Fishing Michigan

Here is a quick, simple and inexpensive way to store your power auger when not in use.

First go to the local hardware or Lowe’s, Menards or some such type place and buy a pair extension ladder hooks.  Another good place to find them is Harbor Freight.  Should be less than $6 for the pair.  Pick up some screws while you are there too.

Next pick a location where you want to store your auger.  Use a stud finder or use the studs in plain sight like these up in the shop.  Then lift the auger so it is often the ground and and put a pencil mark on the wall.  Take one of the hooks and place it on the stud or the wall, then mark the top section.  Take a level and mark both studs once even.   Screw in the hooks.

Once you are done, it will look like this.  The handles perfectly fit into each hook.  Just for safety  sake, I bungee wrap the handles onto the hook.  Very stable and the auger now hangs vertically out of the way and off the ground.  Whole process once you start will take ten minutes.

Thought I might as well get this going today while I had time, and the coffee was still kicking in!

Power Augers,  God Bless the Tecumseh engine!  Even though there are 4-stroke models available these days, that 2 hp Tecumseh has been around for years and just keeps on going.  You will find them on all the models from StrikeMaster (except the 4-stroke) and Jiffy also, who even has a 3 hp available.  Guess my advice would be to stick with the 2hp based on experience and the extra weight of the 3.

Eskimo makes a fine auger in their Shark models, also in a 2-stroke engine, but they are rated by CC’s.  I say the Sharks, because those are the models I have experience with,  and know people who have them.  They also have Barracuda and Mako models available for less money.

The big difference between Jiffy and StrikeMaster is the style of blades they use.  All the Jiffy models have a single chipper blade.  The SM Mag 2000 also has a chipper blade, being that it is the least expensive in their lineup and has been a workhorse for years, its a very popular model.

The model I run is a StrikeMaster Lazer Mag Express.  Its got that 2 horse Tecumseh, and I have been running SM smokeless oil in it since day one.  I got such a good deal on it when I bought it, I didn’t care what sized auger it came with.  In my case, it was the 10″ blades.  That’s fine, really, because it is perfect for pike, salmon, trout and big walleye fishing.  Now the year I bought mine, was a very good year for ice with a long season.  I thought about getting a 6″ lower unit(actual auger) and just switching them out depending on what I was fishing for.  The 6″ would have been perfect for all kinds of panfishing, but like I said it was a good year for ice, and the factory was all sold out of the 6″, even the 8″ was gone.  I think it must have been a blessing in disguise, because I ended up with the 7″ lower unit.  This auger’s cut has been perfect for all things caught in the inland lakes.  From mid-sized pike, to walleye to bluegills, they have all came through the holes with little effort.

Sidenote:  I should have mentioned this with the hand augers too, but its always good to have backups.  I carry with me a small repair kit for my augers, hand or power it does not matter. Extra blades, snubbers and tools.  The best time to do this is at the end of the season.  Instead of $20 for hand auger blades, you might find them for 12 bucks.  Instead of $34 for power auger blades, you should be able to get them for less than 20 bucks.  Nothing better than being able to switch out the blades on the fly and being able to keep on cutting holes.

I know back in the days of my grandfather, when all the aunts and uncles would hit the ice on  Lake St Clair after church,  the only way to fish through the ice was with a spud.  It was a regular family outing back then, complete with lunches packed for cooking later while on the ice.  Everybody was packed into the Model T, and across the lake they went.

I talked about spuds briefly while discussing items that are essential for overall safety about a month back.  Just for giggles, I have cut, actually chisled a few holes now and then with the spud.  If I had been around in the 1920’s and ’30’s, I would have been out there with the rest of the hardy folk spuddin’ holes open.  I like the sport, and just cannot see myself not doing it. BUT, I am so glad “this ain’t the 20’s”, never mind that they roared or anything else.

Today’s ice anglers have it made.  I would not leave home without my spud, specially during early and late ice season for checking thickness.  I will use it occasionally for re-opening holes made and left by others, but only  if its an inch thick or less.  Its not that its hard or work,  its the time taken to do it.  During the winter, time is prescious; get to the lake, drill the holes, find the fish, catch the fish and before you know it, its dark already.

The first auger I ever had, and still the only hand auger I own, was bought right here in Monroe.  My father got it at Cook’s Sportland over on Monroe Street down by the theatre.  You have to understand something here, my dad walks into Cook’s and starts talking to Bob about the U.P.,  fishing the river or whatever, and the next thing you know, he is walking out the door with something.  Luckily for me,  one time it was a StrikeMaster Lazer Hand Auger.  In the 15 years since then, I have replaced the blades just once.  That 6″ auger has cut ice on Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie and quite a few inland lakes in between.

There are other name brands, and I have no doubt a lot of them are good products.  Just going from my own experience, the SM Lazer is going to be hard to beat.  Usually about $80 bucks for a 6″ model, there are sizes smaller, and sizes bigger. This size is pretty universal, and if hand power is all you have,  its not that bad when cutting through some thicker ice.  Bigger diameter augers are a bear to cut through deep ice.

These days,  I only break out the hand auger for early ice and prefer to use it with 5 inches of ice or less.  Three or four cranks and you are through, cleaning out the hole and fishing.  The same reason why I like using it for late ice too.  Another nice thing about using it during these seasons, is because ice thickness is at a premium.  When I am walking out there, I would like to keep the weight in the sled at a minimum.  The hand auger takes at least 20 or 22 lbs out of the sled compared to the power augers available.

Other brands to look at are made by Jiffy and Eskimo.  StrikeMaster even has a less expensive model, called the Mora.  Its worth spending the extra bucks to get the Lazer version.  One thing for sure, compared to the other brands is availability.  If you have a blade come loose, crack or get nicked by a rock, you can walk into almost any “mom and pop” shop and find SM products to replace the blades.  The 6″ size is the most commonly sold, so that almost ensures you will find parts.