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2015 Fishing/Ice Fishing Thread

Thanks for the input. Typically I can see myself fishing every other weekend and drilling 3-5 holes. This is just speculation. My tune might change once I get some experience though.
 
Once you get your first flag you will abandon everything to replicate that feeling. I like my 8" mora auger, I have 3 sets of blades I rotate and send them out after the ice and have them re edged by mora.
 
I can drill holes with my nils hand auger as fast as a power auger. But......I'm in good shape. If you are a couch potatoe your results may differ
 
Having a bit of extra weight helps with hand drilling. I weigh about 150 dressed for cold and even with good cleats I have a hard time starting the hole. Once it grabs I'm fine.

My first time drilling through 20" of ice, I bought a power auger that night.
 
Being in shape helps for sure, having sharp blades goes a long way towards getting the hole started. dgrafton you need to eat more and bulk up! If you think you will only drill 3 or 4 holes forget it. If you don't get a flag in 10 minutes you'll panic and start drilling. I use 4 tip ups and jig one hole and I usually drill 15 to 20 holes in a day. Its just like fishing in summer if there are no fish in one spot you move....
All that I love my hand auger as it helps keep me warm sweating through all those holes!
 
My buddy who weighs about 300 would start a dozen holes and I would finish while he set the tips. Once we were set up, he would start a bunch more. If I was by myself I would stand on the blade to get it started.

I got the Jiffy 6" auger back in '96 and still cuts fine with sharp blades. One of the best $200 I ever spent on fishing. I will never drill by hand again.

Speaking of power augers, anyone try the new ones that run on propane? I am curious how well they work in the cold as the pressure in the can must drop. But seems more convenient than lugging a gas can, even if it costs a little more to run.
 
Son just told me of possible person through the ice in Wareham. Saw ambulance, fire, local pd, 2 EPO's and a helicopter heading up toward Glen Charlie Pond. Guys were out there Saturday, but with the warms days since and the current there, who knows?
 
dgrafton said:
Speaking of power augers, anyone try the new ones that run on propane? I am curious how well they work in the cold as the pressure in the can must drop. But seems more convenient than lugging a gas can, even if it costs a little more to run.
Click to expand...

I have a Jiffy 10" propane auger. It runs awesome, when it's really cold you just have to pull it a few more times instead of the usual 1st or 2nd pull start. My only complaint is with the 10" blade it's a bit heavy. I haven't used it in a year since I bought that Clam Hammer Drill conversion kit. http://clamoutdoors.com/store/clam/augers/conversion-kit/ice-auger-conversion-kit-combo.html
 
dgrafton said:
Son just told me of possible person through the ice in Wareham. Saw ambulance, fire, local pd, 2 EPO's and a helicopter heading up toward Glen Charlie Pond. Guys were out there Saturday, but with the warms days since and the current there, who knows?
Click to expand...

I was almost 10" last week just north of Winchendon, MA
 
Wow, that's not much for this time of year that far north.
The Cape is spotty most years, and Glen Charlie is a river system (though technically not on the Cape, close enough). People don't realize how much thickness can vary when current is involved.
 
derek said:
I have a Jiffy 10" propane auger. It runs awesome, when it's really cold you just have to pull it a few more times instead of the usual 1st or 2nd pull start. My only complaint is with the 10" blade it's a bit heavy. I haven't used it in a year since I bought that Clam Hammer Drill conversion kit. http://clamoutdoors.com/store/clam/augers/conversion-kit/ice-auger-conversion-kit-combo.html
Click to expand...

You must like the drill kit then? I run Ryobi for my cordless tools, not any of the high quality like DeWalt, Porter Cable etc. I'm not sure the Ryobi batteries could handle it. I think the propane would be better for me.
 
I love it, I have a Milwaukee M18 hammer drill on it and I carry two XC batteries with it. I haven't run out of juice yet with the 6" blade.

I only made the switch because of total weight, my Jiffy propane works awesome.
 
First ice my buddy's jiffy wouldn't start, the hose was brittle and loose on the ferrule...... But my old 8" mora hand auger started right up! Then, on the last hole of the day, the pin that holds the 2 halves together came out and the augur went to the bottom. Luckily it was in 5 ft of water so we got it back with some ingenuity
 
derek said:
Hand Augers work fine. If you like to drill a lot of holes you'll want a powered auger. If you want to drill a lot of holes and not pay for a power auger get a Nils auger.
Click to expand...

As a family of Finns, using any other hand auger is blasphemous. When they're good and sharp, they rip right through the ice
 
My son and his friends got out last weekend.
First time ice fishing for most of them. They got some gear for Christmas. Lots of pickerel and a few decent bass.
These 15-16 year olds were running to flags like little kids hooting and hollering. Nice to see them having fun outside.
I was along for technical support although I haven't done it in 25 years. They've been back out since on their own. About 6"-8" of ice in Westborough.
photo 1.jpg photo 2.jpg photo 4.JPG photo 3.jpg
 
Got out this AM, top was a bit slushy but manageable. Hope the storm don't kill it! 40 mph winds should help keep the ice clear
bd13f2968214f98f1ced5888ae96f172.jpg
 
I'm headed out Tuesday to Lake Cochituate - Anyone know where I can get shiners/bait between Watertown and Framingham?

Any other recommendations for good ice fishing lakes/ponds within 30-40 minutes of Watertown? I usually only fish in the Berkshires when I go home to see the folks, so I'm not familiar with options out this way.
 
MWL556 said:
I'm headed out Tuesday to Lake Cochituate - Anyone know where I can get shiners/bait between Watertown and Framingham?

Any other recommendations for good ice fishing lakes/ponds within 30-40 minutes of Watertown? I usually only fish in the Berkshires when I go home to see the folks, so I'm not familiar with options out this way.
Click to expand...

Waltham. Across from the police station. Next to Demos is a shop. Give them a try for bait. Good luck
 
We were drillin through 20 inchs of ice , i wasnt to worried a out falling in . Even while hiding from the wind inside the truck parked on the lake
 
jayhunter said:
I didnt know there was a tourny on chauncy i love to fish there. Ill have to watch that for next year.
Click to expand...

I'm done with tourneys........been to a few.........too many overly competitive dick wads at the last two I entered. I enjoy time with my family is why I do it.
 

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