Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD
For Great Lakes salmon, steelhead and trout, using affordable rods is certainly possible, but skimping on the reel you clamp onto that rod can be a heart braker – and that’s even more important for diver reels than those used for ‘riggers or planers. Most “affordable” (spelled C-H-E-A-P) reels can’t hold up to the constant strain of pulling a full-size or magnum diver into the depths and then be able to smoothly become a fish fighting machine when a big king or an energized steelhead is at the end of the string.
I could cut this review short by saying the Fathom II is up to both tasks. There’s more to it than that. I’ve never had a reel with a drag so sensitive. On too many reels, you can dial a drag to go from near zero to full strength in less than a half rotation of the star-wheel on the handle. That means if you need to loosen or tighten it just a bit, the star needs to only rotate a few degrees and especially, when in the middle of fighting a “big one” it’s easy to over-correct. Not so on the Fathom II. Backing off the reel from the setting I was using to near zero required 1 ½ revolutions of the star wheel.
I like to adjust my diver reels so the drag is just holding firm as we are trolling, then give it a tiny bit more so when the fish strikes, the diver will trip and the fish can make it’s initial run on a smooth, medium drag setting. Tighten it up halfway through the battle and a bit more as most of the line is regained and the fish is pulled close to the boat.
The handle is oversized, compared to most other reels and exceedingly comfortable to grip. With a full spool, one turn of the handle will crank on more than 30 inches of line. The clicker mechanism is solid, but not overly loud. The reel’s frame and housing is metal, not composite, so it looks, feels and is rock solid.
I spooled-up with mono for early season fishing, then switched to braid as the fish went deeper. In early summer, when the fish headed to the depths, I respooled with 19-strand wire and switched to magnum divers to put them down to or below the thermocline. With a solid season of using this reel on every trip and catching countless fish, it’s still delivering “out of the box” performance and I have no doubt I’ll be able to say that again next year (and the next, and the next….). Check out the Fathom II at www.pennfishing.com. They are available at many retail outlets and through many online outlets including Amazon.
FISHING TOYS 