Redington Crosswater 590-4 Specs
The Redington Crosswater 590-4 is a 5 weight, 9'0", 4 piece rod with a medium-fast action, typically under $250. It is built to carry a WF5F line, which under the AFFTA standard weighs 140 grains in the first 30 feet.
The Redington Crosswater 590-4 is a 5 weight, 9'0", 4 piece rod with a medium-fast action, and it sits in the under $250 budget tier. The default first outfit in North America. Bought as a kit it arrives with a RIO Mainstream line already on the reel and a leader attached, which removes every setup decision a beginner can get wrong.
What are the Redington Crosswater 590-4 specifications?
Every figure below is the manufacturer's published specification. Where a specification is not published consistently across model years, the row is omitted rather than guessed at, which is why this table is shorter for some rods than for others.
| Specification | Published figure |
|---|---|
| Line weight | 5 weight |
| Length | 9'0" |
| Pieces | 4 piece |
| Action | medium-fast |
| Grip | Half wells |
| Water | Freshwater |
| Warranty | Lifetime original owner, handling fee |
| Budget | Under $250 |
| Matching line | WF5F, 140 grains at 30 ft |
Not printed above because it is not published consistently for this model: Blank weight. We would rather leave a row out than print a number you cannot check against the maker's own spec sheet.
What line does the Crosswater 590-4 take?
A fly rod's weight class refers to the mass of line it is built to carry, not to the mass of the rod. The AFFTA standard defines that mass as the weight in grains of the first 30 feet of line, excluding any level tip section. For a 5 weight, that target is 140 grains with a tolerance of plus or minus 6.
There is a wrinkle worth knowing before you spend money on line. Many modern lines are deliberately built half a size to a full size over the standard, because a heavier head loads a fast rod at the short ranges where most fish are actually hooked. On a fast blank that is usually a help. On a slow or moderate blank it is a hindrance, because the rod is already loading and the extra mass just makes the loop sloppy. If you are unsure what this rod wants, run it through the line weight calculator before you buy, and read how to choose a fly line for the taper decision that follows.
What does the medium-fast action mean in practice?
Action describes where the blank bends under load. A medium-fast action flexes in the upper third and recovers briskly. It is the all-round default for a reason: enough recovery speed to fight a breeze, enough bend to tell you what your cast is doing.
Slower than the spec sheet suggests once a real line is on it, which is a good thing for a first month. It is unremarkable at 50 feet and entirely adequate at 30.
This is the specification that decides whether you enjoy a rod, and it is the one people research least. Two rods of the same weight and length with different actions are genuinely different tools, and neither is better in the abstract. The rod length calculator will tell you what length your water actually wants, which is the other half of the same decision.
What length is this rod and does that suit your water?
At 9'0", this is a rod with a specific job. Nine feet is the default length in fly fishing because it balances three competing jobs: reach to hold line off conflicting currents, tip height to mend, and enough leverage to cast all day without fatigue.
Length interacts with line weight rather than standing alone. A long rod in a light line class is a nymphing and reach tool; a short rod in the same class is a small-stream presentation tool. Both are labelled the same way on the blank and neither will do the other's job well, which is the single most common reason a rod disappoints someone who bought it on specifications alone.
What can you catch with a 5 weight?
A 5 weight is the normal choice for general trout fishing, which is roughly 80 percent of freshwater fly fishing in North America. That is a convention rather than a rule, and the convention exists because line mass has to be enough to carry the fly you intend to throw without being so much that it wrecks the tippet you intend to fish. In this range the binding constraint is usually tippet, not the fish. Fine tippet plus a stiff rod is how you lose fish on the hookset. The full breakdown lives on the rod weight by species chart.
Who should buy the Crosswater 590-4, and who should not?
Buy it if: A first fly rod bought as a complete outfit, with no other gear owned.
Skip it if: Anyone with a rod already. The upgrade path from here is the reel and the line, not a second cheap rod.
This sits in the band where a rod stops holding a caster back. Below roughly $90 the blanks get heavy and the guides get rough, and above roughly $400 you are paying for feedback a newer caster cannot yet perceive.
If you are assembling a first kit rather than replacing one rod, the complete builds are a better starting point than a spec page, because they solve the matching problem for you: the beginner build, the intermediate build and the expert build each list a rod, reel, line, backing, leader, tippet, flies, tools, net, waders and boots with a banded total.
What else should you look at before buying?
