Why do people use 8+ inch holes

I swear some of those holes people punch on those lakes...I'm shocked kids haven't drowned or there a thread about "lost my vexilar" down the hole.

I use an 8" auger.

My truck has 8 cylinders, I have a color TV and I buy 2-ply cushy toilet paper too...I hope my life of excess isn't making anyone mad.

50 years ago pretty much all there was for augers were 8".  I cant go bigger because my tube is 9". and the same jiffy still runs like a top.

8"+ is like throwing a hot dog down a hallway. It's just not as enjoyable as something smaller.....  

Stepped in a huge whole that was from melting, and also stepped into a crack, up to my thigh. Both times had no clue because of fresh snow covering.

In my experince, several reasons.

~Don't freeze up.  When me and guys I fish with, especially earlier ice, limited snow, or very clear water, we set our tip ups, and get away!  We stay away until we have a flag, feel the need to check them, or pull up to move or leave.  Bigger holes stay open way longer.

~Sight fishing, most common on great lakes ice, or fishing trout on very clear water.  Bigger hole allow more view.  Drill a 6" hole and look down in a dark shack, and see how much area you can watch, than try it with a 10".  You can see way more than double the area with a 10"

~Jigging Lake Trout, or any large aggressive fish.  Can be very difficult to get them to turn up into a 10" at times.  They can also be very girthy fish.  40" pike maybe 20lbs, or not even.  30" walleye, pretty consisently 10lbs.  A laker can be 35-36" and over 20lbs.  I caught one on Superior, 38" and 28lbs.  They don't continue to keep putting on the length like other species, but do put on girth/ weight.  I have also seen a laker caught that was 36" and 15lbs, so they can vary tremendously.  They also have a tendency to go nuts when you get them by the hole.

~Room, really nice to jig out of a 10" hole with vexilar than an 8", especially for game fish.  If I fish an 8" hole and get a nice fish, i do anything i can to get graph out of the way before getting fish into the hole.  With a 10" I don't worry about it nearly as much.

These are my opinions and observations from fishing many different species all over WI, MI, MN and Ontario in last 15-20 years.  I'm curious to hear what some others have to say.

Eyes

Doesn't anyone watch where they walk or what. I have never stepped in a hole that wasn't mine. Kids yeah maybe not paying attention,  but adults?  And yes if you bring very small children say under 3 years of age, you should be watching them like a hawk anyway,  you would do the same thing at home, right?

Something to remember guys that fish a 6 or 7 inch hole and say they pulled fish out of it. A 20 pound pike or 10 pound walleye most likely has girth bigger then hole. It may fit up hole by having its insides all smashed together which in return can cause major harm to that fish if you plan to release it. Yes it may swim off but the damage is done and that fish may die because of it. As far panfish getting off and turning down the hole. You still have time to grab plus it a panfish you most likely have more under you.

I use an 8 inch because that's what I bought.  I just figured it would be better to have the tool and not need it than to lose a fish because it can't fit through a hole.  It does give me a little extra room for my transducer, but that's not the reasoning. 10 inch or bigger is pretty much unnecessary but since it's legal I wouldn't give anyone flak about it. Lake Michigan harbor fishing for salmon and trout I can see 8"+ holes being beneficial.

“Have yet to catch a fish I couldn't fit through a 6 inch hole. Anything more is over compensation.”

Says a guy who calls himself “Size Doesn’t Matter.”

I have augers in 4 different sizes. 6, 7, 8, and 10 inches respectively. Only a fool would use the 6 inch auger fishing for trout on the Great Lakes Harbors. 

I do a fair amount of jigging for pike. A six inch hole isn’t impossible to use for this but a 10 inch hole is much much better. Clearing a transducer out of a smaller hole and not getting it tangled up in line can be tricky enough with panfish....with an aggressive slime rocket it turns into an unmitigated disaster. 

Have yet to catch a fish I couldn't fit through a 6 inch hole. Anything more is over compensation. 

I fish a 9 inch 99% of the time. I fish walleyes alot and in some of my spot there's a good chance of 40+ inch pike. Also it's not fun watching a pig walleye head shack at the bottom a 8in hole with a size 7 and 9 jigging rap across its face. Heck sometimes even a number 5. Aslo when on a big gill bite with 2lb test and that gill is pin wheeling and that light line hitting the bottom of the hole up the chance of break offs. I lost a crappie last year on a Madison lake late ice with a 6in hole the won't fit. So for me I dont want to take the chance of losing that possibly trophy.

Why do Pike Fishermen need not apply? 

Once you start using a ten inch hole its kind of hard to go back. Lots of room to hand grab nice big Pike, Walleye etc.

Yep, certainly dropped my foot down one once, it was cold, but we are just careful.

Honestly I feel the perfect diameter is nine inches, but no one seems to make them anymore. Nice and large with lots of room to work but much harder to put a size 12 or 13 boot through.

Also plenty of room to hang transducer down and bring up those panfish. Once we are done fishing for Pike of course.

Big hole big fish...??

Try getting a 21in smallie up a 6in whole!  Barely fit in a 8in and the 22in we caught did get stuck in a 8in whole!

Long barrels, why do you care? It's legal to have upto 12" diameter holes. if your constantly stepping into holes you should go see a eye doctor or maybe lay off the koolaid!! And if your worried about your kids, Watch them!!