New Penn Fathom 2 Casting Special - Ultimate Surf Fishing Reel?

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.

[JonJon-xccg]

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.

[leebyrne]

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

[alexandersharpe]

I RECEIVED MY FTH15II SDCS TODAY. I BOUGHT BECAUSE OF YOUR VIDEO. THANKS

[salmonbsuter]

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.

[Ekepaa]

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! 🤙

[Imtiyaz]

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.

[andrewmorke]

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.

[racksonable]

Some of the best rods for the price. I've been using them for years. Some 30+ years old still fishing with them.

[johntharme]

Very interesting talking about the Reel and watching the different casting with the mags on and off. Lovely surf and great video thank you. 🐟👍

[brucesr]

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

[johnsmith-xdej]

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 just found a cheap solution for the Nob Mag location issue...

[josedomin]

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.

[olafkunert]

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.

[denofearthundertheeverlast]

You might want to pick up a sweat band for your wrist, I've heard that helps with the knob grinding into it.

[eduardo_k]

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.

[andrewmorke]

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.

[joedewberry]

Excellent view of how you use "junkie hose" for the thumb protector!!!

[MattsSaltwaterFishing]

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.

[darkskyatnight]

Outstanding job. Very clear and concise!

[CurtEdwards]

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?