Question for you guys that stay mobile?

[luckydog25]

I am one of these guys that isn't scared to punch a ton of holes to find some fish. The question I have is, early in the season or when there isn't much snow on the ice. Should I spread out the ice shavings after punching all these holes or leave a the mound of ice shavings so people can see there was a hole drilled. I have been leaving the mound of shavings since I use a 10 inch auger and worry that someone could step through before the hole refreezes. But it occured to me that it could make for a bumpy or dangerous ride for a snowmobiler. Maybe a dumb question, but I would like to hear what people think. Thanks!

[chrishalvy]

I kick away some of it while drilling, then clear half the side to place my Marcum.

I don't completely spread things around, but I always remove some of the mound.

I also punch a lot of holes, and consider the same question.

I don't think anyone will step in the hole, In my opinion it is always easy to tell where people have punched holes.

[harvey lee]

Even with the lack of snow on the lakes now, I can see everywhere where someone has drilled a hole long before I get there. Most have mounds around them and the ones that do not, one can still see the ice chips scattered around the hole.

I agree the 10" hole is a bit larger but it should not be a big issue at all.

[blackdog1101]

I prefer to kick the mound away. I don't like fishing through the little mound of shavings.

[broman]

I leave the mound. Leaving it lets me know where my holes are and also prevents me from having water and ice weigh down my outerwear and boots caused by kicking the slush.

[20lbSloughShark]

I don't drill a ton of holes, but I usually shovel it away, or in the case a tip ups, I clear a nice circle around it so my line doesnt catch on anything.

[Lucky Dogg]

I also punch 10" and I leave half of the mound, the side the wind is coming from. I've done that since my kid put a leg down one when he was younger. It also helps you find that lucky hole from the days before.

[Wanderer]

I prefer a half mound on the upwind side also but when I'm done with the holes I generally knock them down. I've hit a couple on the sled after dark and some can be doozies.

When I auger a grid for the area I actually run over all my holes while dragging my fish house to knock everything down as I'm leaving. Like it was mentioned earlier, it's not hard to find others' holes; I'm actually thinking of the next guy in a positive way.

[BoxMN]

I agree with Wanderer, in terms of the ice mound for sleds, some can be dozies even when not going fast. I kick them over.

[clayton08]

half

[magicstix]

I knock them down for reasons stated, not good for sleds or atv's. Same with piles/banking left from perms, if can knock'em down do it.

IDK how often it happens but there was a guy killed many years ago from being bucked off his sled from a mound he didn't see. It was the impact of the ice or an object that killed, I forgot exactly what the cause was. It was one of those freak accidents but I still don't forget it. It was my coworker, best friends husband.

[fisherman-andy]

I will drill lots of holes & ice fish out in the open on the harshest of conditions. Cause of this I dont break down the mounds unless I start fishing that hole for the reason that I may not be able to see it or tell where it is on a snowy wind blown day. In some case I only clear half the mound and keep the half facing the wind up.

[Wanderer]

I knock them down for reasons stated, not good for sleds or atv's. Same with piles/banking left from perms, if can knock'em down do it.

When I posted about hitting a couple doozies on my sled after dark I was remembering one particular time on Red Lake. We were coming off after dark due to a broke down sled in the group during a blizzard and we hit an area of high slush mounds blown in with powdery snow - it rocked a few of us.

Magicstix and Andy remind me of other instances that have happened during the daylight hours with banking and holes that you can't see due to snow blindness. When it's all white out there and the light is right, there is no contrast to let a person know they're approaching these hazards and it can get tricky, especially when they're blown in with some fresh snow.

Those mounds stay there long after we make em.

[luckydog25]

Thanks for the responses. I think I am going to start kicking them over right after I cut the hole. If it's really cold out they might freeze up quick, but at least I won't have to worry about flipping someone off of a sled or wheeler. When I punch a hole, I go up and down a couple times with the throttle wide open after I break through to clear slush from the hole. It pulls out a lot of water so the mounds get rock hard pretty fast.

[Fred_Bear]

I kick about a quarter of the ice chip ring away while drilling the hole. Then when I pull the auger out of the hole, all the water and slush goes out at that spot. Makes a slush free hole (even with a nils) and keeps my bibs dry.

[Farley]

Either way you arent hurting anything. Spear holes or the ice from spear holes is the big danger to snowmobilers. With the suspensions on sleds you hardly notice the mounds. Yeah a guy might get bucked off if he's kneeling or doesnt have control or maybe driving too fast, thats not your fault.

[TruthWalleyes]

I leave the mound. Helps me see my holes when i'm moving around.

Some need to slow down on their sleds so they don't fall off apparently...Their might be a drift

[Wanderer]

Figured there would be a couple people chiming in saying we're driving too fast....

I do virtually all my ice travel by ATV or sled and in lots of conditions. I know my saftety is my responsibility and handle myself appropriately or deal with the consequences. Not everyone out there has newer sleds nor is everything cut and dry, visible and hit at square angles. Plus when you're hauling gear your sled does need to run at a fair speed for it's mechanincal health. All those who travel this way regularly know exactly what I mean.

I'm not demanding a change here, just pointing how I came to understand that knocking down berms and slush mounds when you're done with them can be appreciated by others who use the lake.

[bee]

I kick it away. Leaves a good working surface. Also gets rid of those upsetting speed bumps. Why the 10 inch? Step down in size and up your game at landing the fish. You had the fun in the catch and playing the fish. Give the fish some advantage. Also save some poor child or adult from injury by stepping in that monster hole you made. Heck it would even swallow your flasher.

[dan z]

I leave em piled up. When searching I'll kick a down wind side if I see a mark

[luckydog25]

More good thoughts thanks guys. Bee I use a 10 inch hole because I am compensating for a small... I use a 10 inch auger because I run alot of tip-ups and well...because it's my choice and I can. To each their own, lots of other threads that you can read on hole size. I appreciate your contribution.

[magicstix]

I wouldn't say speed was a factor here, they said 40mph. Seems like he broke his neck, the details are hazy it's been a few years. You just tend to remember the cause and effect part. Like I said freak accident. I was into sledding big time back then, made ya step back and think about how lucky I was all them times we'd crank it up when got to the lakes.

I would suspect a newer sled would not be affected by these mounds as much. It's amazing how much they can eat up bumps.