Penn Fathom LD 2-Speed: Service Tutorial and First Look.

Started by johndtuttle, September 06, 2014, 12:31:12 AM

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Penn

Quote from: Natarach on April 17, 2018, 01:53:12 PM
Quote from: Penn on April 17, 2018, 01:13:03 PM
Quote from: Natarach on April 17, 2018, 03:26:04 AM
Hello. This is my first post and I need help

I have Fathom15 lever drag (single speed) and I feel it has "noticeable feeling of hard to turn handle " when I set more preset and push the lever to Strike or Full position  

But when I set low preset the handle can turn easier as same as star drag reels (I only set the preset knob while lever  at the Free position)

This reel  is my first lever drag reel  I am not sure this situation always occur with all the lever drag reels? And it is rarely user of Penn fathom lever drag in my country so I sak here ( sorry if it is seems silly)

Thank you
Natarach





Natarach,

Lever drag reels and their drag system are nothing similar to star drag reels.  With a star drag you can crank the drag down as much as you want and in most cases not notice any difference in handle resistance. With a lever drag, especially a small one like the 15 you will notice as the drag gets tighter the handle resistance gets harder, this is perfectly normal.  I would suggest using a drag scale and checking what your drag is set at, it shouldn't be set any more than 13lbs at strike.  Our Fathom LD's use a thrust bearing which helps reduce the amount of handle resistance (especially compared to the competition) but it will not go away completely.  

tony

Hello Tony

Thank you very much for the explanation . I feel better now :D

Anyway are you really  Penn's staff?  I am new member here so sorry for asking somehing weired.

Yes I am, I am the PENN Parts and Service Manager working out of Philadelphia.  You will also see posts from Tunanorth who is PENN Pro-Staff/Ambassador. 

tony

Natarach

Thank you tony and Keta


By the way tony ,would you please give me some knoeledge about this ?

Quote from: Natarach on April 17, 2018, 12:57:05 PM
One more question

If I feel the drag at "strike" position is too lose and at "Full" position  is too tight .

This cant be help right ? Because I think it is determine by the shape of "two washer" (I dont know what to call it) between the preset knob and the Lever

Or there is an solution?

Thank you so much
Natarach

Thank you
Natarach

Penn

You can try adjusting the shim amount in between the 2 washers (154B on the schematic) to adjust the drag curve.

tony

Natarach

Quote from: Penn on April 17, 2018, 03:16:27 PM
You can try adjusting the shim amount in between the 2 washers (154B on the schematic) to adjust the drag curve.

tony

Thank you tony

SoCalAngler

#94
You really need a scale to set your drags correctly IMO. Penn said 13 lbs at strike, for me that setting would be for 40 lb test. The Fathom 15 would not be my first choice for a 40 lb test reel. Not that it is a bad reel I just like something bigger for 40 lb test and above.

I set all my LD reels at 1/4 to 1/3 of the weakest of the lines on my reel, be it the backing or topshot/leader. I set that amount at the strike position. Lets just say the weakest line on your reel is 30 lb test. For me I would set the drag at strike position between 7.5 to 10 lbs. I'm sure if you set your reel this way the handle resistance will be minimal when cranking the reel.

I like to use the strike position this way because of a few things. First, I know where my drag is set at and know this position will be where most of the fighting of the fish will be done. Second, If I ever need more drag for any reason all I have to do is move the lever past strike to get it. Third, If I want less drag I don't have to move my lever all the way to strike.

To me it sounds like you may be turning the preset too much for the lever and exceeding the max 13 lbs at strike for this reel. This will make the handle harder to crank at strike, even harder as you move the lever past strike and again even harder as you move the lever towards full. Be careful not to do this as this can damage any LD reels.

Natarach

Quote from: SoCalAngler on April 18, 2018, 02:12:46 AM
You really need a scale to set your drags correctly IMO. Penn said 13 lbs at strike, for me that setting would be for 40 lb test. The Fathom 15 would not be my first choice for a 40 lb test reel. Not that it is a bad reel I just like something bigger for 40 lb test and above.

I set all my LD reels at 1/4 to 1/3 of the weakest of the lines on my reel, be it the backing or topshot/leader. I set that amount at the strike position. Lets just say the weakest line on your reel is 30 lb test. For me I would set the drag at strike position between 7.5 to 10 lbs. I'm sure if you set your reel this way the handle resistance will be minimal when cranking the reel.

