Sage 590-4 Sonic

Reviews

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   What impresses me most about this model is its smoothness. This is an overused term, but truly, this rod is smooth. Equally impressive is the range. It loads right out of your hand, forms a nice loop and turns over the leader from 10’ to over 70’. Sage’s rod designer, Peter Knox, confesses that he’s been “field testing” this model long since the design was completed. I get it. I highly recommend a Rio Gold on the 590-4 Sonic. It’s a match made in heaven, requiring no extra power, nor caution, nor hard stops from the caster. This is one of the easiest casting 5-weights Sage has designed in years, as intuitive as the X and much rangier than the Pulse, but much closer to the X in overall quality.

   John Duncan (Telluride Angler)

2. Rated 4 out of 5

   The Sonic 590-4 is a solid all around 9 foot 5 weight, more stable than the Pulse 590 and a better long casting rod than the Sonic 586-4. Grab this rod for a mid priced western or larger river rod. The Sonic 590 likes both the Rio Gold and the Rio Technical Trout. The Technical trout makes the rod throw any loop shape and allows the angler to tighten up the loop to the ridiculous level. The Gold is the best for the spectrum of trout fishing techniques. I like the stability of this rod. The action is relaxing. Loops go out nice and level and very predictably. It doesn’t generate the fastest line speed, but it doesn’t need to. The butt section and tip are nicely matched and make for a solid and sound fly rod.

   Richard Post (Telluride Angler)

3. Rated 5 out of 5

   As mentioned in my 586 commentary, it’s hard to choose between the 5 wt Sonic rods. Both are incredible casters. The 590 certainly has both feel and power. I cast in a fairly strong wind and found accuracy only slightly compromised. It has a bit of a deeper flex into the blank and also paired well with the Rio Gold line. Both 5 wt rods are so nice from a pure casting standpoint, the angler should decide based on fishing style. The 9 footer will provide some versatility. It’ll handle a heavier nymph rig roll casting into those tight pockets yet also the delicate presentation of your size #20 dry. The 586 may be more ideal for pounding the banks with hopper/dropper all day from the drift boat. Bottom line, I don’t think you’ll go wrong with either of these 5 wt rods.

   Jason Moshonas (Telluride Angler)