Is a 7 inch auger a good happy medium?

I have a 6 inch now electric fuel drill, Thought of getting a 7 inch for eyes and for the occasions of pike but the 8 inch augers are hard on the drills so thought I would get a 7 inch Mora? Good bad Idea? I pan fish 95% of the time but would like to target eyes a little more this year. I would fish no farther north than mille lacs

I personally wouldn’t target pike or walleye out of a 7 inch hole. To much risk for missing fish. I fish a 6 inch hole for pannies all year but I have a old 8 inch gas auger for the days I target bigger species

I use my 6″ auger on cordless drill all the time for walleyes the last 3 years and haven’t lost a single one due to the smaller sized hole. I only use the 8″ power auger when specifically targeting pike and burbot and when the ice is real thick.

I used a 6 inch hand auger for walleyes for many years before power augers came out . I never had a problem, in fact I ended up with more fish than I would have with a bigger hole because they couldn’t turn in the hole, and even if the hook came out I could still grab them . Back then we caught mostly 18 inch plus fish .

I have a 7″ strike master auger blade and love it. If I need a bigger hole I just drill two holes side by side and clean out the center.

Small hole are a pain in the butt with a ducer downn the hole imo. Easier to bump a fish off at the bottom of the hole also .
It all comes down to personal preference.

Does size really matter?

I’ve used all sizes, and really 7 and 8 are about the same for what we do usually. I use my old 5in for pannies early ice. I also use my big heavy a#% jiffy with a 10in when fishing Fort Peck or Superior for lakers. No matter what size I’ve used my ducer has gotten wrapped up.

I think 7 would be a great “happy medium”…IMO if the hole is too big it gives them too much room to thrash around, shake the hook out, turn and head back down…I am a crappie guy and my “landing ratio” improved significantly when I went to a smaller hole and I think the same philosophy would apply for eyes….unless you are consistently targeting the pigs up on Lake Winnipeg or LOW.

Thanks all, Most of the lakes I fish have smaller fish crappies 12 inches would be rare. Mostly thinking of eyes and pike the biggest I ever got around hear was a 34 inch pike. Not targeting big waters like Winnie or LOW.

Pulled pike through a 7″ hole that were up to 41 inches. A bit tighter than a guy would prefer but it fit.