First Casts: Sage Arrow Rod Series
Posted by Nick Teynor on Feb 24th 2026
New for 2026: On February 3rd Sage Rods officially released the Arrow, a new mid-price point, all-water rod series that replaced the Sonic rod family. Like the Sonic, the Arrow was designed to be a versatile, fast action fly rod that gives anglers the ability to adapt to a variety of fishing situations and locations, and do so with a high-quality, American made fly rod that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. While the Sonic used Konnectic graphite, the Arrow is made with Konnectic HD graphite, which is a lighter and more responsive graphite, and was previously used in the venerable Sage X rod series. As a result, the Arrow has more touch and feel throughout the blank compared to the Sonic, the Arrow casts a variety of fly line tapers well, whereas the Sonic was noticeably more “line dependent”. When I say line dependent, I mean that the Sonic cast a couple of lines very well, and a noticeable amount of other fly line not so well.
I’ve always felt that one of the marks of a well-designed fly rod is its ability to cast and fish a variety of different fly line tapers well. This allows the angler to get more performance out of the rod, and makes the rod infinitely more versatile and fishable in a multitude of environments. Which, according to Sage, is the Arrows calling card. For more information on the specific rod cosmetics for the Arrow, you can find that info here.
Full Disclosure: I haven’t had the opportunity to get the new Arrow out on the water yet. Last November, however, I was fortunate enough to have Will Jaques from Farbank come down from Bainbridge Island, and he brought every Arrow rod with him. As a result, I was able to cast every model of Arrow with a variety of RIO and Scientific Anglers fly lines. My overall impression is that the Arrow is noticeably lighter in hand than its predecessor, casts a variety of fly line tapers well, and will be a good option for those who want a versatile, high-quality, American made rod that’s reasonably priced.
As of right now, we won’t be carrying every model of Arrow, so I’m going to focus this review on the models we have in stock, and those that we'd be more inclined to use on our local waters. If you have any questions about fly line pairings, or where each model of Arrow would be best used, please feel free to reach out to the shop! As mentioned before, I’ve cast every rod in the series, and can help point you in the right direction. Now, onto the rods!
Arrow 376-4
I was very surprised by the touch and feel of the 7'6" 3wt Arrow. A vast majority of graphite fly rods that are under 8 feet in length are usually very stiff, have little feel throughout the blank, and usually require going up a whole line weight to make them better at fishing in tight quarters. That is not the case with this “Little Arrow”-especially when paired with an appropriate fly line for the task at hand. I see this rod being a fun tool to use on a majority of the small streams we have locally and across the west, and a great rod for the Uinta mountain streams.
Recommended Fly Line Pairings
All-Around: RIO Gold XP , Scientific Anglers Infinity Textured , Scientific Anglers Infinity Smooth
Big Flies and Wind: Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured MPX
Classic / Delicate Techniques: RIO Gold Premier , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Trout GP , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured Trout GP , RIO WF Technical Trout Premier
Arrow 486-4
If you do most of your fishing on small-medium sized streams, small lakes and ponds, and want a rod capable of fishing everything from dries to small streamers, this would be a good rod option to look at. The 8'6" 4wt Arrow is light in hand, and even though it’s a fast action rod, I feel it will be able to fish a dry fly well-especially when paired with the appropriate fly line.
Recommended Fly Line Pairings
All-Around: RIO Gold XP , Scientific Anglers Infinity Textured , Scientific Anglers Infinity Smooth
Big Flies and Wind: RIO Elite Gold Max , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured MPX
Classic / Delicate Techniques: RIO Gold Premier , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Trout GP , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured Trout GP , RIO WF Technical Trout Premier
Arrow 490-4
The 9' 4wt Arrow would be a good rod for the angler who wants a lighter, all-around rod option for medium sized rivers, high country lakes and ponds, and a dry-fly rod for a variety of water bodies. The 490 is a fast action 4 weight, so I’d recommend pairing it with a ½ size heavy line to get the best performance out of it-especially at normal trout fishing distances (20’- 45’).
Recommended Fly Line Pairings
All-Around: RIO Gold XP , Scientific Anglers Infinity Textured , Scientific Anglers Infinity Smooth
Big Flies and Wind: RIO Elite Gold Max , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured MPX
Classic / Delicate Techniques: RIO Gold Premier , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Trout GP , RIO WF Technical Trout Premier , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Trout GP , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured Trout GP
Arrow 590-4
The 9' 5wt Arrow is a great all-around option for the angler who wants a versatile 5 weight fly rod. Possessing more feel throughout the blank than the 590 Sonic, the 590 Arrow cast a multitiude of different fly line tapers well, and should be able to fish dry flies, nymphs, and standard trout streamers with no issues. This rod would be a great option for our local tailwater fisheries, medium-large(-ish) rivers, mountain lakes, small reservoirs, etc. As I mentioned before, versatility is the calling card of the Arrow rods, especially the 590, and if you pair this rod with the right line for the technique(s) you’re using, you won’t be disappointed.
