New Penn Fathom 2 Casting Special - Ultimate Surf Fishing Reel?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 พ.ย. 2019
- After waiting many months and multiple phone calls, I finally got a hold of the Penn Fathom 2 casting Special. This reel is a game changer, it has everything a surf fishing reel needs. A knobby mag, line capacity, high speed bearings, and a big drag. Not every reel is perfect, but this reel is almost perfect.
Merch: eliteaffishing.bigcartel.com/...
Are you gonna buy it?
Beach Bomber Fishing cant buy what my competition buys.. sorry bud ☺️
hell yeah buddy
Looks like I will be upgrading from my ole Penn 525 mag!
Totally gonna buy one. I'm gonna build my first casting surf combo.
@@beachbum6351 I'll stick with the squall's.....no complaints....inexpensive.....light weight and fast
Awesome reels, good review, but in order to combat the mag digging your wrist you can convert the knobby off the older Penn 525, works a treat and makes a good reel great
Hell yeah bro!! Been waiting for this review!! Dope and very informative video!
I have been watching your videos for years and really appreciate what you do. I too am a conventional surf caster but want to touch base on some different approaches. I use abu 6500 mag and 7000 reels but also have the old school penn 525 the new penn 525 and the penn fathom 15 cs. Usually I turn the mag completely off and then adjust the spool tension a tad looser than dropping the weight to the ground from about 4 feet so that a couple of loops over spin to start then loosen to find the sweet spot from there. I use a pendulum cast but sling it to the side with some force to get a solid tug before start the cast. I have noticed that braid acts like a break compared to high tech polymer mono so I use braid as backing and then mono with about 20 yards or so of a leader. As I cast I wait for the lead to almost hit the water THEN I TURN THE MAG ON to stop the cast. Last year I was getting over 700 feet but it was short lived when I changed my line to braid and then could only cast around 350 to my dismay. Well I am back up to around 500 feet and retracing what I did to get the big distance, outstretching the arms is a big contribution you don't want your elbows bent when casting. I currently have 15lb polymer on an ABU 6500 mag that gives me around 200 yards and can almost empty the spool with an 11 ft rod. Still I only turn the mag on near the end... its very strong and stops the cast dead in its tracks. I have better luck with the new penn 525 mag cause I can loosen the spool more than this reel which I had to take the polymer off cause it was spinning too fast for it and put the braid and leader only back on.
Excellent review!!! Great information!
Great videos, keep putting them out. I love the comments at 5:33 about drag and video, them boys from oz are right about that.
That sound is the best part!
Great video! I haven’t had a chance to use it yet but looking forward to testing those rare earth magnets
Thank you for this review.
I'm thinking about buying a multiplier reel for beach fishing but it would be my first.
Here in Germany multipliers are not that common so I can't ask anybody to learn about it.
This video helped me a lot.
Great review! thanks! picked up 2
Very interesting talking about the Reel and watching the different casting with the mags on and off. Lovely surf and great video thank you. 🐟👍
Nice reel and rod glad you like it bro .
I can't wait for the next production run on these little beasts. You can't buy them anywhere right now. Penn totally underestimated the popularity of this reel.
Fantastic review. Surf fisher to surf fisher you know your reels.
looks like a very nice set up
I went and bought the fathom casting special last month and put it on a penn carnage 12ft and I was surprised to not have any wiggle room on the reel seat
With limited stock right now at most places I've been debating on which new reels to pull the trigger on. I've got 2 13-foot HDX from breakaway. Looking to throw reels on these rods that will be perfect for surf. I've narrowed it down to either saltist (blue 2018s) or fathom 2 cs. From the video it looks like you stated that the fathom 2 special casting won't fit the HDX? Because I'm leaning towards that reel because it's got the mag from the factory but if it won't fit that's not an option. If that's true the other thing I can locate is the saltist blue 20 and the saltist blue 40. Am I right in saying that the 20s not going to be enough line capacity? Can the saltist 40 be launched or is it too big to get close to 100yds cast out of? (Never seen any of your videos with you casting a 40). Either saltist necessary to be mono magged?
Just trying to make a decision to pull the trigger this week on either a couple saltist 20, saltist 40, or fathom 2 casting special for my 2 HDX 13s....
Price difference makes sense though, mag aftermarket is 20 atleast without fitting, bearings another 20 atleast, larger spool aswell so your looking at 50-60 bare minimum easily. Plus that access plate is going to make a huge difference to maintenence.
