters by any means.

I would say if you are thinking that you will be icing numerous 22# or larger pike or 20# laker's, the 8" will work fine.

I did owm a 10" Jiffy and it was a great auger but I did not feel like lugging that heavy beast around when I really did not need it. I really did not like the huge holes left in the ice in areas that others were fishing. When we were kids, my brother put one leg into a 10" hole and that was not cool.

[thatoneguy]

I pulled a big fat muskie through an 8" hole last winter (though it was a fairly tight fit!)...can't imagine needing to pull anything bigger than that up.

[JMac]

I saw a 48" musky come thru an 8" hole two weeks ago and it was a pretty healthy fish.....

no need for a 10" hole.....

[thatoneguy]

This came up through a hole drilled with my 8" Strikemaster electric. As you can see, it's a very healthy fish. I don't see anything wrong with a 10" bit, but I don't think it's necessary in any way.

[Surreal Deal]

I had (Still have) a 6" Mora hand auger that I used for years. When my dad hung up the sticks he gave me his 9" Jiffy Model 30. I was used to fishing through 6" holes for quite some time before switching to 9" holes. In that time I have managed to step into a hole I've drilled on one occasion. I was very lucky not to bust my leg.

It's true that you need to use a little more finesse to get a fish up through a smaller hole but the smaller holes are safer.

All this to say that if I was paying full price for an auger in December, I wouldn't go over 8". But the reality of it is that circumstance often dictates what most guys end up going with: something handed down to them (like me), a Christmas gift from someone who knows that you need an auger, or those hard to pass by closeout deals at the end of the season, etc.

For me at least I don't know that I'll ever own any other augers, so even though I feel the bigger holes are not only unnecessary but are probably a little unsafe, I will most likely fish through 9" holes for the foreseeable future. Not because a 9" hole is better than an 8" or even a 6" - Just because it's what I have and I'm not going to change it now.

[Surreal Deal]

This came up through a hole drilled with my 8" Strikemaster electric. As you can see, it's a very healthy fish. I don't see anything wrong with a 10" bit, but I don't think it's necessary in any way.

Nice fish man! Did you catch that on rod and reel or did you handline it?

[CrappieNut]

i wish i would have read this post before i picked up a 10" pro 4. i guess when i was looking at them i figured the bigger the better. i kinda wish i would have thought this one through

[thatoneguy]

I caught the 'ski on a noodle of an ice fishing rod. It hit a small perch jigging rapala while I was perch fishing. I had no clue what was on (other than that it was freaking huge!) until I got it up. When I got it under the hole - took about 25 minutes - I reach down through the ice, grabbed a gill cover and slid it up. It was a very good lesson on what you can do with 6lb test if you use the drag right, and if you get REALLY lucky and hook the fish in the corner of its mouth so it can't bite you off

A nearby fisherdude took a few pics while she took a breather, and she swam away strong to fight another day. I doubt I'll ever top that fishing experience

[Riich]

I bought a new 10" a couple of years ago, sat on it for a few weeks and then went back and traded even up for an 8".

You just don't need a 10".

[My_Key]

I bought a 10" Lazer Mag in 2009. I was shopping around for an 8, but when I came across this one brand new for $275, I didn't care about the extra 2". I've been taking my son out ice fishing since he was 3, so he knows the routine, careful around the holes and the heater. He also knows that we don't run wild on the lake, because you don't know what the snow is covering(holes, slush, etc.) I actually stepped in someone else's old hole last year that was snow covered, and that hole was an 8.

[mixxedbagg]

Quote:

I certainly don't want to make it dangerous for a small kid, but I've never heard of a kid drowning in an ice hole either.

I think it's too old for the search function now, but several years ago, someone posted on a similar thread that he witnessed a small child go through a 10" hole and if he hadn't been there to reach through and grab the child, he would have drowned.

