Can the ice have different hardness?

[Tom7227]

I was out this morning and drilled holes in 5, 8 and 16 feet of water. All the ice was 17 inches thick, but the auger wouldn't cut through the 5 and 8 foot depth ice very well. I thought maybe the blade was dull, but when I cut the last hole in the 16 foot area it worked well. Can ice be of different hardness on the same lake like that?

[pikestabber]

I'm sure it's possible depending on a variety of factors, but I would look at other "topside" factors first... Are we talking about the first hole of the day was cut in 5', then out in 8' then out in 16' wherein your auger warmed up between cuts? A warmed up auger makes a huge difference in how your machine cuts. Or maybe you had some residual ice on the blades from the last trip that wore off by the time you got to the deeper hole?

[JP Z]

There are obviously different ice makeups. For instance if you have a crusty snowy/ice mixture for that first foot or two. Or if you have frozen slush in those cases it won't be as solid and you should slice through it easy.

[Tom7227]

It was on Bald Eagle Lake with an electric auger that hadn't been used in weeks. The surface was virtually snow free in all three areas, not near any shade or rushes or anything.

[nofishfisherman]

I've drilled a fair number of holes out on Bald Eagle and haven't run into any different ice conditions, everything has been pretty consistent. I have however noticed that with each hole I drill the next one seems to get harder and harder. I'm guessing that has to do with the fact that I'm still using an old Model 30 tank that probably weighs more than I do.

Now to the more important question...how was the fishing? I'm still working on finding some quality fish out there.

[Tom7227]

Dropped the camera and didn't see a thing. Wind was blowing to be all heck. Never dropped a line. Did chase a bag that got away from a guy that was trying to set up. It was 2 blocks from him in a heartbeat.