Penn Fathom 40NLDHS

[smittyfl3]

1st posting!
I have a Penn Fathom 40NLDHS and use it for off shore fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Primarily what is called the Middle Grounds.
The reel seems to require a lot of force to crank. Even when not fighting a fish.
Is / could this be a service issue or just the way it is made?
Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks

[SoCalAngler]

The 7.1:1 gears in your reel offer a lot of speed but the trade off is the loss of cranking power.

[akfish]

If you've used the reel a while, the pinion bearing may be corroded or crushed. If it's a new reel, odds are you are just feeling the force of the 7:1 gears.

[Penn]

Smitty,

The high speed Fathom was designed mainly for the White Marlin fishing on the East Coast.  These guys usually have the drag set at 10lbs or less.  If you are targeting larger fish and require more drag the high speed reel is not for you.  As stated earlier, "The 7.1:1 gears in your reel offer a lot of speed but the trade off is the loss of cranking power" is spot on.

tony

[steelfish]

The reel seems to require a lot of force to crank. Even when not fighting a fish.

check how much drag you have on strike, the more drag you have the more resistance you will feel, thats the nature of the beast.
what I used to do when I had my FT40LD2 to avoid some of the resistance is to set the reel at 25# drag at strike, but normally put the lever at 1/3 of the lever arc range, that made the reel cranking softer and effortless, but as soon as I felt any bit I moved the lever to strike and the fight was on.