I answered the hackle question in your other thread (I saw that one before this one).

I fish small woodland streams, too. Trees and brush right up to the banks, overhanging tree limbs in spots. I tend to wade up the left bank (left if facing upstream) and cast with my back cast down the center of the stream. The rod is longer but the amount of line beyond the rod tip may be shorter than you use now. You may not get hung up any more than you do now.

small-stream-5.jpg

This is the stream I probably fish the most. My best ever day on it was with a 14.5' rod.

You probably haven't seen this video, then: http://learntenkara.com/videos/playi...-with-tenkara/
And the only reason there wasn't a video of this fish is the camera battery died just before I hooked it:

RMNP-brown.jpg

Realistically, most of the videos shot of tenkara are taken on small streams, and most small stream trout are under 10". There are a few photos of significantly larger trout (as well as lots more photos of much smaller trout) on TenkaraBum.com. See the Ayu Rod Review page for a nice bull trout, or the Hand Tied Lines page for a 24" rainbow.

I have caught a few fish on bucktails and muddlers, but obviously you have to just twitch the fly or pull it with the rod tip, you can't strip in line. Because the lines used are so light, large, wind resistant or heavily weighted flies do not cast well.