Size of your hole!

[hookncook]

Never leave home without my 8 inch.

10 inch hole, when used responsibly is a good tool, but when you have guys that drill half holes with a 10 auger to make a cool coat rack or flag a fort, then I gotta problem.

[PoorWordUsage] near broke my leg on a 10 hole that had a crust of ice over it (partially drilled).

Big lake, where the trout run huge, I can see considering a 10 auger. But in all honesty, I have to yet see anything that can't come out of a 8 inch around these parts.

[deadeye]

If your after Lakers or big northerns all the time a 10" is probably a good call with a little extra room. That being said I use the 8" and have never really had a problem. Plenty of 35"+ Lakers and northerns have made it through the 8" I'm confident with it.

If your catching fish that won't fit through a 8" hole you don't need a bigger auger, you need a chainsaw.

[otis]

Has nothing to do with getting fish up the hole. Just nice to have the transducer down and it not be in the way.

[dfeste]

I have both. The 10" stays in the garage.

[curtistodd]

10 inch is pretty darn sweet for sight-fishing pan fish. Or anything else. If im not sight fishing and 8inch is plenty.

[grizrunner]

9" the best of both worlds.

Except with a 10" hole your foot/boot won't get wedged in the hole. An 8" it probably won't go in.

A 9",however, was a nightmare for me. I stepped in a slush filled hole. My size 12 foot/leg went in shaving the skin off my shin to the bone, stuck. had to do a power-squat w/ one leg to get out. How I didn't break my leg is not understood.

Bought the Strikemaster 9" thinking it would be the $hit, but I went into their service dept the next day, showed Si my leg, and he handed me a brand new 8" bottom. You couldn't give me a 10" either. In fact I won't fish with anyone who brings theirs. Fish w/young kids and a 10" once and you'll know what I'm talking about.

[KrabbyPatties]

+1 grizrunner.

The equation is simple: 1 kid > every stupid fish in the lake

I don't know why in the world anyone would buy a 10" auger.

[jblabsnduck]

I have a 10". Why?? because a few years ago the clowns at GM had it mis-marked.

Couldn't pass up a strike master 10" for $159.00

I have kids and I know what some of you are saying.

I took my little guy out to a lake I was going to fish the next day and was poping holes to find the weed line, after about 6 holes (with my little one right by my side, 2 1/2 years old at the time) we go to pop another one and I tell him to walk around the hole I just drilled. Well I took two steps away from him and I looked back to make sure he was coming just to watch him go waist deep in the hole.

Thank god it was only one leg that went in. (he was doing the slpits)

My heart has never sank so fast, I dropped all that I had in my hand and grabbed him.

Now whenever he is with me I make sure he sits and waits for me to have everything set up and I put him in his place and tell him not to move.(had flip over style) This year I bought a bigger fold out style house that is big enough for the whole family.(momma sister and all)

I wouldn't mind having a 8" drill but at $135(just for the drill) I might as welll just buy a new auger.

He made it through all of ice fishing last year with out anything happening.

I on the other hand stepped in my own hole twice.

[dougger222]

My all around favorite is the lazer 7in. Have in the arsenal a 5in hand Lazer, 2-7in, 1-8in, and 10in Lazers.

Genz in an interview years ago commented on 7in being his choice for all around auger. When asked about 7in being too small recall his response, "If you can't get the fish in your lake through a 7in hole I want to know the name of that lake".

My brother and I put a 38.5in pike through a 7in hole a few year ago on Red and it was 36 inches of ice!!!

One downside to the 7in is very few retail stores carry the blades so you have to order them. Other than 7in I'd have to go with 8in.

[Getanet]

I get a kick of those that say you don't "need" a 10" whole. Of course you don't, but since when have outdoorsmen bought stuff based on need alone? If we all only used what we "need" we would all be using a 6" hand auger and sitting on a 5-gallon buckets.

We also don't need 16ft+ wheel houses with all the comforts of home, a V8 truck to pull it, underwater cameras, flashers, GPS and every other gizmo we can find.

Why do you need a 10" whole? Why not - that's why...

[Mike Stark]

The 9 inch was a perfect fit for me. I like the little extra room - and i dont notice it cutting any different than my buddies 8 inch.

The one thing I havent heard mention is tip-up fishing. I do alot of that with the round style thermal tip-ups. I think they would work in a 10 inch hole - but just barely- the 9 inch hole is perfect. They cover the hole just right and I have fished all night long with tip-ups over the 9 inch hole in very cold temps and have never had an issue with the hole freezing.

So, if I was to do over again and had only the 8 inch or 10 inch - I would go with the 8 inch - mainly because my tip-ups would be too small to fit over the 10 inch holes.

Frabill's thermal tip-ups will fit over a 10in hole.

[reinhard1]

a agree with that. when i bought the 10 inch Jiffy at the time i could afford one and never realy thought about the 8 inch or less. prior to that i had the 7 inch hand auger and never owned a power auger. did fine with that one also and i still have it and use it on early ice. but when it starts to thicken up the power auger comes in handy. did i need a 10 inch? no, at the time i just thought it was better to bring up the fish quicker. now i'm not "old" yet at 62, feel preety good anyway. but do i need my wheeler? ya, sure makes pulling a portable easier. i think your wants and needs differ as you grow in age. good luck.

[Tipupdown]

I grew up using an 8" auger, it is completely fine for catching fish.. But when i got older i bought a wheel house. First year i used my 8" i noticed that my holes didn't stay open quite as well if left over night, and the rattle reels had more of a tendancy to be hanging on the sides of the holes. I bought a 10" because i can, and now i usually don't have to worry about my holes freezing up when gone for a day/night and more area for my rattle reel line/bobber to sit and not stick on the sides..

[Rippinlip]

8" power auger.

7" hand auger, wish I would have went 6".

Haven't had an issue bringing fish through either hole.

Maybe I don't catch big enough fish.