A Bass Fisherman's Guide

A fishing blog about everything you need to know about bass fishing.

Trout Fishing

The Best Ultralight Spinning Rod 2020 (Trout, Panfish, Crappie) – Top 9

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best ultralight spinning rodAre you searching for the best ultralight spinning rod to be paired with the best ultralight spinning reel?

The use of ultralight fishing tackle has exploded in recent years.

There are fish out there that just require a little more finesse and light tackle to chase after effectively and ultralight rods bring the characteristics and performance specs needed.

In this article, we will take a look at a number of different ultralight spinning rod models that we know will perform well for their application and will make chasing those smaller, but just as aggressive fish species even more rewarding.

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The Best Ice Fishing Tip Ups 2020 – My Top 5 Picks

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Great, now you got yourself a hole in the ice. Now what?

You might be tempted to start fishing that hole, but with a fishing tip up, you can fish more holes. More ice fishing holes means more fish and more fish makes us happy.

Now the question is, which tip ups are the best ones?

In this post, we are going to discuss what are the best ice fishing tip ups so that you will catch more fish.

The following models have been selected based on 3 criteria; affordability, durability, and visibility.

After all, what good is a tip up if you can’t tell if you have a fish or not.

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The Best Trout Lures For Lakes & Streams 2020 – My Top 11 Picks

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What are the best trout lures?

While trout fishing is often associated with fly fishing or ice fishing, there are many lures that are just as effective at landing big browns or rainbows as feather light flies.

So don’t pack up your spinning gear just yet, as we are going to take a look at several types of lures that are proven trout catchers.

We will also list some of our favorite lures for each type and discuss when and how to use them.

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The Best Ice Auger 2020 – My Top 5 Picks

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Are you looking for the best ice auger?

Can’t decide between a propane, gas or electric auger?

Well then, you have come to the right place!

In this post, we are going to look at the advantages and disadvantages of each category as well as a few of our favorite models on the market.

We hope to highlight some of our favorite features and show you what makes them stand out from the rest of the competition so that you can make the best decision for your fishing game.

Ready?

Alright, let’s begin…

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Best Ultralight Spinning Reels Of 2020 – Top 7 (Crappie, Trout & Panfish)

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Best Ultralight Spinning ReelFound! The Best Ultralight Spinning Reel.

While fishing with big spinning reels on the beach can be a blast, fishing with ultralight gear for trout or crappie can be just as fun.

In fact, some have said that some of the best fishing experiences they have had is fishing with ultralight gear. Even a 1 pound bass can feel like a tarpon and definitely get the heart racing.

In this article, we will list and discuss 7 of the top ultralight spinning reels and point out what makes them the go to reels when you’re deciding on your ultralight outfit.

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What Is The Best Cordless Drill For An Ice Auger? – Our Top 3

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Are you looking for the best cordless drill for an ice auger?

Many ice fishermen are turning their favorite hand auger into a powered auger using an electric or cordless drill.

This is not only a very efficient way to break the ice, but it also can be much more affordable than buying an expensive electric auger that you will only use a few times throughout the year.

In this post, we are going to show you how you can turn your drill into an ice auger and we are going to talk about some important features to consider when searching for the best drill.

Let’s begin…

Best cordless drill for ice auger

What is the best cordless drill for an ice auger?

Here is a quick preview of our top 3 options:

Before we take a closer look at each model mentioned above, let’s first talk about how to turn your drill into an ice auger.

How To Turn Your Drill Into An Ice Auger

Choose a good adapter. The first step is to choose a good adapter. The adapter basically allows you to connect your drill to any hand auger of your choice.

Most adapters are pretty straightforward and easy to use, but here are two of our favorites.

Pictured above is the Clam Drill Auger Conversion Kit.

This is a great adapter to connect your auger to your drill. What I like most about this particular model are the handlebars.

These handlebars give you the ability to put some weight on the auger as it drills, helping it to work more efficiently and preventing the drill from entering the water if you break through the ice suddenly.

