Our Story

After eight years in California, my wife and I moved back to Florida in search of a more self-sufficient lifestyle. We wanted to grow our own vegetables and raise our own chickens, and we dove into it with enthusiasm — building, planting, experimenting, and learning the hard way. Between nematodes, insects, fungi, excessive rain, heat, strong winds, and a couple of late frosts, we eventually ended up with the proverbial $10 tomato harvest. It was disappointing, but also clarifying. We realized that while small-scale food production is possible, it’s rarely efficient unless done at scale or purely as a hobby.

I come from a software engineering background, where optimization and efficiency are central to how I think. My wife comes from a background in photography, art, and design. From the beginning, our perspectives naturally complemented each other — function and efficiency on one side, usability, clarity, and visual communication on the other. Together, we started looking at food acquisition through that same analytical lens — accounting for labor, infrastructure, equipment costs, and energy, while keeping everything realistic at a small scale. Fishing quickly emerged as the most practical solution, especially targeting species that aren’t under heavy pressure (like catfish).

We researched everything — rods, reels, tackle, kayaks, boats — and quickly realized how easy it is to spend large amounts of money chasing relatively small returns. The math didn’t work. We deliberately kept things simple: a used kayak, basic rods, and minimal tackle. Then we started fishing local ponds and lakes. The results were inconsistent. Some days we brought home plenty of fish; other days, nothing. We noticed that success improved when we could fish multiple depths and baits at once, but traditional gear made that cumbersome. On top of that, inexpensive rods failed quickly, while better gear pushed costs beyond what made sense. The entire system was drifting away from the efficiency we were aiming for.

That frustration led us back to something familiar. I grew up fishing in Cuba and South Florida using a Cuban fishing Yo-Yo — a simple, rugged tool once widely used in Florida. The concept was powerful, but existing designs weren’t ideal for casting or freshwater fishing. We began rethinking what that tool could be. Our goal was clear: design something compact enough to fit in a pocket, capable of long casts, strong enough to land big fish, and affordable enough to stay true to our original efficiency goal.

We went through roughly thirty design iterations using 3D CAD/CAM software and rapid prototyping. We tested constantly — refining ergonomics, line capacity, casting performance, and durability — catching nearly every freshwater and inshore saltwater species found in central Florida. The Yoyito is the result of two years of near-daily testing and refinement.

As the product evolved, my wife led everything beyond the mechanics of the reel itself — product photography, branding, packaging, website design, marketing materials, and booth displays. How the Yoyito looks, feels, and communicates its purpose is as intentional as how it performs.

The original reels were hand-built using pressure-cast, heat-cured urethane resins. After selling thousands of these reels, we made the decision together to take the next step: transitioning to a precision-machined, anodized aluminum reel. Today, the Yoyito is manufactured in the U.S. by a local machine shop using state-of-the-art equipment.

What began as a personal experiment in self-sufficiency evolved into a product built around efficiency, durability, and simplicity — engineered and designed by two people solving a real problem they were living every day.