Just picked one up yesterday at Roy's Bait and Tackle in Corpus ($249). Just so everyone knows, you can get a "flush mount mag knob for dcs penn" from Hatteras Jack. I just got off the phone with Ryan at HJ and he's gonna get one in the mail to me in a couple days.
Sick info as always
Thanks man!
Excellent view of how you use "junkie hose" for the thumb protector!!!
Just got mine today, had to order it from the U.K. A lot smaller than I thought it would be but I like it
Nice content! I just ordered a 15 sizes fathom casting special. I have been using 50lb braided line on my Abu 7500 for the past 6 years with no problems. Does this reel do good with braided line when using it on a 12' heaver?
16:10 closed captions haha the ocean applauses you!
Some of the best rods for the price. I've been using them for years. Some 30+ years old still fishing with them.
I RECEIVED MY FTH15II SDCS TODAY. I BOUGHT BECAUSE OF YOUR VIDEO. THANKS
ordered mine thanks for review , roys in tx site says in stock and anchor getting shipment on 11th fyi as of todays date.12/6/2019
Great video, for the reel seat can you go down in size to smaller carriage bolts, may just give you enough room, are you in N Carolina, I am in South Florida
Hatteras Jack tackle shop OBX NC sell the replacement mag knob for it. It more plush and no issue
That's an awesome surf casting reel got to have one good video
It's the perfect reel if you can ignore the 3 cons in my opinion
I agree
Nice video! I'm from South Africa! What is that rubber stopper thing you use on the line when casting? We cast a multiplier without it. Do you buy it separately, I'm assuming it's for thumb protection to prevent shafing? We also have a shorter butt on our surf rods. It's meant to increase power and distance when casting. Not sure if it makes a difference.
It is surgical tubing. I use it to grip the spool to cast harder and to prevent my thumb from burning when stopping the spool.
You can get the reel to fit larger rods by using a large Durans fishing products reel seat bracket, check them out on line.
Have you tried out an Avet sx Mc? Not super big profile but does cast amazing and is a hell of a tank for it size. I have two of them paired up to penn prevail 11’ rods to use down at PINS. Super light setup but with great backbone which handles 4oz Sputnik weight plus bait and cast pass the breakers with ease. Good video man!
I soaked the spool bearings and blew them with air, then a drop of speed X and the difference is insane.
I bought two and put a dual handle on one, love the double handle
Nice man! I actually just cleaned out the bearings, man the difference is remarkable! I bet the dual handle looks and feels great!
Where did you find the double handle?
@@otroflores91 I ordered it from my parts supplier; Mysticisle. Its from the level wind.
DUDE!!! Hatteras Jack's is the place to go! They helped me out pretty good on my trip out.
You need to give Senko skipper a lesson in what tackle people use everywhere else in the world.
And on the subject of the mag knob. Chris Macey in the UK has done a mod where he fits a much smaller mag knob
un detalle a tenere en cuenta con el Penn Fathom II 12/15 SD es que no podrá utilizarlo en una caña con portacarrete a cremallera ya que el diseño del reel impide ajustar y cerrar la palanca de la cremallera. a detail to have in mind with the Penn Fathom II 12/15 SD is that you will not be able to use it in a rod with a rack reel because the design of the reel prevents adjusting and closing the lever of the zipper.
Nice video man. What size leader are you using? And plus what the best surf rig for surf fishing I’m fairly new to surf fishing
Good review, bro.
Steal a piece of 1/16th and 1/8 Cork Tape from your Friendly Rod Builder 4" long trim them to shape of reel foot. 1/16 th first try it under the reel, if after you tighten it it still wobbles try the 1/8th inch. Peel the backing off clean the foot with alcohol and stick it on the foot.
What a great idea! Thank you!
So what's the final verdict? Buy and modify (swap out the protruding knob for the flush version)? And given the issues with the platform itself is there even a surf rod that will fit it for East or West coast surf fishing conditions?
I bet they were thinking of the bar style rod clamps when designing. Most long casters I've seen don't use regular reel seats because they can't adjust position along the rod. But that's just speculation
You might want to pick up a sweat band for your wrist, I've heard that helps with the knob grinding into it.
Thank you for the suggestion!
@@BeachBomberFishing how is this reel working out for you?
The knob still bothering you?
