drilling holes in a drop down fish house

[styx]

does anyone have any trips on keeping all the ice chips out of the house when drilling a hole. we were on URL last year and the ice was so thick that the house was full of ice chips after drilling each hole. we were using an extension and could not hit bottom unless we lowered the house.

[korn_fish]

other good advise out in other threads on this. most people cut out the bottom of a 5 gallon pail and put that over the hole. That at least limits the ice to the inch or so around the hole.

Also keep an intact 5 gallon bucket or rubber pad next to the hole you are drilling so when you are done drilling, you have a place for the auger to rest in and not have all the ice fall off and onto the floor. Ify ou use the matt option, you can just take the matt outside and throw the ice off of it when done with all the holes

[Tahoe2349]

Styx:
I drill mine half way and use a large scooper around the auger to clear the ice away under the house before finishing the hole...Or I'll drill until the ice starts to come up to the house floor and go out and shovel it out from under the house quick
before I drop it.. leaves just enough ice in the hole to spread a wind break around the hole ..

[Ears]

After one trip with the new house and a half hour shoveling out the INSIDE of the house, I bought the tub that is sold by the same people that make the catch covers. If you have 2 people it really works slick! One person to move the tub from hole to hole, and the other to auger the holes. I would say it catches about %95 of the slush from the auger. Its kinda spendy, but saves a lot of time shoveling out the inside of your house.

[LocalGuide]

If you have that problem, I would go with the tub. You dont have to buy one either, its easy to make your own. Go to target or wallmart or something get a big tub, take it home, cut a circle out the size of your hole or the auger (go a little bigger than the auger) and walla. No more mess on the ice house floor.

Actually after thinking about it. If you have a 5-gallon pail with the bottom cut out, shove that in the hole in the house (if you can), and then make the hole on tub big enough to fit the 5-gallon pain into. So the ice/slush will go from the pail all the way up into the tub. Just like a auger, that would really cut down on your mess.

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And keep those hooks sharp!

[Tahoe2349]

My brother made a DIY tub like that.. Bought a recycle type tub and cut a 5 gallon bucket in half and driiled out the tub. Put the bucket insert in to the tub and secured it with a heavy rubber retainer ring he found somewhere and siliconed the seams...Bucket extends about 8 inches above the the tubs bottom and holds alot of ice with no mess...

[styx]

thanks for the suggestions. i will have to try the tub idea.