Are Ryobi Fishing Reels Made By The Same Company As Ryobi Tools?

For most of us, Ryobi is a brand known for its wide assortment of power tools, outdoor equipment, and appliances. Ryobi offers a range of must-have hand tools for home mechanics that showcase its solid reputation in the DIY homeowner and light-duty professional market. However, what many do not know about the company is that it once had a foothold in the fishing tackle business.

If you take a closer look at the history of Ryobi, you will find that the Japanese firm ventured into many other business opportunities after starting as a die-casting manufacturer in 1943. In its first decade, the company focused on die casting for the military and automobile industries. Then, it branched out into assembling cameras and copy machines, as well as producing printing presses and other products. In the late 1960s, Ryobi found its niche when it began manufacturing power tools. But before committing fully to this venture, the company tried its hand at making fishing tackle and even found success while doing so.

By 1975, Ryobi was becoming a household name for its fishing tackle and other products, such as golfing goods. However, at the turn of the millennium, Ryobi offloaded both ventures amid a new strategy, seeking to focus on its areas of strength while eliminating less profitable businesses. Ryobi sold off its fishing gear business to Johshuya Co. Ltd. Hence, Ryobi-branded fishing reels sold beyond 2000 are no longer made by the namesake brand.

Ryobi is no stranger to sunsetting some of its products. In fact, the company has discontinued a number of its tools for various reasons. But its fishing tackle business was a different case. For a while, Ryobi was among the top fishing tackle brands in Japan, alongside Daiwa and Shimano. However, the company was eager to improve its profitability at the start of the 21st century as part of its Sound Management Plan, introduced in 2000. Ryobi did not explicitly state that its fishing gear products were not doing well, but it eventually sold its fishing business to Johshuya on September 30, 2000.

In November 2008, Johshuya entered an agreement with Weihai Ryobi International Trading Co., authorizing the latter to manufacture and sell Ryobi-branded reels and rods worldwide except for Japan. On its website, Ryobi issued a clarification, saying it is no longer involved with the production and sales, as well as the after-sales service of the Ryobi-branded fishing gear. Meanwhile, Weihai Ryobi International has indicated online that it is responsible for the research, development, and engineering of the newer fishing tools. This means all of the new Ryobi reels are not related to Ryobi Tools at all. But in case you're wondering, you can still buy original Ryobi-made fishing tackle today; you'll just have to scour marketplaces such as eBay and Etsy to find used examples.