I have the fathom 30 and 40. love them both.
This casting special would great on a oceanmaster
I think penn updated these casting specials with a smaller knob... but I could
Be wrong
Replace it with the adjuster from the Fathom2 SD
nice reel , im in the uk fish mixed ground , i prefer to use coasters not reel seats. im not sure what its called but rough textured grip rubber tight to the blank makes for slimmer blank where reel sits this is how the last rod i bought was it was a century bristol chanell special lovely rod.
Great video. This reel isn’t available. I don’t have any gear and we just got a house ocean side on Melbourne beach by Sebastian inlet. What should I get to fish this whole entire weekend from the beach?
Happy birthday man!! wow thats a lot of drag! awesome videos! keep em coming!
I really enjoyed this video when you produced it 2 years ago and enjoyed it again when I reviewed it again recently. The thought occurred to me that maybe it would be worth doing a follow up review now to see how you feel about it now? Do you still have it? If you do what have you done to address the three cons you discussed at the end of the video? How did you like it when compared to the more recent acquisition of your Squall that you seemed to speak so highly about? Do you feel up to the task of doing the follow up, I’m sure a lot of people would be very curious to know how you feel about the reel now!
I got some am fishing lures they work great thank you
Probably would fit on a Penn Prevail, how convenient.which I have 1. I use a old slosh 20, with Penn Prevail, 17 pnd. Mono, 50lb. Shock leader, at the obx. I only use it 3months out of the year so it works for me. Nice videos by the way. Learn some new info.
It would definitely fit on a penn prevail. The slosh is a great reel man! This fathom 2 is the reel deal though. Thanks for watching
I am a fan of the Seigler SM Star Mag, and I have three of them. I wonder how does this Penn compares to the Seigler SM.
Look at you big baller! Idk man, I couldn't afford a siegler when they were released.
The reel foot is definitely a negative issue because you can't use the brace on surf casters. Same deal with the Warfare 20LW. Apparently Penn designed it as a boat reel but they should have been aware of this issue before shipping a special addition surf caster. Also the magnet adjustment knob is really in a bad position...that's gonna leave a mark.
Got stoked on surf casting big baits with a level wind after watching Penn's South African reps on TH-cam casting with 16-18 foot sticks. Now I'm stuck with my 8000 spinning reel because the foot is so short that it doesn't feel stable and I'm afraid I'll break the reel seat if I crank it down any more. Maybe could use a stainless steel hose clamp???
Super sick, i want one
haha awesome casting dude. hope you'll land some solid fish off the beach
Yep getting it and hatteras jack is where i get my rods
Nice man! What rod you gonna pair it with?
@@BeachBomberFishing not sure im going to try a few out but i really like my surf machine for my spinning setup may have to get one for this too
@@t_aoutdoors2962 now that's a hell of a rod from what I've read.
Now that was some serious casting!!! Yeah if the mag would have been on the bottom of the reel then you wouldn't have to worry about it digging into your wrist when you hold the rod right above the reel seat.
For reel man!
@@BeachBomberFishing that had to be an engineering oversight.
It may be the placement that works the best to brake the spool, case in point disc brakes have moved on cars so they stop better and flatter.
Will left side plate fit if you spin 1/4 turn so knob is down and to the rear or will only fit one way?
btw you are right on the Nob Mag location its annoying....Seigler SS have it on the right corner of the plate hence you dont have rhat problem......update: just found a cheap solution for the Nob Mag location issue...
How does this compare to the old 525 Mag? Because of the Mag weakness on the 525 I had to go with Hatteras Jacks Magnetic adaptation to help slow it down.
Love a lot of your content. Looked on the site looking for a left handed reel couldnt find one. Do you know legit site to find a lefty. Why i say left just got off a charter and had i right handed reel not only my first time but very uncomfortable using weak hand reeling in good size fish. .
Sea angling did a fantastic review of the new penn and the new akios nitro. Penn vs akios nitro.
What kind of fishing line do you use and what brand for catching small shark and red drum surf fishing
I bought one and ordered the Squall mag dial at the same time and didn't even try fishing with that knob sticking out there like it is. No problems with it all all. Kind of a pain but what reel is perfect?
