North 40 Fly Shop eMagazine February 2016 | Page 6

PULSE

GEAR REVIEW

BY FRED TELLEEN

BACKGROUND:

Sage built the new Pulse series fly rods with their proven
Graphite IIIe Technology. The Graphite IIIe is touted to
be strong, light and to deliver a connected feel though
the casting stroke. The Pulse series was designed as an
all-round “workhorse” lineup. Previously, the Sage XP
family was a popular premium series built upon graphite
IIIe. Back when the XP came out, I thought it was the
best. Later, when the Z Axis replaced it with Generation
5 graphite, I thought it was even better. More recently,
when the One arrived with Konnetic technology, I was
stoked. As you can probably tell, I’m a Sage fan. That
said, I am always willing to try any rod and I do cast and
fish every rod I can get my hands on. This past season,
the Winston Nexus became our number one selling rod
at a similar price point to the new Pulse. I decided the
Nexus and the Pulse would be perfect for a side by side
comparison.

VS. THE WINSTON NEXUS

According to chart specs, both rods (in their respective
5 weight models) weigh the same. The most notable
difference when assessing the two rods are the blank
colors and grip shapes. The Winston Nexus is jet black
with a cigar grip and burled wood real seat. The Sage
Pulse is colored “Lichen” green with a half wells grip and
a rosewood reel seat. Personally, I prefer the grip on
the Sage.