Keeping holes open in Permanent

[rod bender]

For all you guys that have permanent houses, how do you keep the holes open from one weekend to the next? Do you just re drill them each weekend, or do you move it each weekend? Anything that we can put in or over the hole to keep it from freezing shut again?

[Eric Wettschreck]

Some type of hole cover will help. But honestly, short of leaving the heat on you're going to have a tough time keeping a hole open for an entire week.

[Grant Pearson]

one thing you could try is getting a piece of styrofoam cutout for each hole of the same size and put it in the hole before you leave.

[landscaper]

good idea with the styrofoam anyone tried it???

i am thinking about it but now just got to look for it and see if i can get my permanent out of the snow bank and on to the lake but not sure if i will anytime soon with this weather coming in

[Big Buck Buster]

You will just have to drill them out again. We stayed up north(Minn.) for a week, and had the heater on the whole time. The holes didn't freeze shut, but they weren't 10 inches by the time we left. They were like 6" at the most. They will freeze from the side no matter what you do. We thought it would help to bank the house with two feet of snow all around, and that still didn't help. Temps were never above 0'F either.

[Reynolds]

I end up re-drilling every weekend also. I guess I don't find it that much of a task to auger out once a week. I don't know if you have a slush inhaler or not, but they are well worth the money in my opinion. They save you quite a bit of time, especially when the ice is nearing three feet thick.

Man alive, those are some sumo perch in your avatar by the way!

[bigwalleyeguy]

Bring a chisel. If its banked well enuf and not to cold that will do it for you. That will work for a few weeks but you will need to fire up the auger as they get smaller.

[Darkhouse Mike]

MR. Walleye, I have 4 "shotgoun tubes " for sale, you have to start with a 10" hole then after fishing put the tubes in and when you come back next weekend you put a coleman lantern down hole and they come out, no slush at all. and on the end of tube I have a ring welded on to hold a minnow pail on and it keeps your minnows alive during the week. any questions get back to me. Darkhouse Mike

[Shawnny B]

I dont recommend sticking anything in the hole over the week, what happens if something comes up and your not able to get out the next weekend, then you have trash stuck in the hole.

Just get an auger that you can redrill holes with, and or a chisel, youll be alright !

Shawn

[BuckKiller]

I either redrill them or move my house. I end up moving around alot because I hate sitting in one spot longer then a week. it keeps you out of the group and keeps people guessing lol(I hate being in groups).

[Darkhouse Mike]

I have used them for 25 years, they come up to the floor of your house,if water comes over the floor in your house you have big problems!!!!!!!. Never had a problem yet.

[Bigslugger]

Strikemaster has a hole heater

[sparkydm]

Strikemaster has a hole heater

someone posted recently that this will create a giant hole after a few days. Anybody else used this thing before?

[Bulldoggr]

I thought I saw something at the Ice fishing show in St.Paul a couple of years ago. Where someone made a Tube that you could shove down into your hole. I think you blew it up with air. and it was suppose to keep the hole from freezing in.

Anyone recall seeing that?

[BuckKiller]

I remember my dad saying something about them, I think he said they had a habit of freezing in... not sure