Sat., Feb.16, 2019, 10:30 am join Italo as he shares tips on “Walleye & Pike Strategies.”
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You can see this video tip by clicking on the image below, or by going to our Italo Labignan YouTube channel. If you enjoy our TV shows and tips, make sure to subscribe to our channel and receive notifications every time we post a new video.
You can see this video tip by clicking on the image below, or by going to our Italo Labignan YouTube channel. If you enjoy our TV shows and tips, make sure to subscribe to our channel and receive notifications every time we post a new video.
Avid ice anglers are always looking to efficiently and easily cut holes even under the thickest ice conditions. It used to be all hand-labor which really minimized the number of holes one would be physically able to cut.
Today ice anglers have many options from using traditional hand augers, gas powered augers and battery powered augers that are self-operating units and even electric drill-adapted augers.
Here’s my take on when to benefit the most use the different auger types.
Manual & Electric Drill Powered Augers
Manual augers in the 4-6″ diameter size are most handy when fishing early season ice since where you are not walking out far and ice is usually under 8″ in thickness. Manual augers are lightweight and its easy to cut several holes through thinner ice. Some manual augers are also very compact where you can fold them. Electric-drill adapted augers in the 6″ or even 4″ diameter are ideal if you need to cut over 20 holes of relatively thinner but still safe ice.
Gas & Electric Power Augers
These powerful big-boys are designed to cut many holes through any ice conditions. Since they are heavier than manual and power drill-adapted augers they are usually moved around the ice with machines. Gas powered augers have the longest life on the ice since they use very little fuel to cut even through the deepest ice.
In many case extension are required when ice is thicker than 3′. The downside of gas powered augers is that there can be fuel silage and issues with fuel lines or flooding and spark-plug related problems.
Electric battery powered augers are reliable, but in really cold conditions may loose their charge quicker under heavy use. Advantages is that they are very reliable, don’t require fuel, and as long as you have 2-3 batteries, you should have power to last you the whole days fishing.
Cost comparison
Price can be a factor for ice anglers and the least expensive way to go is to use a manual auger or an auger that has been modified with a electric power drill. Gas augers are more pricey and the newer electric augers the most expensive. It really comes down to individual choice and budget.
Ice fishing can be enjoyed to the fullest if you have some gear that helps you cut holes fast and also fishing outfits to meet the different actions that best suits the size of fish you are going after.
Being able to cut many holes to locate fish when the fishing gets tough is a real asset. That’s where a power auger comes in very handy. The Strike Master electric auger in the 8″ diameter is an amazing drill that is worth it’s money in gold, especially if the ice gets thicker and thicker.
Instead of packing several different ice fishing outfits, the TipNJig Complete Ice Fishing System enables you to change the rod inserts from light, medium to heavy action. Besides being ideal for jigging, it also is the best tip-up system on the market with the most sensitive trigger to alert you when a fish takes your bait. Having the right gear will not only make it easier to ice fish, it will help to produce more fish!
I love to ice fish for eating size perch. Those are perch usually over 8″ in length.
While many anglers use live minnows to catch their fish I like to use artificial lures like the Jigging Rapala in the W2 & W3 sizes and the Blue Fox Flash spoon in the smaller size.
I always add a small plastic egg to the treble hook and find that it really gets curious perch to commit, especially the larger ones.
ClearDrift Floats soft-beads come in so many color and sizes to choose from. My go to is the glow-chartreuse in the 10mm size and if the fishing gets tough, or the perch get wearier, I drop down to the 8mm size.
You can see this video tip by clicking on the image below, or by going to our Italo Labignan YouTube channel. If you enjoy our TV shows and tips, make sure to subscribe to our channel and receive notifications every time we post a new video.
You can see this video tip by clicking on the image below, or by going to our Italo Labignan YouTube channel. If you enjoy our TV shows and tips, make sure to subscribe to our channel and receive notifications every time we post a new video.
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