How to Choose an Ice Auger: Drill-Driven or Battery Powered, and the Right Hole Size

Kevin Coombs

Sales Representative

A note from the author

We wrote this guide around the augers we sell at 162 Old Garden River Road, so every auger and part we recommend in it is one you can buy from us, priced as it was on our store the day this went up. It belongs with our ice fishing articles. For a whole season's gear in one long read, see our full guides.

Your Auger Is How You Check the Ice Before You Trust It

Before an auger finds you a fish, it tells you whether the ice under your boots will hold. The Government of Ontario's ice fishing page tells anglers to check the thickness regularly with a spud bar, a long ice chisel, or with an auger as they move farther out, because "ice doesn't freeze at a uniform thickness." That is why we'd put the auger at the top of a first ice fishing list, ahead of the rod and the shelter.

The Lifesaving Society is the Ontario branch of the Royal Life Saving Society Canada, a registered charity that trains swimmers and lifeguards and works to prevent drowning. The Society sets 10 cm (4 inches) as the minimum ice thickness for a single person, and it tells everyone on the ice to keep checking, because the quality and thickness of ice can change very quickly. A number like that only helps once you've measured it, so drill a test hole near shore and measure down its side before you walk out.

The two sources agree on the point that matters most to anyone holding an auger: The ice changes as you go. Ontario warns that ice over flowing water, springs, pressure cracks, old ice holes and river mouths can be weaker than the ice around it, and the Lifesaving Society says to avoid ice near moving water. Around the Sault, with the St. Marys River running past town, we'd drill a fresh test hole every time the ice changes colour or you get close to current.

Colour is the clue you can read between holes. Ontario rates clear blue ice as the strongest and white or opaque ice as much weaker. The Eskimo One-Piece Ice Chisel ($94.95) is that kind of spud bar: you strike the ice ahead of you as you walk, and the auger confirms the thickness wherever you stop to fish.

Your Own Drill or a Battery Powerhead: The Choice That Sets the Rest

Every auger we sell starts from one of two designs. A drill-driven auger is the cutting unit alone: a shaft wrapped in a spiral, called the flighting, with twin blades at the bottom. An adapter at the top fits your cordless drill's chuck, the jaws that normally hold a drill bit.

A lithium power auger puts the same kind of cutting unit under a powerhead, the motor, battery and handles built as one piece.

The difference shows up in price and in how you hold it. A drill-driven auger costs less because you bring the motor. In exchange, every hole runs on your drill and its batteries. A powerhead is built for the work, with long handles to brace against, a deadman switch that stops the motor the moment you let go, and a reverse setting.

Our take: If a professional grade 18-volt brushless drill already sits in your shop, start with a drill-driven auger. If it doesn't, or you plan to drill a long line of holes on every trip, the lithium augers are the better spend. The next two sections take each design in turn, with the models we carry.

A Drill-Driven Ice Auger Is the Low-Cost Way In When You Own a Good Drill

This is the auger for anglers who already own a strong cordless drill and want to keep the cost of a first setup down. In the 6-inch size, both drill units we carry cost under $300, which leaves room in the budget for a rod and a shelter.

The drill matters as much as the auger. StrikeMaster designed its Lite-Flite Lazer Drill Unit for a professional quality cordless drill of 18 volts or more, with a brushless motor and a 1/2-inch chuck. A light homeowner drill falls outside that, so check the label or the box of yours before you buy, and carry a second charged battery onto the ice.

StrikeMaster Lite-Flite Lazer Drill Unit, 6-Inch

The StrikeMaster Lite-Flite Lazer Drill Unit is for the angler who wants a drill auger now and may want a powerhead later. Because it is a cutting unit on its own, it can go under a StrikeMaster powerhead in place of your drill. The 6-inch unit weighs 4.4 lbs, with a moulded resin spiral on a heavy-duty steel shaft and twin stainless Lazer blades doing the cutting.

It comes ready to drill, with the blade guard and the drill adapter in the box. We'd pick it when a StrikeMaster powerhead could join your gear in a later season. It's $299.95.

Eskimo Pistol Bit, 6, 8 or 10-Inch

The Eskimo Pistol Bit is for the angler who moves often and carries the auger from hole to hole all day. Eskimo built it at 3.9 lbs to go easy on both you and your drill.

The Pistol Bit comes in three sizes: The 6-inch at $289.95, the 8-inch at $349.95 and the 10-inch at $389.95. If you already fish with Eskimo gear, or you want a drill auger bigger than 6 inches, this is our pick.

If You Already Own a StrikeMaster Hand Auger

If an older StrikeMaster hand auger hangs in your garage, the StrikeMaster Cordless Drill Adapter may be the only part you need. It lets a professional quality 18-volt cordless drill with a 1/2-inch chuck turn StrikeMaster's Lazer hand augers (models LD-7 and LD-8), and it fits several StrikeMaster drill units as well. The adapter's page lists every model it fits, so check your auger's model number there.

For $33.95, a hand auger you already own starts turning with your drill. Whichever of these three routes fits your gear, the drill you own does the work of a motor this season.

A Lithium Power Auger Earns Its Price on the Days You Drill the Most

These two augers are for anglers who drill a lot, moving from spot to spot or opening holes for a whole group. Both carry their own lithium battery, so your drill stays home, and both run forward and reverse with a deadman switch on the power button.

