Sage Pulse Fly Rod Review

Sage introduced a plethora of new rods this year. We’ve had a chance to cast most of them at this point, so check back for more reviews, but we decided to start out with the new Sage Pulse Fly Rod. At first glance, the Sage Pulse isn’t that exciting – you might assume (like I did) that the Pulse is just a continuation of the long line of not-very-exciting Sage mid-priced rods: Response, Flight, FLi, etc. But, you would be wrong. Read on to find out why… Don’t forget to keep supporting more reviews by buying your Sage Pulse Fly Rod here. We also do a lot of video reviews, so don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get live updates when reviews are released.

Outfit

• Sage Pulse 9' 5-weight
• Sage 2250
• Rio Perception WF5F

Fit and Finish

Fit and finish has pretty much standardized on all Sage rods. Pulse Rods don’t come with aluminum rod tubes, but other than that you’re getting the same build quality and components on every rod. I think it’s a good thing. “A Sage,” remains a Sage.

Weight

The Sage Pulse fly rod weighs in at 3.25 oz. It’s a little heavier than the top rods, but not in a way that was all that noticeable. Swing weight felt fine, but not super light.

Distance

Unlike the earlier rods in the series, the new Sage Pulse rod is not an incredibly fast or stiff rod. That means that it’s not winning any casting competitions. Still, I felt the Pulse held its own against similarly priced rods.

Accuracy

The Sage Pulse is definitely a lot more accurate in close than its predecessors. At 30 feet, I felt that it was soft enough to make the cast accurately and with feel, but it’s much better at mid-to-longer distances. It was excellent at 45’ and still really good at 60’.

Flex & Feel

The Pulse has a great progressive action – soft in the tip and progressing to a firm butt section (for a trout rod). Sage calls the action fast, but I’d say it’s more of a Medium-Fast leaning toward Fast. It’s forgiving enough for any angler to enjoy and provides tons of useful feedback. It’s actually my favorite action of any Sage “All-water” rod.

Nymphing

We didn’t get to nymph this rod, but because it’s so forgiving, you’ll be able to open up your loop without any issues.

Warranty

Still a lifetime warranty… Price: $450

Conclusion

I really wish that I had tested the Sage Pulse head-to-head with the Orvis Recon and Winston Nexus. It would have made a really interesting mid-priced shootout. Sage nailed the action on this rod and, while it lacks some of the high-tech materials of the more expensive rods, it’s going to please a lot of anglers. It's not a tuned down ONE or Accel, but a totally new action that's one of the best I've seen. We cast this rod with Rio Perception, but I think it would do well with a lighter line like Rio Gold as well.

Pros

• Great Action
• Reasonable accuracy across the board
• Forgiving enough for any angler

Cons

• A little heavier than the Recon