Getting to the point to cure outdoors blues

I felt like a tall weed blowing in the wind.

Figuratively speaking, I'd aimlessly flop one way and then lean in the other direction, all because the winds kept reminding me how brutal a winter day can be.

This went on for several months, ever since I stored my boat just over the Illinois-Wisconsin state line.

I felt paralyzed by ghost-like thoughts and dreams of walking on Channel Lake's soft ice and feeling it give way to my weight and subsequently opening up to the bone-chilling water just beneath my feet.

I gave up ice fishing a year ago because my feet reacted poorly to the invasive cold that crept its way into my boots.

Even the heated insoles and my beloved wool socks couldn't save me from the stinging agony of neuropathy. Unfortunately, this often painful condition is one of the side effects of an ailment that has bothered me for some time.

It was just a few short years ago I was reveling in the comfort of my two-person ice shanty. I was cozy thanks to my portable propane heater spewing heat while allowing me to "dress down" as I sat comfortably on a padded seat.

Those were joyous times for me catching lots of bluegills and crappie. The walleyes came when I moved my base of operation to a Wisconsin lake filled with big-game fish.

And suddenly I began to notice a tingling and burning-like feeling in my feet.

About 30 years ago I was suffering from a chronic pinched nerve and muscle spasm. A chap who studied acupuncture treated my issues then, and I was able to walk around pain free.

It only took a few nudges over a recent two-week period for me to see the light during these dark, winter days.

The pushes were delivered by telephone from Arnold, a pal who sits basking in sunshine much of the day. Arnold lives in Phoenix, Ariz., where the locals complain about 30 percent humidity, with the moisture jumping upward from the countless golf course ponds and irrigation systems.

I did some research and found an acupuncturist in the Northwest suburbs. After three easy and pain-free treatments, I was able to transit the frozen "tundra" of Channel Lake and catch a few crappie and channel catfish.

But I wasn't entirely out of the woods yet.

I've been back several more times to the acupuncturist, and a day or so after I leaving his office I was able to wear a variety of shoes and boots that allowed me to hit the walking trails in area forest preserves.

And then this week found me back on the indoor walking track, where I sometimes run into fishermen who recognize me from my picture at the top of this column.

Phil W. is one of those anglers who tapped me on the shoulder and wanted to talk fishing.

"I'm one of the many who took the Spence Petros fishing classes in Palatine, but I still have trouble finding and catching fish," he said.

I explained to him he was welcome in my boat so we could fish Bangs Lake together and I'd be happy to show him where the big largemouth hang out. We exchanged business cards.

But today's story is about how a dozen or so tiny needles painlessly inserted into my hands and feet allowed me to regain some lost energy and drive so I could smile while I sang the blues.

Outdoor mystery:

Word from the Illinois DNR tells of the discovery of what could be another wolf showing up in our hallowed and generally wolf-free territory.

"A large, unidentified canine with characteristics of a wolf was found dead early Feb 13 along Nettle School Road north of Interstate 80 in Grundy County. The animal is now in possession of IDNR biologists. It measured approximately 48 inches long from the tip of its nose to the rear. More information will be forthcoming on the cause of death once a necropsy is completed. Biologists are coordinating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on genetic testing of the animal."

Asian carp battle:

The Army Corps asked Congress for $500,000 in its budget to battle Asian carp. Conservation groups who have been following the spread of the invasive species and its attempts to enter Lake Michigan are now saying that sum is much too low.

Is the bigger problem that Congress fails to realize the importance of stopping this invasive species, or is the Army Corps trying to cover its tail for not properly handling the issue in the first place?

• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, catch his radio show 7-9 a.m. Sundays on WGCO 1590-AM (live-streamed at www.1590WCGO.com) and get more content at www.mikejacksonoutdoors.com.