Mark Tyler's Sig Series Denali Rods from Bass East on Vimeo.
The Making of a Signature Series Rod
By Mark Tyler
I designed this series with one thing in mind…versatility. I wanted a true multi-purpose Rod. I love to keep things simple and consistent, especially with my tackle. I don’t want twelve different manufacturers’ rods on my deck, all different lengths, actions, reel seats and totally different feels. That’s just a cluster. I like to have a consistent feel and length when I pick up one rod to the next. So to me, my priority was designing a rod that could encompass many different baits, lure weights, and techniques.
It is very difficult to reach a happy medium between power for hook penetration and forgiveness for landing percentage. It’s hard to get it all done with one rod! Nothing is ever perfect…but we came darn close! This is how we did it….
To me the rod starts with the reel seat. You hold that thing for 8+ hours a day, your hand better be comfortable. My favorite reel seat is a Fuji ACS Deluxe. It has a sculpted mold for two fingers that your hand just melts into. There was no compromise; I wanted this reel seat which I feel is the best on the market.
Reel seats are easy, it’s the blank that gets the job done and we were asking a lot of this new design blank to accomplish all the different tasks I wanted it to do. In order to be both powerful and forgiving, I knew we needed a new concept in blank design. I wanted to throw a Carolina-rig, senkos, frog, topwaters and crankbait...all in one rod! They thought I was nuts! Well, we’ll see.
In order to accomplish all this I chose a rod blank that was slightly more parabolic than most bass rods. Most bass rods are extremely fast action, that is they bend quick at the tip but quit bending down the rod very quickly. They are tip only rods, which are usually very brittle and not very durable.
The Denali MT series line is built around a moderate fast action blank so the rod bends throughout the entire center of the blank. Great for achieving forgiveness with barely hooked fish. A rod that bends in a perfect parabolic arch has a much better landing percentage. Typically moderate/ fast action rods are great for treble hooked baits, but lack power for single hooked baits when you need hookset penetration (jigs, senkos, etc).
In order for me to have a rod to accomplish both (forgiveness and power) we made the moderate/fast action blank thicker walled. What does that mean? It is a thin diameter blank (to be light) but the walls are thicker than most blanks its diameter. So it’s a moderate/ fast action with a thick wall blank that gives it power. The thicker wall eliminates any issues of the rod being brittle, so it is extremely durable. A thin diameter light weight, but durable multi-purpose rod? Yes, I love it!
I have been a proponent of longer rods for my entire career. I started out using 7’ rods for everything. Ten years ago that was a large rod. Now manufacturers are making available longer model rods as they gain popularity. The MT Series Denali is not 7’4” by accident. Through extensive tests, we found this length to further compliment all the multi-tasking duties we wanted from this rod. The long length aids in casting distance, line recovery on hooksets, and control of hooked fish. I feel a perfect length for multi-tasking. This rod has all the benefits of length, yet is still short enough to point at the water and work a Zara Spook. The Mark Tyler Denali MultiPurpose Heavy is a great Zara Spook rod!
The MT Series Denali will be available in 7’4” length only. There will be a 7’4” Heavy, and Medium/Heavy. The 7’4” heavy I use for Carolina-rigs, Senkos, small and mid size swimbaits, Zara Spooks and other large topwaters, big crankbaits, etc. The Medium/Heavy will cover a smaller senko, lighter jig, weightless worm, small crankbaits, small topwaters, and a 10 lb test dropshot rig. I love to throw a 10 lb. test drop shot on a baitcaster that I can target cast to fish around docks and other shoreline cover.
The MT Denali MultiPurpose was built with versatility and durability in mind. As with all Denali Rosewood series rods they are built in the
US with attention to detail, and only the finest components. One rod with the same length and slightly varying actions to accomplish most of your fishing needs. That’s keeping it simple.