Sensitivity: The AC704F performs on par with other sticks I've fished at its price point in terms of sensitivity. Using fluorocarbon or braid certainly helps, but I also used this rod with some specialized, topwater line by Lucky Craft (spooled on a Scorpion 71HG) to get a sense of its performance in other conditions.

Fig 1 : The chart above illustrates the deflection characteristics of our Denali Rods Attax Series AC704F against a couple of our baseline heavy powered sticks.

Power: Denali's Attax AC704F lined up almost perfectly with our heavy powered baseline stick, a legacy G.Loomis MBR844C GLX and another one of our favorites, Daiwa's Tatula TAT721HFB. It has really good backbone for setting the hook yet softens up nicely once the battle is on. The AC704F is very reminiscent of a traditional heavy powered stick pretty much validating our initial assessment back at the lab.

A look at the AC704F's open ended hook keeper.

During my experiment with the TroutGlider bait, a fish actually struck the bait as I was working it back to the boat on a test cast! I didn't swing too terribly hard because I was only using 12lb test, but that Seaguar Tatsu refused to give in as the AC704F arched under the strain. I think the fish didn't quite know what to make of the situation because it didn't fight too terribly hard. Turned out to be about a four or five pound largemouth that rolled right in thanks to my combo. A few pictures later and the fish was released so it could return to its duties getting ready for the Spring!

Another look at the reel seat reveals an odd shaped trigger.

Design & Ergonomics: My initial impression of the AC704F was that it was a bit tip heavy, so I was anxious to get it into the lab, get it measured up, and crunch the numbers in comparison to some other sticks in our database. What I discovered was this stick weighs in at a very respectable four and a half ounces (4.5oz) but has a balance point or roughly ten and a half inches (10.5") up from the midline of the reel seat. Its balancing torque number is 0.27. By comparison, Daiwa's Tatlula TAT721HFB had a balancing torque number of 0.19 yet is two inches longer than the AC704F. So that initial tip heavy assessment was warranted.

I thought it might be too vertical and therefore uncomfortable to fish.

This detail aside, I like the length of this rod's rear handle - it seems a bit short which probably contributes to that tip-heavy feel, but that aspect is great when you're pitching because the butt end of the rod doesn't come back to jam you in the side or forearm. Additionally, the Winn golf grip material is really comfortable, stays tacky when its wet, and is really easy to wash off. It's a material gaining a lot of traction as an alternative to cork and EVA on rod grips and for good reason. It performs really well.

But as it turned out, I didn't really notice after awhile.

Price & Applications: Denali does something I really appreciate with each of their rod series and that's to set a flat price for all the rods in each series. It just makes sense and helps set expectations when looking for a different rod in the same series. All Attax series rods are priced at $119.99.

If you value your warranty, do not throw baits outside of the rod's rating. For us, it's just better to be lucky than good.

Conclusion: Denali's Attax AC704F is a nice choice for anyone looking to get into a heavy powered rod but doesn't want or have big dollars to invest. Not to say $120 is a drop in the bucket, but it's certainly not something you need an enthusiast tier budget to afford. This stick has a traditional power curve but really shines when you're casting or pitching a bait to your spot. The new grip material is another good decision by Denali leaning on alternative materials that work and possibly even out perform some of the mainstays especially when it comes to ease of maintenance. Denali is making a move with their new Attax series.

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