[MN BassFisher]

I'd say 8". 10" are almost always unnecessarily big, I've yet to run into a fish that won't fit through an 8" hole. If your up in Canada, then maybe. The 10" is heavier, takes longer to drill, and are usually more expensive. Not to mention they are big potholes on the ice for you or someone to step in, or lose something down. This might be a tad dramatic but I see no use for a 10" hole.

[bigwalleyeguy]

WOW!! You guys are great. Some great points made by all of you. I am so glad I asked. 8" electric is what it is then. Thanks to all of you!! Good luck fishing!!

[muskE]

I do 10" because I hate drilling 2 holes side by side for the transducer and I'm chillin' in one place all day. I have used 8' bits before and appreciated them when I was running and gunning but have slowed down some and now sit still on my own piece of frozen suburbia for the day.

I have been looking at the electrics for a wheelhouse but haven't bit the bullet yet as I still can't decide if I want to down-size to a 9 or 8. I've been staring at a 10" hole as long as I have been on hard water and anything else just looks puny and foreign...too small to land a bill-fish.

If you use catch covers you may want to go with the biggest you can afford to help keep line-wrap down to a minimum.

[bobbymalone]

don't need a ten, but that's what i've got. it sucks in added weight and a unlucky gentleman can step in the hole if he isn't careful and hits it just right. I've went mid thigh deep before... I don't think it sucks much more stuff down the hole though, stuff that was meant for the hole is gonna go down it. How many times do think an extra 2" would have saved your cell phone. You do put your vex at risk, but you almost have to try to get it to go down. It is nice to have the extra space for a vex float and even if you don't NEED to have it to land fish it is helpful.

I'll reluctantly but wisely switch to an eight when I start bringing kids. Although I think the ten inch danger alert with kids disappearing in a 10" hole is mostly bull. Kids aren't made of lead and 2 inches isn't THAT much bigger. You would have to work to drop a decent size raccoon down the hole even if it was dead. Not sure if sub-raccoon sized children should be out on the ice at all.

[muskE]

You would have to work to drop a decent size raccoon down the hole even if it was dead.

If it was alive it would be clawing your eyes out if you were trying to stuff it down a frozen hole.

If you dropped a thigh in, a 3-4yr old could easily slip through. What's worse, you probably wouldn't be able to reach them if they drifted anything but vertical on the return bob. For this reason I make my daughter wear a life jacket. It adds bulk and decreases the likelihood of a complete fall-through and it's cheaper than an Ice Armor suit.

[Chef]

10". Pulling the ducer for every fish is a PITA. Fewer lost fish cuz the hooks miss the edge of the 10" way better. I've lost nice fish at the edge when the hook catches the edge of the hole and the fish shakes free.

[Northlander]

I cut a hole next to my jigging hole for the ducer. No more issues there. My Nils cuts a 8" hole but I wish it was a 9". Although I have never had a fish too big for the 8" especially when I overlap my holes when fishing lakers.

[pulleye16]

I agree with people that a 8" is plenty big. I've pulled a 12# pike throught an 8" hole...need to get that long head vertical as you would with a 10" hole regardless.

I hate stepping in the 10" holes myself but don't let that interfer with your decision, people just need to quit putting snow in there old holes so we can see them!!!

10" does offer more room for ducers / cameras so thats a plus but IMO it doesn't offset weight and cost. For me, every ounce counts when I'm dragging that sled and I've never lost a fish casue my holes was to small.

[BartmanMN]

Fish Girth & Hole Size

Circumference = 3.14 x Diameter

6inch hole = 18.8 inches

7inch hole = 22.0 inches

8inch hole = 25.1 inches

9inch hole = 28.3 inches

10inch hole = 31.4 inches.

[mrfish1991]

I agree with what most everyone is saying. Go with the 8. Even with that you need to be careful, last saturday I was fishing with a buddy and his auger was an 8. I put my leg up to my knee into the hole and was chilled for the remainder of the trip.

My means go as far as a 6" lazer hand auger and that does just what I need it to, even if it does take a little more work when the ice is 2ft thick

[baitshopboy]

8 incher all day. lite and sized right for even a trophy fish