Penn Fathom II Levelwind Reels

Penn’s Fathom series levelwind reels have been well proven performers with very few criticisms by folks owning these robust workhorse reels.  Like all Fathoms, they boast all metal construction with both machined and cast aluminum parts. Like all Fathoms these new reels are manufactured overseas.

For the most serious anglers, levelwinds are things we typically avoid. However, for a lot of us, charter captains included, having a levelwind on the boat for newer anglers is a huge time saver since it eliminates the biggest issue confronting an inexperienced angler – leveling the line as it comes back in on the reel. There is a “freespool” sacrifice driving that wormgear back and forth, but it’s a timesaver, too.  For those of us bottom fishing, high freespool performance is far less of an issue. The convenience of not dealing with leveling your line is a time saver and convenience with minimal sacrifice in performance.  Penn’s Fast Gear Access sideplate is another time saving convenience. Simply removing four screws gives you access to the reel’s internals, so it’s easy to grease your gears and keep your reel performing like a champ. Compared to the previous model, Penn addressed the one issue that a few of our clients mentioned they’d like to see improved – it’s much easier to get the reel into gear under a load.

LW – Levelwind, *LH – Lefty, **LC – Line Counter, *** LWLCLH Line Counter Lefty