StrikeMaster Lithium 24V Lite-Flite, 6-Inch

The StrikeMaster Lithium 24V Lite-Flite is the step up for a 6-inch angler who wants a motor built for the ice and the drill left in the shop. It comes as a complete auger: the powerhead on a 6-inch Lite-Flite Lazer cutting unit, the same family as the drill unit above. The motor runs off a 24-volt lithium battery, with three lights that show how much charge is left.

The battery and its charger come in the box, with the charger refilling an empty battery in 2 hours. For most anglers who want a battery auger, this is where we'd start, at $629.95.

StrikeMaster Maven Lithium 40V, 8 or 10-Inch

The StrikeMaster Maven Lithium 40V is for the angler who wants 8-inch holes and plenty of them in a day. It comes with two 40-volt lithium batteries, so a spare is charged and ready when the first runs down.

The power button sets the speed, a built-in LED light helps on dark mornings, and a bubble level shows you when the auger is standing straight. Its twin serrated blades sit under a magnetic cover that snaps on between holes.

It's the one we'd buy for lake trout and pike holes, or for anyone drilling for a crowd. The Maven is $949.95 in the 8 or 10-inch size, and shipping on it is set up by phone, so call us if you're ordering from outside the Sault.

Start at Six Inches and Go Bigger Only for Big Fish

Hole size decides how much ice the auger has to lift. An 8-inch hole has 78 percent more area than a 6-inch hole, so at every inch of depth the auger cuts and lifts 78 percent more ice. A 10-inch hole has almost three times the area of a 6-inch one.

The extra shows up in the weight you carry as well. StrikeMaster's own figures put its Lite-Flite drill unit at 4.4 lbs in the 6-inch size we carry and 5.3 lbs in the 8-inch.

For perch and walleye we'd drill 6 inches, which keeps the auger light and every test hole quick. For lake trout and pike, where a big fish has to come up through the hole, 8 inches gives you room, and a 10-inch hole is there for anglers who target the biggest of them.

In our range, a 6-inch hole comes from the Lite-Flite drill unit, the 6-inch Pistol Bit or the Lithium 24V. An 8-inch hole comes from the Maven or the 8-inch Pistol Bit. For the largest holes, the Pistol Bit and the Maven both come in a 10-inch size. If you can't decide, size the hole for the fish you catch most often.

Plan for Thick Ice and Shelter Anchors Before the Season Starts

A few add-ons cost a fraction of the auger and solve the jobs that turn up later in the winter. Here is what we'd add, in the order most anglers run into the need.

When the Ice Outgrows the Auger

The StrikeMaster Power 12" Auger Extension bolts between the powerhead and the auger and adds 12 inches of boring depth, for $74.95. It's for the days the ice is thicker than your auger is long. Call us with your powerhead model and we'll confirm the fit before you drive over.

Drilling in Shelter Anchors

The Eskimo Quick Connect Kit swaps auger bits without tools: You raise the lock, twist the old bit out and fasten the new one in. Its Anchor Install Adapter connects the same way and lets your cordless drill drive your shelter's ice anchors, so you aren't turning each one by hand.

The kit also lets you take the drill off the bit for the drive to the lake. It's $74.95 and comes in two versions, so tell us you run a Pistol Bit or another drill-driven bit when you order.

Keep the Blades Covered

Because the twin blades do all the cutting, a nick from a rock or a tailgate takes the edge off every hole after it. The Lite-Flite drill unit comes with a blade guard and the Maven with its magnetic snap cover. We'd keep that cover on any time the auger is out of the hole.

For the Pistol Bit, a fresh pair of Eskimo Replacement Blades is $69.95. Keep a set in the truck once the holes start coming slower than they did in December.

Questions

Can I use any cordless drill with a drill-driven auger?

The StrikeMaster Lite-Flite Lazer Drill Unit is made for a professional quality cordless drill of 18 volts or more, with a brushless motor and a 1/2-inch chuck, or for a StrikeMaster powerhead. Check your drill's label against that before you buy.

How thick should the ice be before I walk out to fish?

The Lifesaving Society sets 10 cm (4 inches) as the minimum for a single person. Ice changes from place to place, so drill and measure test holes as you move out.

Which hole size should I drill for perch and walleye?

We'd drill 6 inches for perch and walleye. For lake trout and pike, go to 8 or 10 inches.

Do you ship the Maven 40V?

Yes, by arrangement. Call the store at (705) 253-2361 to set up shipping on the Maven.

Can an auger drill in ice anchors for a shelter?

Yes, with the Eskimo Quick Connect Kit. Its Anchor Install Adapter lets a cordless drill drive shelter ice anchors.

Come See the Augers at Our Store in Sault Ste. Marie

The easiest way to choose an auger is with the models in front of you and your questions answered on the spot. Visit Great Lakes Outfitters at 162 Old Garden River Rd, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6B 5A6, or call us at (705) 253-2361, and bring the model of your drill so we can match it to the right auger.

Talk to us about it

• 162 Old Garden River Rd, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6B 5A6
• (705) 253-2361
• Open today 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Send us a message

References

• Government of Ontario, Ice fishing
• Lifesaving Society (Ontario Branch), Cold water and ice

About the author

Kevin Coombs

Sales Representative

I am a sales representative at Great Lakes Outfitters. I have been here five years, since I retired after more than 33 years as a forester.

More from Kevin Coombs