Fishing Has No Boundaries continues to offer hope for disabled anglers.

Fishermen should consider themselves lucky for simple pleasures such as choosing which Rapala to buy at the store or which Mepps to pull from the tackle box.

Handicapped anglers must overcome bigger, more basic challenges before worrying about lures. Assuming they can get to the water, many anglers with disabilities still need specialized gear to hold a rod, cast a lure, set a hook or reel in a fish.

Without such equipment, fishing is not a lifetime sport — it's just a spectator event.

One man who appreciates fishing's joys and challenges more than most is Bill Kohls of Fort Atkinson, president of Fishing Has No Boundaries. Kohls, 76, grew up on Silver Lake in Portage and was an enthusiastic fisherman until a stroke crippled his right arm at age 39.

Nearly 22 years passed before fishing was back as part of Kohl's life. In 1993, he read about Fishing Has No Boundaries, a nonprofit organization that sponsors two-day fishing events for people with disabilities. The group makes fishing possible by loaning specialized equipment to participants and teaching them how to use it.

Kohls fished in an FHNB event on the Chippewa Flowage near Hayward and used a reel fitted with a small, battery-powered motor. Soon after, he resumed fishing with friends near home, asking only that they tie his knots and bait his hooks.

Kohls then traveled to FHNB events in Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois and South Dakota. He also spoke to civic organizations, promoting FHNB and helping others with disabilities realize they could fish, too. His role with the group grew and he now serves as its president.

One never-ending task is raising money to keep FHNB chapters stocked with functional, reliable equipment from lifejackets to wheelchair lifts. Kohls said each chapter requires a handyman.

Jim Barber of Sun Prairie is one such gear guru. Besides keeping track of all the coolers, folding tables, battery packs, tackle boxes and picnic gear jammed into a storage unit near Madison, Barber ensures all 112 fishing rods and 20 battery-powered reels are spooled and rigged. All the other 80-plus reels are ambidextrous models, such as the Zebco 33, which Barber can switch to accommodate the angler's good hand.

The group's battery-operated reels can be rigged to handle most disabilities. For instance, by using a chest-strap rod holder and a lever-controlled electric reel, quadriplegic anglers can use chin pressure to reel in line. By pushing harder or softer on the lever, the angler adjusts the retrieval speed.

Most FHNB participants have less severe disabilities, but fishing becomes a chore when people lose strength or movement in an arm, hand or fingers. Barber fits them with various reels and rod-holders, depending on their needs.

A strap-on forearm rod-holder allows anglers to continue using their casting arm when the hand or wrist is disabled. Assuming their other hand is healthy, they crank the reel themselves after casting.

Those who can't hold a rod and set the hook on fish often use a leg-mounted rod holder. They set the hook by snapping their knee upward.

Still others can hold a fishing rod but their fingers can't grip the reel handle. Barber fits them with a glove that's equipped with a piece of PVC pipe with cutouts. The cutouts fit over the reel handle, allowing the angler to crank in line.

In other words, Fishing Has No Boundaries strives to live up to its name, no matter the angler's disability.

"We've accommodated people from age 21⁄2 to 102," Kohls said. "For Wisconsin's eight events, we get 75 to 150 people, and everyone gets out on a boat. We find that if they have the right equipment, they'll use it. Then they can fish on their own or with friends and family."

It's safe to say few people treasure that recreational independence more than Kohls. After all, going without a basic pleasure for more than two decades tends to reinforce its value.