Learn more about how to use it in the following video:

Another great option is the Ice Auger Cordless Drill Adapter.

This is as simple as you can get. It is simply an aluminum adapter that fits a 3/8 or 1/2 inch drill chuck.

See how to put it together and more importantly, in action in the following video:

Choose A Good Blade. Now that we have selected a good adapter, let’s talk about blades.

One of the most popular questions people have when converting their drill into an ice auger is: Which blade is better, mora or lazer?

I would recommend going with a lazer blade.

They tend to cut the ice more easily, causing less stress on your drill.

Why is this important?

Not only can this affect the overall life of your drill, but it can affect your battery life as well. The more efficiently your drill can go through the ice, the less battery you will consume and thus the more holes you will be able to drill.

Once such blade I would recommend is the Strike Master Ice Augers Lazer Hand Auger.

This model is available in blade sizes ranging from 5 to 8 inches. The handle can be easily removed to add either of the aforementioned adapters. It is equipped with Lazer blades that will help you to cut through ice like a butter knife cuts through butter.

Ok, so now that we have selected the adapter, as well as the blade, it is time to answer: What is the best cordless drill for an ice auger?

DEWALT DCD950KX 18-Volt XRP

Features:

  • 1/2 cordless drill
  • Extended battery life – XRP batteries
  • LED work light
  • 18 Volts

The first drill to make our list of the best cordless drill for an ice auger is:  the DEWALT DCD950KX 18-Volt XRP.

This is a 1/2 inch cordless drill that would fit either of the adapters mentioned above.

The reason I would recommend this drill is the battery life.

Simply put, the more battery life you have, the more holes you are going to drill. This is especially important when fishing for small fish like panfish.

More holes equal more fish. This particular drill provides more than 40 percent more than the standard NiCad batteries.

In addition, the LED work light comes in handy when ice fishing through the early morning or late at night.

Bosch DDB181-102 18V Lithium-Ion Powered Drill

Features:

  • 1/2 cordless drill
  • Good Battery Life
  • LED worklight
  • Durashield housing
  • 18 Volts
  • Weight: 3 lbs

The next on our list is the Bosch DDB181-102 18V Lithium-Ion Powered Drill.

There are 3 features that I think make the Bosch DDB a good option.

The first feature is the weight. This is a super lightweight cordless drill only weighing in at 3 pounds.

If you combine that with an average hand auger, you will have a powered auger for under 10 pounds!

It also is made with durashield housing. Let’s face it, ice fishing in the cold weather isn’t the best situation for our tools. In order for them to last the long haul, we need them to be made from durable materials. This particular model has very durable housing.

Lastly, battery life. This is another great option that has a good battery life when out on the water.

Milwaukee M18 

best cordless drill for ice auger

Features:

  • 1/2 inch cordless drill
  • Good Battery Life
  • Brushless motor
  • LED worklight
  • 500 in/lbs of torque
  • 18 Volts
  • 2.8 pounds

To conclude our list of the best cordless drill for an ice auger, we are going to take a closer look at the Milwaukee M18.

As we have stressed in this post, battery life and overall weight are so important when choosing a good drill.

The great thing about this drill is that it comes with a lithium-ion battery. A lithium-ion battery is going to be much lighter than others on the market.

In addition, because the motor is a brushless motor, the Milwaukee M18 is designed to run twice as long as a brushed motor with the same battery.

As we mentioned earlier, the lithium-ion batter helps to keep it relatively lightweight. In fact, the M18 only weighs 2.8 pounds.

Combine it with your favorite hand auger, you will have an extremely lightweight ice cutting machine.

Final Thoughts…

What is the best cordless drill for an ice auger?

Well, in this post we explained how to attach your drill to make an ice auger that is efficient, lightweight and most importantly is an affordable option.

We also discussed 3 of the top options on the market.

We chose these options based on three characteristics; they have great battery life, they are super lightweight and they are built to last.

What cordless drill do you use on your auger? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.