We have a couple of good streams which you have to hike in and are bordered on all sides with brush.
What type of rod, length and weight should I consider.
My only rod is a 10 foot 6 weight echo - moderate fast which has a pretty good action for a newbie like me.
I use a 6’3" med. flex 3wt from Bass Pro Shops in creeks just like you describe and love it. It is easy to get the back cast between the overhead branches and the lowbrush piles. With a little practice you can throw the line 50 ft which is more than enough. Roll casts and underhand casts are also easier than with a longer rod in the tight situations you find on small brushy creeks.
Regards, JW
Try what you already have and see how it works for you. How wide are the streams? You can leave it in a tube until you get to where you want to fish then set it up. I have found that I enjoy the longer rods becasue if I wade up to my waste, I can still cast over the vegetation. It’s a lot cheaper to try what you already own, but of course if you are trying to justify a new rod because you are fishing different conditions, don’t let me get in the way. There is always a good reason to buy another rod.
This is the time to jump into building your own rod - for around $100, you can get a 6’6" 2 wt kit from Hook and Hackle, and a couple of weeks later you’re in business.
Jack -
Greetings and welcome from SE Idaho.
As to your question - are you talking low lying brush, like sage brush we have around here, or the tall stuff, head high or higher ??
Seems like most people fishing where there are a lot of low to medium height brush and grasses prefer longer rods so they can keep the back cast above the obstructions. In this situation, a rod that suits your casting style, the flies you will use and the fish you will catch is probably more important than length.
Seems like most people fishing where there are a lot higher obstructions like trees close in to the water prefer shorter rods. Again, considering what flies you will use and the fish you will catch, which go to the weight of the line, you might prefer a shorter rod with a softer action which will let you cast more normally, and handle roll casts and the other odd casts that you make to adapt to the conditions.
Depending on how deep and how wide the streams are, streamside clutter may not be the most significant consideration. If you can easily wade the width of the stream, you can almost always find casting angles to have a clear backcast, unless you have a lot of overhead cover directly over the water. In that case, a downstream presentation can be more effective, and a longer rod may be a liability when you try to land the fish.
Good luck.
John
P.S. Herefishy’s suggestion is a good one. Rod building is not all that difficult and can save you a lot of money over the long term. You can get all the help you want here on the BB, and there is a ten part series on rod building accessed from the main page that tells you just about everything you need to know to build one.
Build rods because you can customize it or because you enjoy the hobby of building them. Do you think that you can build this rod for less than it costs? http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/1398,83488_Scientific-Anglers-Fly-Rod-86-2-Piece.html
I thought about building many times as a means to an end - to get the rod that I wanted not because I would neccessarily enjoy the process of building a rod. Every time that I looked at numbers, I could buy one cheaper than I could build one buying components. If you buy at retail, maybe you can save some money, but this cheap bastid doesn’t buy much at retail.
I live fine using last year’s model and the fish don’t seem to care. If you like to build rods, cool. I can see how it would give someone great satisfaction taking a nice fish on a rod that you built yourself, but I am not buying into the idea that it saves you a dime.
Rick
Clay, I agree with you. As a builder of “custom” rods , I never was under the illusion of doing it to save money. Furthermore, most folks dont understand the puposes of building a “custom” rod. I wont go into detail about the benefits of “custom” rod building. Building “a” rod , and building a “custom” rod are two different things altogether…Ed
Jack, First, welcome to FAOL and the BB from So Cal. You’ll find a lot of good information on this site.
I fished some very brushy, overgrown and narrow creeks this past weekend. Used a WW Grigg 3 wt 7 foot rod. I used lots of roll casts and although I did snag some branches lost only one fly. Practice your roll cast in open water until you are good enough to miss the trees and brush. I was using dries as well as midges under an indicator. Good fishing on those little creeks. Jim
Glad to have another Canadian on board!!! As for choice of rod for small streams, some great advice given – I’d consider 2 or 3 wt. in 7ft 6in to 8ft 6 in. range – can roll cast, etc. with, get around bush etc. – and can cast all the distance you’ll need on small streams (which certainly isn’t tournament casting length – far from it) – and be able to handle size of flies you’ll be using – lots of good rods on market – in low to mid range prices too – test cast a few – pay a visit to your local fly shop and check out what’s available – where are you in Canada???
Bordered by bush…like a canopy of trees? 6-7 foot 3wt. If there is heavy fish cover…dead trees in the water etc…go with a 4wt. Prairie creeks like in Wisconsin with tall grass but not a lot of trees… a nice long rod for dapping from behind the tall grass.
One creek is pretty narrow in spots - say 15 feet across, 10 feet deep and with a muddy bottom. I will have to stand/kneel on the elevated bank to drop my line on the water and cast that way for northern pike and bass.
Another creek is wider in spots - up to 3-40 feet in some spots and 10 feet in many others. It is gravel based, shallower so you can wade in but surrounded by trees and shrubs on the banks.
At some lakes the only good spots available are on the bank - because of the lake drop off, with trees and brush in the way of long back casts.
The latter mentioned creek and lake are home to rainbow, brook and tiger including northern pike, bass, pickeral and perch.
The average weight of the fish - on average - range from 1 to 5 pounds but can be much larger.
I am somewhat lost as to the action of the rod that would be good, length and wt of line. I also read that using a heavier line than recommended on the rod may assist with this limited type of casting.
Ok, here ya go. Go cheap. Buy an inexpensive four section rod, five or six weight, 8 to 9 foot long. You WILL BUST IT!. Sorry, it will happen. Too much going against you on this. 
I know that the Administrator has spoken, BUT Check out Dorber Little Streamer Rods.
They are a sponsor here.
The Little Streamer Rod has it’ s beginng over 40 years ago. It was the idea of Bob Brunsel
of Evansville, WI. The first ones were 5ft fiberglass blanks from St Croix, over sizes guides,
it used 5 Level line and a Martin 61 was the reel of choice. It was designed to shoot line,
and it fished the brush in Wisconsin. Bob retired to AK and worked with Dorber to update the Little Streamer in a series of rods. The new rods are made with Graphite.
Check out the Dorber Web Site!
Fishin’ Jimmy
I strongly second Jimmy’s suggestion to take a look at Global Dorber. I have a couple of the Little Streamer models that I really enjoy -
http://www.dorber.com/flyrods.html
Regarding building rods, I just built this 5’ 2wt a couple of months ago. Total cost for blank and ALL components purchased from Global Dorber, including cost of shipping, was $52.00. I did need to add my own thread and wrap finish.
Of course, the finished rod only costs around $110.
