Mille lacs ice house/auger question

[Chumba]

For drilling holes inside a ice house on Mille lacs will an extension be needed on my auger? Just thinking the extra height with the blocking and floor might make it necessary.

[pushbutton]

Just depends on the year and how big your hole openings are. I can almost get my auger down to the ice, and is usually is a coin flip come late feb. Something tells me it is going to be a long 8 1/2 month wait for you

[Chumba]

Lol yes the wait will be long. Hopefully I can tide myself over with this open water stuff.

So when you say you can get your auger down to the ice you are saying through the hole in your house? So if I could not do that an extension would almost certainly be a necessity once the ice starts getting really thick.

[Stick in Mud]

We've had a permanent on the lake since '99, and we've never needed an extension. Two years ago I remember it starting to get close, but that's the only time I think we were worried about it.

[pushbutton]

Going to mess with your head a little more( its a 27 inch rod without the spring) The top of the hole is around 6 inches from the ice, but it is wide enough so that the bottom of the auger head can go deeper because the handles go up at an angle. For sure what will be two years ago needed the extension, the year before it was close, while years like last none was needed. Without seeing your set up hard to say, but if you have a sleeved hole that is 8 inches up from the ice you will need an extension at some time. Suppose it also depends on your auger, i have an electric which sux at break through and often need to pound it down.

[Chumba]

Cool, thanks for the replys. These are all things I've never had to consider before just renting. I was thinking with steel skids I would want to block up high to avoid getting stuck in, but that had its drawbacks too.

[BigDogRob]

With the price of an extension and the hasstle of having to make a trip to a bait store only to find out you now have to check the next 3 stores and 6 hrs later you are attaching the extension to finish the 2" of ice only to have the barometer change on you.....yadda, yadda, yadda. If you put away $1 out of each paycheck in a jar you can have the security of not worring sitting and waiting for your neighbor to come ask to borrow your extension and trading the use for a couple good laughs and maybe a beer and new friendship...

[Finlander]

I had to use an extension when we had alot of snow and the water came up so we had to keep blocking up the house so the runners wouldn't freeze in.

It's a good investment!

[BigDogRob]

If you know a guy with a lathe then they can be a little cheaper... I know I made both of mine in the garage and other than time an a little electricity mine cost me about $6 or so