last weekend at the stream i caught plenty of fish but also lost quite a few flies. mainly due to the fact my 8 foot 5 wt. was to big. the streams i fish are like 20 feet wide. i need a rod that is smaller as there is tons of brush in the back and on the sides. i am currently looking at a 7’6’’ 4 weight and a 6’6’’ 4 weight. but i love to fish streamers. will a rod like this be able to handle size 6 bh woolly buggers and muddler minnows?
Deon, I use a Sage XP 476 for most of my heavier, small stream stuff and it works perfectly. It handles conehead buggers, size 6-8 very well. If you do get a 476, you could always run a 5wt. line off of it to get it to load a little faster and handle larger, heavier flies.
Keep the rod you have and practice your rollcasting before you make a change. Also learn to use a bow and arrow cast. I really don’t think six inches shorter is going to make that much diference.
Tend to agree with Rainbowchaser’s viewpoint. While a 7’6" is a nice small stream rod, your 8’ should serve just fine. Heck, even a 9’ would work, you just have to be more careful. Of course, if you need another rod, so be it…
The ability to throw a beaded Woolly Bugger really just depends on if you have additional weight or not in the underbody. If not, a 4 weight will work, but a 5 weight would be better, IMNSHO.
The two previous posters said it well. It’s not the rod. I fish small spring creeks with brushy banks often. I like an 8’6 rod or a 9’ rod. Sounds funny on the smaller streams but I fish streams that are 4 or 5’ wide in spots, small spring creeks and the longer rod lets me cast above the weeds better.
Short story, I was learning to shoot trap and made the comment to the trap field owner that I thought my ammo wasn’t up to the task of breaking the targets past the 16 yard line because they were what I used for skeet and not trap. He smiled and then traded me some Winchester AA handicap loads for my skeet loads. He then ran the field from 20 some feet which was farther than where I was shooting from and I still missed the targets with his AA handicap loads. The point is that isn’t not the rod. You’ll get there, but equipment changes are not in your best interests all of the time.
If you want to spend some money to get better, take a casting lesson. Your local fly shop should have something available at a reasonable cost and that will make your season much more enjoyable.
Rick
Deon buy the rod you want, you know the saying the boy with the most toys wins. But also heid what clay was saying doesn’t matter the tool you got to learn how it work to get good with it. But buy the rod it always fun to shop for new fishing toys.
Ghost
Like Clay said, I use 9’ rods all the time on the tree and rhododendron choked streams in the Smoky Mountains. The longer rod lets me reach out farther and “high stick” in the pocket waters and plunge pools. On a 20’ wide creek, you really don’t need to be making very long casts. Many times, I have less than a foot of fly line out the end of my rod.
roll casts, bow and arrow casts (use barbless hooks, personal experience) and just “flipping” the fly out there are very effective with these smaller streams.
Hope this helps.
Jeff
Deon: When I started, I used 7’ and a 6 1/2’ rods on water no bigger than yours and still lost plenty of flies because I wasn’t looking for where to put my backcasts. I recent years, I’ve used up to 9’ rods on the same water and lost but a few. I’ve also found the the longer rod lets me “dap” a lot easier thereby removing the cast from the equation.
Deon, one more comment about not needing another rod, but learning how to use it. Don’t do what I do, do what I say. I think I have 12 or 13 complete fly fishing outfits. I also believe if you want a new rod buy it because you want it. I just didn’t want you to be disillusioned that the rod length would fix your issue. Buy another rod and TAKE CASTING LESSONS. If you have to choose between another rod and casting lessons, your best return on investment will be the casting lessons. I also like to say this about rods and reels. Your not buying your last rod or reel, it is just your NEXT rod or reel. Put that in perspective and you can see things a little differently.
Good luck to you man, most of us have been right where you are now. You’ll get there. If you cared enough to post the question you will have enough motivation to work at it until you get more proficient.
Rick
okay i guess i forgot to add that i am in the market for a new rod because right now i am using a fleet famr special from my boddu because i had to send my rod in and it got lost in the mail. i will never send another item without tracking. so yeah let me retry that and i will talk to Bob at my fly shop and see what he has to say about lessons. heck the last time i went there he spent 40 minutes with me to help me on roll cast for free. but if he says to take the class i will hit him up on that opportunity, thnaks for the advice once again.
Deon
Sorry about the lost rod. that’s a real pain.
Now, buying a new rod, I don’t think anyone here will say “don’t buy one”. In fact, we love to help other guys spend their money. 
So, what are you going to get? I do think I can speak for most of the folks on the forum by saying, we want pictures and a full report.
Jeff