# spudders- drove me nuts!



## mikey (May 26, 2005)

My buddies and I were ice fishing this weekend up north around 100 other people concentrated in a small area. Can somebody tell me why some people with spuds constantly pound the ice within the pack of shanty's??? I don't know if they're opening up previous holes or not, but I would have rather loaned out my auger to them to use instead of whacking the **** out of the ice. IMO, I think it's pretty rude to constantly spud so close to so many shantys. That noise & vibration goes a long ways.
And no, they're weren't spudding a path out or checking ice thickness. These people were fishing once they spudded through.
Am I missing something here????


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## DaveW731 (Jan 12, 2001)

Maybe they didn't know about how sound is transmitted thru ice, maybe a spud was all they could afford, maybe something else. That being said, I understand your point. On a couple of occasions over the years I have "educated" some people about those issues, while loaning them my auger.


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## zx10r2004 (Sep 24, 2005)

its like someone sitting in your tree stand on public property. they have the right to it but it might not be the sportsmen thing to do but you cant do nothing about it but either move or just ignore it.how about a power auger . you spend $400 on one and someone says use this hand auger so you dont scare the fish . thats why my power auger is a 10inch so i can threw them down the hole and no one will know. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## chuckinduck (May 28, 2003)

You guys ever heard how loud a power auger is? Come sit in my spearing shack sometime, and I let you listen. Not to mention people I know that own them think its law to drill at least 50 holes with them, regardless if there is 50 other holes in the same area. Drives me nuts.


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## thill (Aug 23, 2006)

I do not believe that fish will scatter from a power auger. Many times I've been in less than 10 fow and had a wall of fish on my vex. Then, being the nice guy that I am, I'll tell my brother or a friend to drill all around me "cause I found them". I will be catching fish while he drills a hole two feet from me (If he drills close enough we can both fish off the same vex). I know some of you will disagree, but I have seen, first hand, that the fish don't move.


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## RichP (Jan 13, 2003)

I know the effects of spudding is a neverending debate, but people spudding around me doesn't bother me that much. 

That's all they had (spuds) back when my dad was a kid, and from the pictures I've seen and stories I've heard, everyone seemed to manage to catch a lot of fish, even when everyone was fishing in big groups close together...

...and I personally have reeled in many a fish while people we're going crazy nearby with their spuds...


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## thos1971 (Jan 31, 2005)

chuckinduck said:


> You guys ever heard how loud a power auger is? Come sit in my spearing shack sometime, and I let you listen. Not to mention people I know that own them think its law to drill at least 50 holes with them, regardless if there is 50 other holes in the same area. Drives me nuts.


I agree, I don't see the need myself, unless the fisherman has limitations necessitating the power auger (or there is 12 inches of ice). Hand augers with sharp blades go through so quick and easily. They seem to be the best alternative considering the noise of spudding and of gas augers.

OP, did anyone offer to let them use an auger? Could have solved the problem.


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## Fishfoote (Jan 2, 2001)

Don't wait for them to ask to borrow your auger - most guys, myself included would never ask. They'll appreciate the offer. I had guys using a power auger near me a week ago on 3" of ice, seemed like over kill, but I can understand if that's all you've got, then that's what you use. Personally, I only take one hole cutter, spud if the ice is < 4", hand auger if the ice is 4 - 8" and power auger if the ice is > 8". I try to stay away from others no matter what I'm using, but if available ice is limited then so are options. I've also seen guys give the frustrated look when they're ice fishing right near an access point or along an established path to deeper water when folks come near their shanty...you can't expect peace and quite on a highway


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## roger23 (Jan 14, 2001)

I have fish shut right down when some one decided they needed to fish by me I grew up spudding it was the only thing we had ,they are a lot of work I don't think they bothered the fish much


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## FISHIN 2 (Feb 24, 2004)

Man, Those violins just don't quit. One says, do it the manly way, use a spud bar, other guy says, oh he** no, I got a hand auger, still scrapes ice away to make hole, but much easier, guy has the cash to make life easy, buys the gas auger, says I bought it, gonna use it. Darn right, he should be able to use anything he wants to make the hole, as anything you use is gonna make noise. If everyone that is going fishing would drill a hole for themselves, then drill 40 more around you, you won't have to worry about the noise, it won't be bad at all, cause, your the one makin it !

