With the proper tools and safety, you can tackle ice fishing in New Mexico

Even for an experienced angler, ice fishing can be an entirely foreign experience.

“It’s definitely a lot different from regular fishing, compared to sitting on the shore and casting,” Erik Cisneros, Shiloh Valley Outfitters owner, said. “Now ice fishing, you could get on top of the fish —which is kind of the main objective.”

According to Cisneros, Eagle Nest Lake is one of the top destinations for ice fishing in the Land of Enchantment. Other ideal spots include Hopewell Lake in the Carson National Forest and Cabresto Lake and Eagle Rock Lake in Questa. There are some additional options, but those are best left to the veterans.

“There’s some high country lakes that you’ve got to hike to, but those are definitely not for your average person,” Cisneros said. “You want to kind of get a little more experience before you take those on.”

Perhaps the most critical component of ice fishing is being able to properly and safely navigate the ice. Having a guide to help with assessing conditions and the proper use of tools could prove useful to novices.

“If you were to start ice fishing, I would definitely kind of look into it,” Cisneros said. “You can look at ice conditions if you have Facebook. Eagle Nest gives ice conditions every day in the winter.

“There’s a lot of lakes up here in the north though that don’t have any kind of supervision, nothing like that, so those are the ones where you really have to be careful. Definitely don’t go up there by yourself.”

Cisneros adds that the ice fishing community is quite welcoming and can serve as something of an unofficial guide if it appears that a newcomer is struggling on the ice.

“It may sound a little funny, but you’re fishing out there on the lake and here comes this one guy. You’re like, ‘Yeah, this guy has no absolutely no idea what he’s doing,’” Cisneros said. “Which 90% of the time, there’s gonna be a guy that says ‘Hey, let me help you out.’”

With or without a guide, one of the essential tools for ice fishing is an auger, which can drill holes in the ice. There are manual augers or power augers, which rely on gas, propane or electricity, and tend to be more effective for thick ice or drilling multiple holes. Before one starts drilling, Cisneros says it’s imperative to use an ice pick or some other type of tool to test the thickness of the ice.

“You don’t want to just get on the ice and start drilling holes,” he said. “There’s soft spots. There’s warm spots in the water where the temperatures are a little different and they don’t freeze as much. … (You) always want to check your ice conditions. You need to be safe.”

To help combat the wind, cold and other elements, one should also have a tent — also known as an ice shelter — and a portable heater. Cisneros notes that some anglers can take great measures to ensure maximum comfort.

“That’s pretty much your little house,” he said. “When we go, we’ve got the heaters going, we’ve got a grill in there. We’re not standing on the ice. We have insulated mats that go on top of the ice, that way you’re not stepping on the ice. Then we stay in there in shorts and T-shirts.”

As for clothing, dressing warmly and in layers is advised, with or without a shelter. A waterproof, insulated bib and boots will keep anglers dry and warm on the ice, and lightweight gloves can make it easier to handle the fishing rod. The rods that are specifically made for ice fishing will be smaller than the standard casting pole. Meanwhile, the aforementioned picks are useful for more than just testing the thickness of the ice in an area.

“It’s like a necklace, but if you were to fall in the hole, you could get those ice picks, stab the ice and pull yourself out,” Cisneros said. “Those are super helpful to have.”

Finally, as with any new activity, it’s best to test the waters — figuratively speaking — before making serious commitments to top-of-the-line equipment.

“You don’t want to go buy a $300 or $400 fishing suit and all this expensive gear and then you’re like, ‘Yeah I’m never doing that again,’” Cisneros said.

With the proper tools and safety, you can tackle ice fishing in New Mexico