Nate's Story
The M-POW-R REEL™ NK-100 fishing reel was named for Nathan Kehr who inspired it.
Nate’s story…
In 1971, Nathan Kehr was born in Brainerd, in the very heart of Minnesota’s fabled lake country. It was only natural that fishing would become a lifelong passion, as it had for his father, Roland “Doc” Kehr.
A dentist by profession and avid fisherman, Doc was friends with most of the noted anglers who called Brainerd home— such luminaries as Al and Ron Lindner, Babe Winkelman, Dan Sura, Dave Csanda and Jeff Zernov. Doc was also a co-owner of the Lindy-Little Joe fishing tackle company.
Fishing was in Nate’s blood, and he grew up among some of the best in the sport.
Ironically, an injury at birth had left Nate with cerebral palsy, rendering his left hand and arm nearly useless. This unfortunate condition obviously presented serious challenges in the pursuit of his favorite pastime. But Nate was determined to overcome his disability.
Using only his right arm, he taught himself to cast with deft accuracy, and fine-tuned his presentation skills. Over time, he became a knowledgeable and accomplished angler, able to hook more than his share of fish. But that was where his greatest challenge arose.
With only one arm, he couldn’t effectively fight and land his catch. He could reel with his right hand… he could manipulate the rod with his right arm. But he couldn’t do both. Even using rod holders or securing the rod between his legs and resorting to simply reeling, he was missing out on the true excitement of the sport— playing and landing a big fish.
In 1986, when Nate was 15 years old and still struggling with his predicament, a possible solution presented itself. In-Fisherman magazine published an article featuring a battery-operated, motor-driven fishing reel designed to assist disabled anglers. Convinced that this would be the solution to Nate’s handicap, Doc bought one.
Naturally, Nate was ecstatic. And sure enough, it worked. Just not very well. The motor was underpowered and unable to reel in anything much heavier that the lure itself. Nate found he could pump a fish in using the rod, then try to pick up the slack with the motor as he dropped the rod for another pump. Again, the motor just wasn’t fast or powerful enough to be of much help.
But the solution was there— the hardware simply needed to be improved. And Doc Kehr set his sights on doing just that. Working with his friends in the fishing industry, as well as his contacts in the manufacturing and sourcing businesses, the M-POW-R REEL™ was born. And now, after years of design and development, Nate’s dream is a reality.
Finally, Nate has a battery-operated, motor-driven reel that performs as it should. It is powerful, reliable, durable, easy to use, and able to retrieve larger lures and spinner baits. At long last, Nate can truly enjoy the thrill of fighting and landing big fish— every bit the full fishing experience able-bodied anglers take for granted.
We at M-POW-R Fishing are very proud to make this exciting new product available for disabled and impaired anglers everywhere. We invite you to explore our website and learn more about how the M-POW-R REEL™ can help you get the most out of your precious time on the water.
We also want to convey our special thanks for their help in designing and developing the M-POW-R REEL™ to our friends Al Lindner, Dan Sura, Dave Csanda, Gary McEnelly, Jeff Zernov, Jeff Olson, Bob Slaybaugh, Rick Hammer and Mickey Johnson, without whose advice and support this product would never have been possible.