01-28-2020, 02:14 PM
[quote riverdog]Earlier this month I purchased that same Ryobi (P252) for similar reasons. That is a brushless Drill. I got it for $69 without battery on Amazon.
I thought I'd give an early NM ice fishing (they just opened the Fenton Lake for ice fishing here in NM 10 days ago) report.
Crazy but they didn't open it until it had 13-14 inches of ice.
Anyways the $69 Ryobi with a 4 amp battery and a 5 inch Mora auger went through 16-18 inches of ice like butter. I only drilled 4 holes but none of those holes took more than 10 seconds except the one I did by hand. The one by hand maybe took 30-40 seconds I'm guessing.
Given my limited places to ice fish that may be it for me this season unless I can get away on a weekday. I don't think I've ever shared a lake with anyone but my son ice fishing in Utah. There was at least a 100 people spread over roughly 20 acres on this little reservoir. The fishing was slow but steady. Myself and the dozens nearby were all averaging about a fish an hour. They were mostly measly 10-12 inch bows. The lake does have beautiful Rio Grande Cutts but I didn't see anyone catch any. Beautiful sunny day that didn't require a coat but sunscreen was a must. I can drive 30 minutes less and catch more fish on the stream below without even dealing with snow or ice.
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I thought I'd give an early NM ice fishing (they just opened the Fenton Lake for ice fishing here in NM 10 days ago) report.
Crazy but they didn't open it until it had 13-14 inches of ice.
Anyways the $69 Ryobi with a 4 amp battery and a 5 inch Mora auger went through 16-18 inches of ice like butter. I only drilled 4 holes but none of those holes took more than 10 seconds except the one I did by hand. The one by hand maybe took 30-40 seconds I'm guessing.
Given my limited places to ice fish that may be it for me this season unless I can get away on a weekday. I don't think I've ever shared a lake with anyone but my son ice fishing in Utah. There was at least a 100 people spread over roughly 20 acres on this little reservoir. The fishing was slow but steady. Myself and the dozens nearby were all averaging about a fish an hour. They were mostly measly 10-12 inch bows. The lake does have beautiful Rio Grande Cutts but I didn't see anyone catch any. Beautiful sunny day that didn't require a coat but sunscreen was a must. I can drive 30 minutes less and catch more fish on the stream below without even dealing with snow or ice.
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