Other Redington rods in this index
| Model | Weight | Length | Action | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Path 590-4 | 5 | 9'0" | medium-fast | Under $250 |
| Classic Trout 486-4 | 4 | 8'6" | moderate | Under $250 |
| Vice 590-4 | 5 | 9'0" | fast | Under $500 |
| Predator 890-4 | 8 | 9'0" | fast | Under $500 |
| Butter Stick 476-3 | 4 | 7'6" | slow | Under $500 |
Other 5 weights from different makers
| Rod | Length | Action | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orvis Clearwater 905-4 | 9'0" | medium-fast | Under $500 |
| Orvis Recon 905-4 | 9'0" | fast | Under $1,000 |
| Orvis Helios 905-4 | 9'0" | fast | $1,000+ |
| Orvis Encounter 905-4 | 9'0" | medium-fast | Under $250 |
| Sage Foundation 590-4 | 9'0" | fast | Under $500 |
| Sage R8 Core 590-4 | 9'0" | fast | $1,000+ |
Where to buy it, and why there are two buttons
Rods are hard goods, so the Backcountry link leads. Backcountry carries Orvis, Simms, Patagonia and Redington, and the commission is higher there than on Amazon, which is why it sits first. The Amazon link follows for the models that genuinely have a listing. This model has a verified Amazon listing, so that button goes straight to the product.
One last piece of advice that costs nothing. Before you spend anything on a rod, make sure you own a wading belt and know how to use it. Wading is the real hazard in this sport: moving water at knee depth can take a strong adult off their feet because the force scales with the square of the current velocity, and cold water removes fine motor control within minutes. Read the wading safety guide before your first trip, and check local regulations on felt soles before you buy boots, because felt is banned in several states and provinces for invasive species reasons.
Full index of every rod on this site: the rod spec index. Comparisons that come up constantly: 5 weight versus 6 weight and outfit versus buying separately.
Frequently asked questions
What line weight is the Redington Crosswater 590-4?
It is a 5 weight, which under the AFFTA standard means it is designed to carry a line whose first 30 feet weighs 140 grains, plus or minus 6. That is the number that matters when you buy line, because the weight class printed on the box refers to that mass rather than to anything about the rod itself. A 5 weight is the normal choice for general trout fishing, which is roughly 80 percent of freshwater fly fishing in North America.
Is the Crosswater 590-4 a good rod for a beginner?
A first fly rod bought as a complete outfit, with no other gear owned. The honest counterpoint: anyone with a rod already. The upgrade path from here is the reel and the line, not a second cheap rod. Credibility on a spec page comes from talking people out of the wrong rod, and a rod that does not suit how you fish will not become the right rod because it was expensive.
What does medium-fast action mean on this rod?
Action describes where the blank bends under load, not how stiff it feels in a shop. A medium-fast action flexes in the upper third and recovers briskly. It is the all-round default for a reason: enough recovery speed to fight a breeze, enough bend to tell you what your cast is doing. That single property decides more about whether you enjoy a rod than the brand on the blank does, which is why it sits at the top of the spec table above.
What line should I put on a Redington Crosswater 590-4?
Start with a weight-forward floating line in WF5F. Under the AFFTA standard that line's first 30 feet should weigh 140 grains. Worth knowing: many modern lines are built half a size to a full size over standard so they load fast rods at short range, so a "5 weight" line may actually measure closer to a 6. That is usually helpful on a fast blank and unhelpful on a slow one.
How many pieces should a fly rod have?
This one is 4 piece, which is the sensible modern default. Ferrule design has improved enough that the old performance penalty for extra joints is negligible, and a 4 piece rod fits in a car boot, an overhead locker and a backpack. That difference decides whether the rod actually comes with you, which matters far more than a blank recovery difference you would need a machine to measure.
Why does this page leave some specifications blank?
Because the figures are not published consistently. Blank weights, swing weights and manufacturing origin move between model years and are frequently absent from the maker's own spec sheet, so this index carries a null rather than a guess and the row is dropped entirely. Every figure printed above is the manufacturer's published specification. If a number you need is missing here, it is missing because we could not verify it.
How we choose: we compare published manufacturer specifications, line and leader standards, and verified owner reviews across retailers. We do not test gear in person, and every diameter, grain weight and breaking strength quoted here is the manufacturer's published figure unless we say otherwise, so check the spool label before you trust a number. Nothing here is professional instruction. Wading moving water is the real hazard in this sport: wear a snug wading belt, know the water temperature, and turn back rather than push through a crossing you are unsure of.