I want this reel to use for throwing 3-4 oz metal jigs at yellowtail, bonito, and calico bass. Most people use the fathom 25 because you can get 100yards of 40lb mono on top of your 50-60lb braid. Wonder how much 40 mono I can get on top of 200yards of 50lb braid. Also worried about the magnet burying into my wrist like you mentioned. Especially if I'm going to be casting up to 5hours on a boat for gamefish. Might just have to get normal 15 and run very short leaders or get the bigger 25. Let me know how much the magnet bothers you after fighting a couple big fish.
For west-coast surface iron jig casting, you would be much better served to go with the FTHII25N". You can choose from the 4.8-1 or 6-1 gear ratio versions.
Take the screws for the clamp out, and use a reel seat on the rod, or coasters
I’m looking to get my first conventional reel and I’m split between this fathom and the squall 15CS. I’ll use it more for fresh water stuff but I’ll bring it with me to the beach. The squall is $100 less than the fathom. Would the fathom actually be worth it?
Get the squall cs bro. It's the same thing, except the body is carbon.
Great review bro, the UK guys are saying the exact same thing about the mag knob digging into the wrist, otherwise the perfect reel. I am going to hold off, all the top guys and reviewers are shouting loud about the prob. Penn has to change it, the fix is just swapping the knob position with the ratchet switch. Once Penn do this, which they HAVE to, then I'll buy.
I watched a bunch it uk videos. You are right, they are also having the same problem. I wonder if Penn is going to fix that though?
@@BeachBomberFishing A quick fix for the reel seat issue is just wrapping some insulation/electrical tape around the reel foot, but as you say at the price range shouldn't have to, an akios 757 ctm or omoto chief ctm will do everything the penn will, although not as cool looking and not quite as much drag but they have 22 lbs which is plenty enough.
Ima run 80lb suffix braid on that beast!!
Hi great video. If you still have this reel would appreciate if could give me the inside measurements of the reel clamp studs/bolts. would like to see which rod i can fit it on
Can you make a video on how to tie a shock leader? Does it only work with mono or braid?
hot dang tackle direct said they had some...i ordered it last night. !!!! :)
How do you know how much to tighten up your spool tensioner? How stiff/weight rating of a rod do you use.
Good Video. Nice footage. Might be a good Idea to get a cheap mic pack for better audio at the beach though.
21:19 quality control chap 🙂
That Shimano tallus ulua rod is a bad rod! We use that back home in Hawaii for giant trevally (ulua) Hawaiian name. That rod was built to Hawaiian angler specs for GT off the rocks. Using slide bait. Love your videos! 🤙
Hah, man I was just gonna email you about this reel to see if you've heard about it yet! Looks like you're well ahead of it. Hard to get one of these bad boys right now but I might pick one up when they become more available.
BTW: Apparently the more line capacity comes from eliminating the thumbing flange. Size appears to be the same as the normal version. www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/topic/764320-new-product-launch-penn-fathom-ii-star-drags/?page=2#comment-14189808
I use a Seigler SM for surf fishing with a 12ft rod I cast close to 80- 100 yards with 3 oz sinker
I bet if you add some more weight, you could probably cast farther depending on your rod. That is some great distance though!
Bob Scruggs 8 and bait here bro we cast 120 easy
When the surf gets rough we use 5 oz max here on the treasure coast of Florida
What kind of distance you think you can get w a 10-11ft rod and a 5oz weight? 150 yards??
Fishing stickers=50 extra yards.. car stickers equal 50 extra horsepower 😂😂
Lmfao thats exactly right
Hopefully I get them in stock soon at bass
Any deals on the goretex rain gear bro?
Serious reel! I have one on a Carolina Cast Pro 11’ rod. I’m disappointed it’s made in China, still high quality though.
Can the mag side plate be rotated
Hey man thanks for the upload. I'm in Australia and no one uses overhead or conventional reels here because of the onshore winds. Was wondering what your thoughts on that are? And are these as durable as something like the spheros? What would recommend for throwing lures at the beach over and over again? Cheers.
Two questions. 1st what’s the song !! 2nd what mods were you talking about doing ?? Hope to hear back
Im looking at this reel and the diawa saltist. What are your thoughts??
Up here in the OBX, we don't use the surgical rubber for a thumb stop or for casting, how do you attach it , I know you cut an slide over your reel mount. Any help would be appreciated.
Ok - gotcha, when you showed the narrow reel seats.
