I'm very late to this discussion but I only recall one poster on this thread who leans toward long rods the way I do for small streams.
I like a rod at least 9' in tight small streams through timber and brush. I almost never cast with it, so I suppose it is similar to the Tenkara (sp?) style of fishing. At least 90% of my fishing in such places is threading/lowering/dapping/dipping a fly or (gasp) worm between bushes and rocks into a pocket pool and sometimes feeding line out and letting current take the hook into/under a log jam. Frequently I poke the tip down to the depth I want and then feed out line into the current. A long rod is versatile and allows you to reach more of the stream in the many places where a cast is not practical and maybe not possible. It is harder to walk through brush with it but no rod is handy for that. On open stretches of straight creek that allow casting, enjoy the sudden freedom to actually make a cast! Have caught rainbows to 23" long by such methods, though most are small.
Absolutely LOVE that kind of creek fishing!
