Ice augers? (make and size)

[UtahNovice]

Saw some discussion in 2011 but perhaps things have changed. I haven't yet dipped a toe into ice fishing but will need an auger. Money is always a consideration so the expensive gas and electric powered augers are out of the running. I do have an 18 Volt, 1/2", brushless, cordless drill I could use to power a hand auger but the questions still remain as to which make/model for a hand auger and what size hole, 8" or 6"? Think I would prefer an 8" hole. Understand a 6" hole takes less power/energy to get through the ice but is the smaller diameter more difficult to fish? Also unsure how thick the ice can become around here... generally speaking. Thanks in advance for any insight which might be provided.
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[fish_or_die]

Go with a 6" nills. They're significantly more expensive than other hand augers but there's really no comparison in performance.

The powered augers are great except they're big, heavy, can run out of fuel and they're minimum $200 more than even the Nills. If you really want to use your drill Nills makes an adapter and a special auger for that, but I'm not convinced you'd be better off with that over just the hand powered one.

We had an eskimo gas auger and sold it for the Nills two years ago and we've never regretted it.

Unless you plan on catching large amounts of 10+ lb fish, don't worry about the 8", the 6" is plenty big!

As to the ice depth, Strawberry routinely gets more than 3' of ice on it by the end of the season!
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[k2muskie]

+1 what he said you won't go wrong with a Nils 6" yep a bit more expensive but quality always cost a bit more. So if you haven't purchased an hand auger I'd strongly recommend the Nils.

Here's a link to a site that carries them free shipping and you may not even pay sales tax.

[url "http://www.fishusa.com/Product/Nils-USA-Hand-Augers"]http://www.fishusa.com/Product/Nils-USA-Hand-Augers[/url]
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[BearLakeFishGuy]

Trust me, get the largest diameter you can buy! Its a little harder (not much) to drill with the larger diameter auger, but worth every ounce of energy. The first time you lose a big fish at the hole since the hole was too small, you'll be wanting to kick yourself. I have an 8" Strikemaster Mora (blue, basic model) that has got to be at least 25 years old and it still drills like a champ. Just keep the blades sharp, store it during the summers by hanging it up or turning it upside down (never let it rest on the blades, even it you have a blade protector on it).
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[sinergy]

A 6 to 8 inch hand auger will suit you fine, Ive alway used 8 inch augers now have gone to 6. There a huge difference in amount of effort in punching holes from a 6 to 10 even 8.

Im one who moves allot and will punch atleast 10 to 12 holes throughout the day with a 6 incher its a breeze. Id reserve a 10 incher if you going to buy a power auger

Also I do have apprehentions on using a power drill. A few years back I bought a power drill adapter off of eBay stuck it on a Makita 18v corless drill and a 8 inch Strikemaster Mora Auger and it burned out my drill

Reason being is when drilling a hole the edges will catch on the ice especially if you drill in at a angle you see this even when using a power gas auger youll see the power auger jump or pop up then this happens with a eletric drill there just not enough power to force it through the edges

Any how if your looking for a great Hand Auger get a Nils the head design is one piece and chops through the ice like a hot knife through butter.

If the Nils is too expensive then Strike Master that has the dome shaped top handle that you hold horizontally not the handlebar grip one that you hold vertically.
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[lakepowell22]

I just scored on a used Nils Master 8" Ice Auger. I tell you what, those hand augers are worth their weight in [#bfbf00]GOLD! [#000000]It cuts like butter, and is very fast. You don't need a drill IMO unless you have shoulder problem.[/#000000][/#bfbf00]
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