Augers

[Dave P]

I know this is more of a tenkara or telescoping rod community, but for those who go ice-fishing int he winter and has no choice to punch through 8" to 30" of ice, what kind of augers you guys pack in your backpack or pulk?

Just curious how the community would define "lightweight ice-auger" or "backpackable ice-auger".

[Travis B.]

Hmmm, you don't usually hear 'lightweight' and 'ice auger' in the same sentence. In my experience a 'lightweight' auger is one that isn't gas powered. Then again, on the lakes I fish it's not unusual to have to drill 4-5 feet down before you get to water.

I use a mora hand auger and have been really happy with it but no way it's fitting in a backpack.

If you have a max of a couple feet to drill and don't want to carry an auger, your next best bet would be to take an ice chipper.

Cheers.

[Ben H.]

I have moved away from the land of ice fishing, but I agree with above. If you are going through more than 2 feet of ice, you probably want some serious equipment.

When I was a kid, we didn't ice fish much and my parents were cheap, so we always just used a small crowbar to get through the ice. I wonder how an ice axe would work?

[Dave P]

Double-posted.

[Dave P]

Interesting. The local stores haven't change much. It's the same stuff from decades ago.

After browsing around Normark offered an auger which is 19.5" long called a Fin-Bore Micro Drill with telescoping crank. Can't seems to find out if they are still in production. Apparently Nils also offer a Trekker model, but at 11-lbs I have to wonder if it is any better than their 7 to 8-lbs augers. Becomes more of a question of "should I carry it on my back or put it in the ahkio".

Wish I can find more information about the Micro though. Looks really neat and innovative.

Did find out about Strike Master offering 5-lbs ones, but read a lot a complaints about how slow they are to crank compared to Nils and Normark.

[Ben H.]

"…Did find out about Strike Master offering 5-lbs ones, but read a lot a complaints about how slow they are to crank compared to Nils and Normark."

One thing to remember is the reviews are from people who drove out on the ice with their pickup or rv. Weight has no meaning to them and ease of boring is the most important. Lighterweight would be viewed negatively as a sign of lower quality. You are looking for a compromise. Slow to crank maybe an acceptable tradeoff for dropping a couple pounds.

[Dave P]

"Lighterweight would be viewed negatively as a sign of lower quality. You are looking for a compromise. Slow to crank maybe an acceptable tradeoff for dropping a couple pounds."

That's why I am curious about the Micro because the blade as well as the construction affects the performance since Fin-Bore is consider to cut better than than the Swede-Bore for the same weight class and width for a steeper price-point. But the reviews are non-existent and the anecdotes seem promising, but scant of information.

Did find out the Micro is 5.4-lbs for 6" diameter though. Not sure if they are offered in Scandinavia though where people still walk more than drive. Would be nice to find out if they are just discontinued in North America or everywhere.

[Dave P]

"Hmmm, you don't usually hear 'lightweight' and 'ice auger' in the same sentence. In my experience a 'lightweight' auger is one that isn't gas powered. Then again, on the lakes I fish it's not unusual to have to drill 4-5 feet down before you get to water.
"

True, but some things in life are accepted as naturally heavier due to the objective. For instance in mountain-hunting a light-weight rifle of medium calibre is sub-6 lbs and a ultralight would be sub-5 lbs with the most extreme examples being 4.25 lbs. The same principle applies to fly-fishing, pack-rafting, canoeing, winter-trekking et cetera.

But who know maybe a BPL member or some old wilderness trapper did a MYOG.

A little shocked there are many threads about fly-fishing, but few if none about predator-fishing and can only find one trip report involving ice-fishing.

[Ben H.]

You can use these guys techniques and reduce your gear. Won't need much except for the auger:

[JP]

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[Dean L]

How about a pouch of thermite? :) And think what a pinch would do in an esbit stove. :0
WHOOSH

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