Ice Fishing Auger

We Love Ice Fishing

Ice fishing requires a hole in the ice quite obviously. Although there are plenty of ways to make holes in the ice, including using a hand chisel, ice saw, or chainsaw, most people use an ice fishing auger to quickly and easily get through the ice and down to fishing.

You basically have two choices in augers, hand augers and power augers. Obviously power augers are faster, but they are also heavier, require fuel, and occasional maintenance.

Powered Augers
Powered augers are quick and effortless, unless you need to carry them onto the ice as they weigh more than manual units. Many people drive cars, trucks, or snowmobiles onto the ice so weight isn't a problem for many, and I've dragged plenty of somewhat heavily laden sleds as well without much problem.

If you live to ice fish, move around a lot when fishing and hence drill lots of holes, or have really thick ice to deal with, then a powered auger is ideal. And for you casual ice fishermen, there are many among us who prefer ice fishing to any other type of fishing!

There are both electric augers, which normally are powered off a vehicle battery, and gas powered augers. Gas augers are more common and I have no experience with electric augers, so at least for right now I'll stick to writing about the gas powered ones (of course of you're an electric auger fan and want to write something up, we're happy to publish it!).

Gas augers are fast and efficient, so hole size isn't an issue. It's much harder to make a 10" hole than a 6" hole with a manual auger, especially with thick ice.

The most popular ice auger, owned by more fishermen than all ice augers combined, is the venerable Jiffy Model 30 to the left.

It has a 2 cycle 3 horsepower engine that allows drilling up to 36 inches deep, an entire yard, yet still weighs in at a reasonable and manageable 31 pounds.

There are plenty of nice features like the see through gas tank so you can tell how much fuel remains, an "E-Z Connect Collar" so you can take off the drill without any tools, and a large Power Point on the tip of the drill that grabs the ice quickly and securely.

It comes in 8 and 10 inch drill models and costs under $400.

Basshunter in New England says:

"Quick and reliable. I've had this ice auger for four years and it's been great. Every year I put in fresh gas and it starts right up."

Arcticmariner, who is 33 miles North of the Arctic Circle reports:

 "It is the "Most dependable gas auger. I have never had any problems with my Jiffy 30 augers. They always start, even here in the Arctic where winter temps are minus 40F and colder. I will never buy anything else other than a Jiffy."

Click Here for More Details, including both positive and negative reviews on this classic ice fishing auger!

Gas augers are pretty reliable, just like my snowblower and lawnmower. Pretty reliable, not perfectly reliable, and they may refuse to start sometimes. Some ice fishermen carry a backup manual ice fishing auger "just in case."

Manual Augers
Manual augers are pretty simple. They sort of resemble a large corkscrew, and you drill holes using your own body strength. I've never found this to be a problem, but I'm also a youthful 49 years of age, and despite a slight beer gut am in pretty good shape. Your shoulders and arms do get quite a workout depending on the ice thickness.

Once the ice gets thick, let's say over a foot, it's a lot of work for many people. Couple this with the fact that some ice fishermen move around a lot, and this means drilling a lot of holes.

Manual augers are pretty light and inexpensive. If you are walking onto the ice as opposed to driving, they are a great choice. Also if you only go out a few times a year, they are perfect.

The Strikemaster Lazer Hand Auger shown to the right is a fantastic manual auger. It has an ergonomic design, Chrome Alloy stainless steel blades, and a two piece adjustable handle from 48 to 57" allowing you to drill through thick ice.

The blades have a "powder coating" to help prevent ice buildup and the handles have rubber grips which help reduce hand fatigue.

It comes in different sizes for making 6, 7 and 8" diameter holes and costs well under a hundred dollars.

Reviews are very positive, including VTPiker from Vermont who says:

"Great auger! Still on my first set of blades after 3 years and probably 500 holes"

and Tyrod from Iowa who says :

"What a a fantastic auger!!! I was pretty sure I wanted a power auger but used a friend's StrikeMaster 5" Laser Hand Auger first and decided to buy one. I bought the 7" Laser Auger since I wanted a make slightly larger holes. This is a fantastic buy! You can quickly drill a hole through 10 inches of ice in around 23 seconds!" (rewritten for uniqueness).

Click Here to read more about the Strikemaster Lazer Hand Auger and see the complete reviews.

Also feel free to poke around this site for much more on ice fishing!