Recommended Fly Line Pairings
All-Around: RIO Gold XP , Scientific Anglers Infinity Textured , Scientific Anglers Infinity Smooth , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Trout GP
Big Flies and Wind: RIO Elite Gold Max , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured MPX
Classic / Delicate Techniques: RIO Gold Premier , RIO Double Taper Technical Trout , RIO WF Technical Trout Premier , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured Trout GP
Arrow 690-4 / 690-4FB (Fighting Butt)
The 9' 6wt and 9' 6wt FB are great options for the angler who wants a versatile, fast action 6 weight fly rod for casting larger flies on larger fisheries. Both rods cast a multitiude of different fly line tapers well, and should be able to fish dry flies, nymphs, and a variety of streamers with no issues. These rods would be a great option for larger tailwater fisheries like the Green River, South Fork of the Snake, lakes, reservoirs, etc. If you want a slightly more durable reel seat option, or potentially see yourself using your 6 weight as an ultralight bonefish rod, I’d go with the 690-4FB Arrow.
Recommended Fly Line Pairings
All-Around: RIO Gold XP , Scientific Anglers Infinity Textured , Scientific Anglers Infinity Smooth , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Trout GP
Big Flies and Wind: RIO Elite Gold Max , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured MPX
Classic / Delicate Techniques: RIO Gold Premier , RIO Double Taper Technical Trout , RIO WF Technical Trout Premier , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured Trout GP
Arrow 790-4
The popularity of 7 weight fly rods is on the rise, and it’s because they make such good “cross-over” fly rods. When I say “cross-over”, I’m referring to the rod having enough flex in the tip to make the mends necessary for fishing in freshwater river environments, but a stout enough butt section to deal with putting pressure on saltwater gamefish, and make rapid fire casts necessary to get the fly in front of cruising fish. The Arrow 9' 7wt is a great example of a cross-over 7 weight fly rod, because it casts a variety of freshwater and saltwater fly lines well, and has the aforementioned qualities in the tip and butt of the rod that make it suitable for both fresh and saltwater. Large trout, bass, carp, pike, bonefish, redfish-this rod should get the job done, and get it done well.
Recommended Fly Line Pairings
Freshwater All-Around: RIO Elite Gold Max , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured MPX
Freshwater Big Flies and Wind: RIO Elite Predator , Scientific Anglers Sonar Titan 3D
Freshwater Classic / Delicate Techniques: RIO Gold XP , Scientific Anglers Infinity Textured , Scientific Anglers Infinity Smooth
Saltwater All-Around: RIO Elite Flats Pro, Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Infinity Salt , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Grand Slam
Saltwater Classic / Delicate Techniques: RIO Elite Bonefish , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured Bonefish
Arrow 890-4
Like the 790 Arrow, I see the 9' 8wt being a great all-water, big fly and fish 8 weight for the angler that wants and needs a rod capable of fishing Alaskan waters with an indicator rig well, and casting shrimp patterns on Bahamian flats equally well too. A true big-game “all-rounder”, this will be a great rod for the angler who wants a quality, American made rod for trips abroad, and large freshwater quarry closer to home. Like a majority of the Arrow rods, the 890 seems to cast a variety of different fly lines and tapers well, which should make it easier for anglers to get dialed in for wherever they’re heading to wet a line.
Recommended Fly Line Pairings
Freshwater All-Around: RIO Elite Gold Max , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured MPX
Freshwater Big Flies and Wind: RIO Elite Predator , Scientific Anglers Sonar Titan 3D
Freshwater Classic / Delicate Techniques: RIO Gold XP , Scientific Anglers Infinity Textured , Scientific Anglers Infinity Smooth
Saltwater All-Around: RIO Elite Flats Pro, Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Infinity Salt , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Grand Slam
Saltwater Classic / Delicate Techniques: RIO Elite Bonefish , Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured Bonefish
Conclusion:
Overall, the Arrow is a well designed rod series, a welcome addition to the mid-price point rod market, and there are definitely a handful of models that punch above their price point. If you have any interest in seeing this new stick from Sage, we have a 905 and 906 available to cast and buy. Stop on by the shop to talk and/or gawk at the new sticks whenever you’re in the neighborhood-coffee’s on!
