- Jul 18, 2005
- 525
- 674
- Name
- Cliff
- Boat Name
- I always go back to the Royal Star
I received my Penn Fathom 40 second generation 2 speed today and went to work on it. I opened it up, removed the spool bearing shields, cleaned and lubed them with TSI. The reel was very clean inside, not too much grease. After spooling it with spectra I was not happy with the free spool, so I opened it again and removed a single very thick machinist shim that was under the right side spool bearing. Then it had absolutely excellent free spool-rivaling any reel that I own. I got lucky on this one!
Drag numbers are 10 at strike, 29 at full. The drag lever has a much smoother function than the gen 1’s.
Some quick notes on the obvious differences: there is no left side plate (it is integrated into the frame). It is noticeably lighter than the gen 1 and the reel measured from the center of the spool to the handle is a lot narrower. These changes make the reel feel smaller than a gen 1, but because of the lower low gear ratio it should be a much more powerful reel. The drag lever and cam are plastic, but they did something that makes consistent reassembly easy: The cam can only go in one way. There are some differences inside that make it easier to assemble but are minor updates- at least to me.
There is some obvious handle resistance, more than a gen 1. Resistance is felt with the reel disassembled and is not related to side loading of bearings. I will be trying it out soon for wahoo and as a yoyo reel and will report back.
After looking at it and comparing it to my Talica 20, gen 1 Fathom 40, and Makaira 15T I think it might replace the Makaira. It is much lighter, way cheaper, has better capacity, and is a multi-function reel that is very easy to service.
EDIT: I used it for some wahoo fishing and it did ok. I caught a 40# plus wahoo on the bomb in less than 20 seconds-it never got its head turned. I will continue to use it for wahoo, but with bombs only. Larger lures make the handle too hard to turn. The same issue makes it unattractive to me as a yo-yo reel. The reel finish is substandard and will not hold up for long. I like it better than a gen1, but it has some limitations. I think I will use it for BFT/Guadalupe as a bait reel for 50-60#, and as a multi purpose reel that can fish wahoo, occasional yo-yo and knife jigs.
Drag numbers are 10 at strike, 29 at full. The drag lever has a much smoother function than the gen 1’s.
Some quick notes on the obvious differences: there is no left side plate (it is integrated into the frame). It is noticeably lighter than the gen 1 and the reel measured from the center of the spool to the handle is a lot narrower. These changes make the reel feel smaller than a gen 1, but because of the lower low gear ratio it should be a much more powerful reel. The drag lever and cam are plastic, but they did something that makes consistent reassembly easy: The cam can only go in one way. There are some differences inside that make it easier to assemble but are minor updates- at least to me.
There is some obvious handle resistance, more than a gen 1. Resistance is felt with the reel disassembled and is not related to side loading of bearings. I will be trying it out soon for wahoo and as a yoyo reel and will report back.
After looking at it and comparing it to my Talica 20, gen 1 Fathom 40, and Makaira 15T I think it might replace the Makaira. It is much lighter, way cheaper, has better capacity, and is a multi-function reel that is very easy to service.
EDIT: I used it for some wahoo fishing and it did ok. I caught a 40# plus wahoo on the bomb in less than 20 seconds-it never got its head turned. I will continue to use it for wahoo, but with bombs only. Larger lures make the handle too hard to turn. The same issue makes it unattractive to me as a yo-yo reel. The reel finish is substandard and will not hold up for long. I like it better than a gen1, but it has some limitations. I think I will use it for BFT/Guadalupe as a bait reel for 50-60#, and as a multi purpose reel that can fish wahoo, occasional yo-yo and knife jigs.
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