I have never seen a crappie that wouldn't go thru a 6 inch hole in the ice. I personally always used a 10 inch power auger. If the fish was any size at all I would lip them to bring thru the hole so they wouldn't have a chance to come off at the hole. Sometimes I would reel right down to the lip of the fish and pull them up thru the hole that way with the rod straight up and down. On Pike and Walleye I would reach down and get them by the gills to bring them thru the hole. EB