Trending Ice Fishing Tactics: Silent Drilling & Loud Jigging

It’s interesting how opposing elements can coexist within effective angling strategies. Take, for example, the ice-fishing approach of using a whisper-quiet electric ice auger, like the Maven Lithium 40v, to drill holes, followed by aggressively jigging through the area with a loud, boisterous lure, like a Rippin’ Rap or a Rattle Spoon.

Stealth on the surface. Then, jigging shock ops in the strike zone. Here’s a closer look at this effective tactic, and how it can help you catch more fish this winter.

It’s fair to say the verdict is in on ice augers. Lithium ice drills are the future, and noisy gas-powered models are outgoing technology.

StrikeMaster’s Maven Lithium 40V represents the best of the best in electric ice drills, being the lightest, fastest, and most powerful 40-volt auger in its class. Some quick figures: the 8-inch Maven 40V is 14.5 pounds, and the 10-inch only 15.5 pounds — a featherweight compared to other 10-inch drills in its class weighing 21+ pounds.

Impressive, too, is the Maven’s high-capacity, 40-volt, 5-amp-hour lithium-ion battery. This long-running battery, combined with StrikeMaster’s re-engineered, twin, serrated stainless steel blades and newly designed blade carriage, equips the Maven to drill through 700 more inches of ice per charge than its competitors. In real-world terms, this sees the 8-inch Maven 40V cut ice at 3.6 inches per second, and drill through a staggering 2,000 inches of ice — that’s 125 holes through 16 inches of ice — on a single charge!

Making the Maven 40V all the more magnificent is how its electric DC brushless motor operates at whisper volume levels, and its powerhead is industry-leading in ergonomics. Reflect on the above performance features, and it becomes clear why the Maven Lithium 40V has become an overnight success across the ice belt.

Noise can be the ice angler’s nemesis. Make a ruckus when drilling out an area, particularly in shallow water, and getting bites from fish becomes more difficult. This holds true from turbot to clear water conditions. Excess commotion and noise also make heavily pressured fish all the more difficult to catch.

Given the above, it’s not hard to connect the dots. With the lightweight, easy-to-use Maven 40V’s quiet operation on their side, ice anglers are better equipped to move around with greater efficiency and stealth.

You don’t need forward-facing sonar to catch loads of fish on the ice, but here’s a tip for readers who use this advanced tech. A forward-facing sonar (FFS) transducer installed on a product like Clam’s Live Imaging Pole enables a 360-degree scan of the entire water column in mere seconds. Used in conjunction with a quiet electric auger, FFS allows an angler to survey water, eliminate unproductive areas, and find active biters with unprecedented stealth, speed, and efficiency.

Contrasting a stealthy, covert approach on the ice is the tried-and-true tactic of jigging a rattling lure at the depth where fish are feeding. By producing significant vibrations to stimulate a fish’s acoustic senses, the Rippin’ Rap, Rattling Roach Spoon, Rattle Spoon, Rattlin’ PT Spoon, Psycho Shad, and other rattling baits help anglers attract fish from greater distances.