Late to the party but I just ordered one of these I'm excited lol
Beach Bomber Fishing Have you tried the Akios Nitron from the UK. thought you would be intersted as you like your akios reels. The Nitron is Akios take on the fathom.
I read Akios have sent test versions out to the us with bigger handles and bigger drags than the uk version.
I have read and viewed a couple of videos in regards to the nitron. The sea angling magazine reviews seemed to have had a negative review. I would love to get my hands on the us version.
@@BeachBomberFishing Akios listened to the reviewers feedback. The spool is now similar capacity the the fathom 2, there is no gap for line to get stuck, and a power handle is supposedly coming out.
I have one and its just as good as the penn but in a different way. Its lighter, it has a 2 anti reverse bearings, an Anti reverse bearing and a silent dawg tooth and the spindle is thicker in the akios.
How about the shimano speed master 2? How do you think it would compare?
Can you give a little info on the rubber hose that you are using to stop the spool? I have never seen that before but looks like an awesome trick.
That rubber thing on his real is for pussies who don’t know how to cast.
Can you not turn the side plate round with the mag knob on so it doesn't sit against your wrist?
nice reel and great video . what type of rod is that ,
Is this reel available in the states? I can’t seem to locate and it is not even on Penn Fishing’s website
Any recommendations?
Might be sold out. Penn seems to sell out of these when they come out.
Any chance you can do a shootout between the Fathom II 15 casting special and the Akios 666 Shuttle? Good thing Penn went with mags on the Fathom II 15 because they work so much better than the old centrifugal brakes. I sold my Fathom 25 because I disliked the stock centrifugal brakes at all settings, and replaced it with an Akios 757 CTM.
I have a 666, the fathom is a much better fishing reel than the akios. I will say that rhe akios is probably the better caster.
@@BeachBomberFishing Thanks for that info. I was wondering because I have the Akios 757 CTM and find it very easy to cast long distances. The Akios gets about 10% more distance than my Fathom 15, and about 5% more than my Squall 15 with ceramic ABEC 7 bearings. The Fathom reels seem more rugged and have a stronger drag though. Though, frankly, these are all very nice reels.
I agree with you, the akios are good reels for small game fishing. They're great casting reels for sure. I had the 757, I did not like it; the frame started to corrode, I got a ton of line trapment between the frame and spool, the clicker was weak, and way too bulky for the spool size.
The fathom is a fishing reel, i definitely wouldn't use it for tournament casting. The entire reel is too big, and the spool is heavier.
Interested to know what you would suggest as the best rod to pair it with?
Great video.
I got a question for you.
I have the same reel with a 12 foot rod. Every cast the spool blows up and birds nest unless I just barely cast it.
I have the mag set at max mag all the way clockwise and the spool tension pretty tight probably 10 clicks past no side to side spool movement.
I can barely put any muscle into it without the spool blowing up. Thumbing it just burns my thumb up and using the surgical tubing I seem to cast it to hard and still have problems.
I had better luck and could actually turn the mag to about half way off when I had the spool only half filled and only had to thumb it when it hit the water.
What could I be doing wrong?
Thanks.
you might need to re-spool it entirely, and make sure you have line tension so the line stays tight on the spool
@@toiletthug8451 I ended up adding a couple drops of reel oil on the spool bearings and fit a tiny neo mag under the mag plate problem solved for the most part. Eventually will try using 65lb braid, or 17lb mono, and or not casting so hard.
I keep the mag at 4 clicks with the spool tension 1 click from no spool movement.
Also noticed that this was worse with lighter weights which I am guessing that it can't pull the line off fast enough.
Do casting reels such as the Squall and Fathom series not have the adjuster that moves the line left and right when reeling back in? If so, can you recommend any?
These are open caged reels, they don't have "level winds". You get much more distance with these than the level wind reels you are thinking of. You only have to learn to lay the line on the spool yourself when reeling. It's a pain at first but do it enough and you won't even know you are doing it. Take the plunge.
I can't figure out why mags on conventional reels don't catch on in the US. I searched this one online and most of the sites that have it are in the UK or Europe. I want one.
What about the other fathom ii, would it be better since the knobby won’t be in the way of reeling?
It has about 100 yards less line capacity. Besides that, its basically the same.
Ok thanks, I still don’t know wich one to get, they both seem great
Almost bought the penn squall what do you think
Hello Friend! congratulations. which fishing rod do you use?
I've never seen that tube you use when casting. Can you explain why you use it?