I like to use the strike position this way because of a few things. First, I know where my drag is set at and know this position will be where most of the fighting of the fish will be done. Second, If I ever need more drag for any reason all I have to do is move the lever past strike to get it. Third, If I want less drag I don't have to move my lever all the way to strike.

To me it sounds like you may be turning the preset too much for the lever and exceeding the max 13 lbs at strike for this reel. This will make the handle harder to crank at strike, even harder as you move the lever past strike and again even harder as you move the lever towards full. Be careful not to do this as this can damage any LD reels.

Thank you SoCalAngler for the advice  :D

Since this is my first lever drag reel What I noticed about the resistance of cranking the handle maybe actually just a little resistance compared with the other lever drag reels (but I never try other) I just feel it is different from  star drag reels and that resistance relate to the preset

Thank you again for you guys here you are really awesome angler and very nice to newbie like me.  ;D






Natarach

Hi everyone :D

I tested the drag by lifting  water bottle (5lbs weight) and found that

set the drag at only 5lbs  is tight enough to bend the Berkley dual flex med- heavy action 8'  to the  point that Im afraid it will break  :P

Just realized that 5-6 lbs drag is tighter than I imagine because in the past I only set the drag by feel it


johndtuttle

#97
Quote from: Natarach on April 21, 2018, 03:04:57 PM
Hi everyone :D

I tested the drag by lifting  water bottle (5lbs weight) and found that

set the drag at only 5lbs  is tight enough to bend the Berkley dual flex med- heavy action 8’  to the  point that Im afraid it will break  :P

Just realized that 5-6 lbs drag is tighter than I imagine because in the past I only set the drag by feel it




Yep. Its not "5#" pressure when you are holding a rod, the lever of the rod makes 5# feel like 20# or more in your hand.

If you set your drag so that you can lift a 15# weight with your rod (a real 15# of drag setting) it will feel like 45-50# or more holding the rod (lever working against you) and of course, break many rods. Virtually everyone is shocked when they first try this.

This is also why fishing 15# of drag is best done on 60# of line regularly, or at least 40# if rarely used or for short durations...during a real fight with a real fish that amount of pressure will break the line or knots over time....you can really only get away with 15# of drag with 40# for brief and short fights or a lot of angler skill etc etc.

25% of the rated breaking strength of the weakest line has been a rule for a long time, based on experience with real fish.

This is also why true big game reels (for fishing 25# of drag day in and day out for years) are built like tanks like a Penn International.

:D

handi2

Concerning drag ratings I have a Shimano drag scale mounted to a vise in my shop. I use it for checking the drag straight off the reel.

When a customer comes in asking about the drag on his or her reel this is what I do.

I have the reel on a rod and have them pull as hard a they can. 95% of the time its 20lbs. That's all they can pull with the rod bent double.
OCD Reel Service & Repair
Gulf Breeze, FL

spize909

I borrowed a 30ld2 from my buddy and when I got it his handle was bent. He'd landed a couple 50-70 lb bft on it a few weeks ago and handed off his 3rd fish so he's not real sure what happened but it was bent pretty bad. Anyway I told him I'd order a handle and swap it out for him. I am at this point and not sure how this plate is removed? As near as I can tell is should just pull off? I can find any type of clip holding it on?


spize909

I figured it out.....the piece is a lot thinner then I thought.

Chrishb7

Hello all. Took my fathom 40nld2 apart to clean bearings. Noticed there was only one Belleville distance washer 154b and the parts guide states there's supposed to 2 in between the spring washers. Was wondering if I need to order another washer or will or not make a difference
Chris

Penn

Chris,

Is this reel new or been fished?  Check under the click ratchet (66A).  Sometimes the one gets stuck under there.  

tony

Chrishb7

It's brand new never fished. I only found the one washer. Ordered another one to fit between there. Just thought it was weird and am wondering since the original picture looks like only one in there but the parts picture shows 2

Penn

Quote from: Chrishb7 on November 22, 2019, 10:53:30 PM
It's brand new never fished. I only found the one washer. Ordered another one to fit between there. Just thought it was weird and am wondering since the original picture looks like only one in there but the parts picture shows 2

There should definitely be two, John's pic from the first page is below.  The 2 washers to the right are the Bellville washers    

https://alantani.com/gallery/17/medium_9308_05_07_17_7_29_10.jpeg

tony