4 inch hand auger? When is it a good option?

I’m a pan fisherman and looking to buy an auger. My other thread is about power augers, but I’m wondering when a 4 inch hand auger is a good option to go along with an 8 inch power auger. If you’re targeting bluegill and perch, through say… 3-8 inches of early ice, is a 4 inch hole enough?

I have a 6″ hand auger and personal don’t like a 6″ hole. I seem to taggle every time I am fighting a fish unless I pull my transducer. I stick with my 8″ power auger.

4 would be a good option to check ice thickness.

I use to use a 3″ or 4″ hand auger to cut a transducer hole next to my fishing hole, but I think it would be tough to get a decent size gill thru a 4″ hole…especially if you have the transducer down the same hole.

Many years ago the 4″ was a typical auger for perch fishing lakes like Mendota/ Monona. You can zip through 24″ ice effortlessly, reduced weight for the long hike without a power head, and 99% of the perch you caught came through the hole with no problem.

But use in other applications becomes too much of a rick. Most 8″+ gills, crappies, bass, and other fish with larger profiles don’t fit. I have a 5″ lazer that I like, and on a rare occasion will get a fish stuck in the hole.

However, a great application for smaller augers is super shallow panfish bites on sunny days. I still prefer to have a larger hole and leave slush in it to block some of the sun. But I do see a lot of guys still opting for the super small augetr for these bites

so maybe 6 inch hand and 8 inch power augers then. Thanks for the info!!!

I still use a 4″ for back waters fishing due to the depths I am am fishing is very shallow. When I am very concerned with light penetration and when it is really cold out.

FDR

Paul Owens wrote:

so maybe 6 inch hand and 8 inch power augers then. Thanks for the info!!!

This has been my go-to combo for quite a few years. Now that I have an Ion I’m not sure I’ll even use my hand augers any more. Bigger hole is better. More room to fight fish. More room to land fish with transducer in hole. 9 and 10 inch holes are even better to fish out of but they are dangerous for feet. That is why I would never buy a 10″ auger. My wife got me one for Christmas once and I took it back. She cried.

I still remember the day out on Pool 10 on the Miss. when 4 old boys called my 7″ holes “swimming pools.” They all ran 5″ augers on cordless drills and hole hopped with long rods. I learned so much that day, and will always be grateful that they were willing to teach and not just criticize.
They used a 4″ skimmer with a 48″ handle, you should see when a nice fish comes unbuttoned in the hole how slick you can flip them out as they struggle to back down the pipe.
I’ve never had a gill too big for a 4 1/2″ Nils hole, (personal best 10 1/2+”), crappies over 14″ might not make it, but I release those anyway.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

Duke