Mike


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## Happy Jack (Jan 21, 2003)

I don't normally fish by groups but less than 8 in. of ice I use my spud. More ice I usually take the gas auger. I often catch fish right after using either one. A little over a week ago me and 4 friends were fishing near W Branch. I found nice gills and friends pulled 2 shantys and a bunch of gear within 10 feet and used the spud to open 5-6 holes. I continued to catch fish the whole time.


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## AmericanAngler (Feb 2, 2005)

i have both i bring spud for safty early in the season to be safe and ill use the hand auger to cut new holes and my spud to crack open a hole thats just froze over all i know is busting a new hole with a spud on 8 " of ice or more gets me to tired plus i have a bad shoulder 

just dont walk out smacking the spud with every step 

AA


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## woodie slayer (Feb 25, 2006)

AmericanAngler said:


> i have both i bring spud for safty early in the season to be safe and ill use the hand auger to cut new holes and my spud to crack open a hole thats just froze over all i know is busting a new hole with a spud on 8 " of ice or more gets me to tired plus i have a bad shoulder
> 
> just dont walk out smacking the spud with every step
> 
> AA


when checking new ice i smack every step.believe me the ice changes every few feet sometimes


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## thedude (Jul 20, 2004)

i had guys spudding their holes last weekend...then they drop their vex in to see if there are any fish... 

400$ vex and you can't afford a 30$ auger? c'mon.


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

thill said:


> I do not believe that fish will scatter from a power auger.


They don't. Well they don't "necessarly" that is, there may be times they would I cannot say for sure.
Anyways, my buddy caught a tourney winning walleye while I was still drilling holes. He was rigging when I started drilling and before I knew it he had one on. We were in about 15 FOW near a good drop off.


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## Happy Jack (Jan 21, 2003)

thedude said:


> i had guys spudding their holes last weekend...then they drop their vex in to see if there are any fish...
> 
> 400$ vex and you can't afford a 30$ auger? c'mon.


Spud,auger or gas doesn't make much dif. I have marked fish right after any of them. And my spud was $30


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## benster (Jul 31, 2006)

I would suggest when they are done spudding their holes, have someone on a quad do a fish drive from the other side of the lake to push the fish back your way?


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## Zofchak (Jan 10, 2003)

You were fishing around 100 other people and you were worried about noise? 

Even hand augers make a lot of noise under water. The reality is the fish in most areas really don't seem to mind as much as the fisherman. I've drilled holes with my gas auger only to see perch swimming around less than 30 seconds later.


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## William H Bonney (Jan 14, 2003)

benster said:


> I would suggest when they are done spudding their holes, have someone on a quad do a fish drive from the other side of the lake to push the fish back your way?



Funny you should say that. I used to kick and scream everytime someone drove to close to me with a sled or ATV,, thinking they'd scare the fish away. It never happened,, if anything the fish would hammer my bait when they got close. I've seen more than a few guys just start up their ATV's just to get the fish goin'.


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## mikey (May 26, 2005)

Zofchak said:


> You were fishing around 100 other people and you were worried about noise?
> 
> Even hand augers make a lot of noise under water. The reality is the fish in most areas really don't seem to mind as much as the fisherman. I've drilled holes with my gas auger only to see perch swimming around less than 30 seconds later.


Here's the comparison---I hear alot about people fishing the Detroit River every spring. Sometimes hundreds of boats concentrated in a drift. Then you get one or two guys who go full speed zig-zagging around the pack of boats. How about going around? 
I'm not against spudding and I like mingling with other anglers on the ice. I make noise on the ice too, but I keep it minimal. If you were with me over the weekend, you would know what I'm talking about. I wouldn't say it was horrible, just irritating when they spud 5 feet from you until they broke thru.


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