So the Sage "Largemouth", "Smallmouth" 7'11" rods have been out for a little while. Sage apparently thought enough of the concept to recently introduce their "Bluegill" version.
Sage owned Redington now has their "Predator" series out, which builds on the same concept. 7'11" 6wt for bluegill, 7'11" 8wt for bass.

I'm wondering how this genre of rods is selling and working for it's users. Anyone got any idea?

I'd love to hear from users as the perceived strengths and weaknesses of these rods as well. Do they really do things better than a 9' 6 or 8wt?