Was looking for a new ice chisel this past year - only wanted a socket mount head as I could mount it myself on a wooden handle. Most ice chisels sold these days are solid metal construction and are a bit heavy to haul! Socket head chisels are hard to find these days but Lakefish Net and Twine Ltd - http://www.lakefish.net/ - carries an extensive line of "ice harvesting equipment".

I purchased the 2" head and found an 84" hardwood dowel at a local wood specialty shop here and now we're good to go

Couple of images - https://picasaweb.google.com
/Canoedog.ca/IceChisel





Cost me $43 plus shipping. Cheers

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"There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going"-unknown

That safety cord is defnitely a good idea. More than 1 chisel has been lost to the frigid depths when an enthusiastic strike finally went through to open water.

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Loon Island Outdoors
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Sure looks like it will do the job. I used a chisel for so many years going to a hand auger was a dream. Now my power auger will stop that heart attack once the ice gets a foot thick. That sure is a little more compact.


RR

We still bring a 6" auger for ice fishing but the chisel works good for water holes and testing ice in advance of crossing etc. Find it much easier to resharpen a chisel vs a set of auger blades if you get into some shallow areas Always need the safety cord, watched a few head into the depths over the years.

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"There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going"-unknown

My buddy made a great one out of a tooth from a small backhoe bucket. He reshaped it a bit to suit his needs, including a socket to receive a shaft gathered in the bush. You just had to shape the end of the stick with an axe or knife just a bit bigger than a shovel handle, to fit. He then used a bit of lashing to hold it, as well as to tether to the chisel in case it fell off.

It worked great for fishing, or just to gather lots of water instead of melting snow. We tend to trip while winter camping, as opposed to setting up a base camp, and the lighter weight and smaller size of the chisel, as opposed to an auger, is greatly appreciated.

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-Jim-

"Paddle faster, I hear banjos!"

We use a solid steel chisel. It is quite heavy to lug however, I do love the heft of it when going through some thick ice. Just raise it above your head and let its own weight do the work. Agreed a teather is a must!
Have never thought to use an ice auger before. Seems a lot easier but space consuming.

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