Yup I got to get off that list, everyday I find something else on there I think I could use… Just about bought a rod caddy today… I put my new Nils in the drill today and it fits great and turns it really well… Be fun to find some ice to try… I did decide 6" is a really small hole compared to my 10"… I can’t believe they sell 4.5" drill, that would be a dinky hole… not many fish would fit through that one… but I bet it would punch holes really fast… Well good luck with the addiction… Later J
Hey I got one of those phone finders I’ll probably use this year on the light weight days… I’ll have to try your partial hole idea… for finding the fish faster…
I’m going to try building a smitty this year, I got all the stuff last year but skis so I think I’ll get it done, I seen last year on Bear Lake that they were really useful when you had to get way out there through the thick hard snow… I was dieing pulling my big sled as some other guy cruised right past me with their smitty… I was converted… Plus the project sounds fun too… Thanks for the tips… J
I run a 4" auger from Strikemaster in my cordless drill, been doing it for the last 20 years or so. Bought it from Anglers Inn in Sandy.
Those little drills are the only way to go.
I fish Utah Lake a lot and have fit 6-7 lb. carp through that little hole but you will need a pair of pliers to help ‘coax’ it up through the hole.
I did have a 5" drill that I loved and I fit some nice fish up the hole, but it wasn’t easy. I do like the ten inch’er especially at Bear Lake. Anyway I really respect you guys that get those big fish through those little holes, that’s a real talent. Catch ya up at Mantua early ice or Pineview and I’ll check that out. Later J
I have the 4-1/2" Nils auger to make holes much faster and easier for my transducer and video camera. It’s lighter weight makes running around making lots of holes in search of a school of fish or structure to try quicker and easier.
Once I pick a spot to fish, I drill a six inch hole. It’s easy, too. I have all three, but haven’t tried my Nils eight inch auger yet, but I have a video of a huge Tiger Musky at Pineview looking at my lure as it cruises through a school of crappie that would make the eight inch hole seem small.
I might make a drill adapter just to have, but most likely won’t use because the Nils augers work so well that the drill would have no advantage for me. Nils augers are that good. I once tried a different brand and understood the reason for a motor, but Nils achieves results with an excellent design that makes holes efficiently and using much less power.
I’m in a similar boat as you my friend, i got the new Clam cordless drill converter for my auger, got a new 6 man eskimo tent, picked up a jaw jacker and a 4wheeler… im ready for the Hard Deck!!!
The water temperature at Henry’s Friday was 43 degrees . Fished 4 hours never had 1 bite . Makes 5 trips this month not 1 fish .
I just picked up a marcum lx6 new eskimo power auger and sled. So I’m sure it’s not just you. Hope my wife doesn’t look at my checking account she’ll kill me. Wish we would get thick ice in utah I’d buy a ice castle fish house trailer…
Fish on.
Sweet, do you have a Smitty yet? Just got me some skis at the DI so I’m ready to do it this year. Just hope I can find the rest of the supplies I bought to build it up last year. Fun getting ready to go isn’t it? Later J
So out of curiosity, I know I have started setting up a list of places I am going to try and hit this. have you or anyone else started doing that yet or is it just me haha. I’m trying to hit the gorge, lake cascade, and bear lake again if it freezes.
Ron,
I was trying to reduce weight in my gear, sounds like you take the whole hardware store with you… You must be a lot younger and tougher than I am to take that much stuff with you… However, it does sound like you have a great system set up… Expensive to have that many different Nils augers too.. But it would be nice… One of these days I’ll have to run into you on the ice and see how that system works… Thanks for the thoughts… J
Curt are you serious? I’ve been thinking it would be an excellent time to hit Henry’s this month before she freezes… That has spoiled all my fantasies of how good it would be if I could get away and go try it… And 43 degrees blows my mind for this late in November… Thank you for that great info… Same buddy that got me in trouble with ice gear is planning a trip up there the first week in December hoping to ice fish Henry’s… Sounds like that may not happen for them… That’s sad… Might be a short ice season this year for that pond… Hey keep us informed of conditions, we’ll check out the Idaho board from time to time to see if winter has come up north yet.. Thanks for the reply… Jeff
Very nice pick ups… and that ice castle may come in handy after your wife sees the checking account… Ya know it sure is funny how just a few miles north makes a big difference in ice thickness… I live in Cache Valley and so the Idaho lakes aren’t too far for me, so sometimes I hit Chesterfield and such, and man they have double the ice thickness we do around my local ponds… I’d have to consider an extension for my auger if I fished up there late winter after the ice has time to really thicken… Ya know with all the boat restrictions in Idaho lately, I’ll bet the ice fishing will be off the charts this year… Shouldn’t have said that on the forum though should have I… Ooops… Later J
I like your list, but I don’t plan ahead like I should… I usually start at Mantua for a week or ten days, then hit Hyrum until the bite slows then depending on ice move to Bear Lake or Porcupine… with occasional trips to Idaho ponds within driving range… If I could have a wish list, I’d start off at Henry’s, then hit the gorge, Bear Lake and Strawberry… Maybe even Starvation after the pictures I seen this week of the trout that are coming out of there lately.. But I would like to try Cascade sometime, but I’d have to round up a crew off BFT because I don’t have a regular crew I go with that would be interested in that big of a trip… I think it would be a blast, I’d love to take the sleds and have that kind of an adventure… Need to go with some local knowledge as well so I didn’t waste my time on a big lake fishing the wrong area… Anyway that’s my wish list… Later J
Ya I forgot about strawberry. I’m in the same predicament with the cascade trip of not knowing anything about it so I would be going in blind unless I can find someone who knows a bit about it.
I guess if I didn’t have other activities that we do that time of year I’d get serious and try and set things up. But we have a young men’s camp right about that prime time so I probably won’t do that until I’m released. But it sure sounds fun. Later J
J,
I go both heavy and lightweight.
The bulk of supplies, I generally don’t take out of the van, but it’s just a walk to get something. I’ll have extra of warm clothes and supplies should a friend need to be warmer or if someone gets wet. I’ll have extra food, water, camping and cooking equipment should socialization result in a party. I even take my surf casting equipment with me should I catch plenty of fish and then want to practice surf casting on the ice. I bet that would look funny.
I’ll haul a few things out on the ice and then run off with less like just my 4-1/2" Nils auger and fish finder while making lots of exploratory holes, so that’s lightweight. Once I find a school of fish or the structure that looks like it might have good potential, then I’ll haul the rest of the things and move them to that spot and fish.
The only reason I had the eight inch and six inch Nils with me at the same is I wanted to try them for the first time, but I only fished six inch holes and left the eight inch one in the van and will need to try it next time.
I do have abundant energy. I’m a bicycle racer. I tend to make fishing athletic. When shore fishing, I hike and fish a lot of shore. I would need a power auger, IF using a lesser manual auger. Those are a lot of work. But, the Nils cuts so easily and so fast that it’s just good exercise. I appreciate tools of excellent design. Huge difference! Besides, in a way it is much less work as it weighs less than a power auger and the 4-1/2" is much lighter.
Well that sounds like you’re prepared for anything. I’ll have to drop by and bum a cup of chili this winter. See ya then. J