Andrew,

Good point about river size. Although I do fish larger rivers, I fish them using other methods such as fly swinging, drifting (bottom bouncing) or swinging spoons. I would do most if not all my pinning on smaller rivers. Therefore, perhaps I don't need or even want a 13 foot rod.

Sam,

So I can see using cheaper mono when learning to cast but after becoming proficient, I would want to use the best line available for fishing. Braid would allow easier mending and less stretch but may spook fish in real clear, low water. If using mono, do people treat it with floatant to help with mending?

After checking the Raven site (thanks by the way) most pin rods are much lighter (4-8 lbs) than the Sage rods (10-20 lbs). It is almost like Sage wanted to get into gear rods but they weren't really sure what they were doing.