All I ever used for at least my first 20 years of icefishing was a 6" manual auger. I never ran into ice thick enough that I couldn't get through. With good blades and a buddy to help its not even that hard to punch a few holes in 3' of ice. If you need to move a bunch to find the fish it can get a bit tiresome when the ice is thick. To this day if I need to walk on I still pack that hand auger rather than my Jiffy. If I need to drive any distance to get to a lake the hand auger comes as well, if my power auger craps out I can still fish, for the application you described I would not be without one.
To me a good hand auger is like a .22, sure you'll probably move on to bigger things but you will always be glad you have it. No amount of fishing tackle is complete without one IMO.
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If the good lord didnt want me to ride a four wheeler with no shirt on, then how come my nipples grow back after every wipeout?
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