What Ice thickeness do you use the power auger?

[Kylersk]

When is it better to just haul out a hand held auger?

[dojigger]

Up to 6 inches I use the hand auger, not bad if you have sharp blades on it. After that its the power auger

[Kylersk]

Thanks for the reply.. If it were not for this forum, I'd flood my co-workers with a million questions. At least this way I can split them up.

[Maximum12]

All the time - of course, I don't own a power auger.

I like my manual auger. It's fine until mid-January or so. Once the ice gets past about 12 inches, it becomes a pain in the but, & if I have to go through 18 it really becomes something of a workout. Last winter in Feb kind of sucked!

[cubbies11]

Myself being a poor college student, don't have a power auger. I use a 4 inch Lazer hand auger. I have used it on 2inches to 2 feet of ice and I move a lot. As for the noise, it bugs me to see people out in shallows with a power auger with less than 6 inches of ice, too much noise in my opinion. If you want to use it thats fine just come a hour or more before the prime time, don't come right at dark for walleyes or crappies and punch holes. Thats a little more than you probally wanted to know, but without any ice here I am a little bored.

Cubbies

[Polar Bear]

Any ice thicker than 1 inch!

Polar Bear

[dojigger]

I agree with cubbies...Alot of people come right at the hot bite time and punch holes all over...It gets old

[ducksnbucks]

I don't own a hand auger, went straight for the power so thats what I use as soon as I can get on the ice!

[Dano2]

ya, it really sucks when your on a lake and you know they (wallys)usually never bite until after dark,and a couple groups come along and start puching holes all around you right at prime time, then maybe fish for 15 minutes and pack up and leave when they haven't caught anything and made sure you didn't either

[upnorth]

I have a rule of thumb, if I am walking out on the ice I carry the hand auger, if I drive out on the ice I take the power auger. I try to keep things simple.

[FreeFlySpy]

Hey dont get discouraged over people punching holes.If you are panfishing many times the more you auger the better they bite.