Tenkara rods were made for small streams.

It is often said that you don't need backing on small streams. I'd take that a step further and say you don't even need a reel. When you think about it, a reel has four functions. It holds excess line, it provides a drag to help tire a fish that runs (and prevent reel overspin), it helps to balance out the weight of the rod, and for some, it is a bit of eye candy or rod jewelry. To me, fishing small streams is all about stealth rather than firing off 30 or 40 foot casts. The fish tend to be smaller, and even nice fish seem to fight in the pool where they're hooked rather than run. Excess line, then, is just excess. The long, supple rod will tire a fish very quickly, and tenkara rods are so light that you don't really need the weight of a reel to balance them. Eye candy is an unassailable point, however. There's no eye candy in tenkara (although I do know a guy who's working on that).

Some say the word "tenkara" means "from heaven" but it is not written in Japanese the way "from heaven" would be written and the true origins of the word are not known. With a long rod, held high, and a short, light line, your fly does come "from above" and you can keep all or nearly all your line off the water - or in small streams, off the rocks between you and that little plunge pool that surely holds a brookie or two. It allows you to fish pockets or eddies while keeping your line away from tricky intervening currents that would grab your line and snatch away your fly if you were using a shorter rod and heavier line. The rods are light and responsive enough that you can cast an almost unbelievably light line, for the most delicate of presentations. And don't kid yourself that tenkara fishing is just dapping, you cast your line. And while you can't cast waaaaay over there, you can cast plenty far enough to catch a lot of fish.

In some parts of the country, small streams seem to run through rhododendron tunnels. Sorry guys, no tenkara for you. For most small streams, however, tenkara is a viable option. Where I usually fish, most of the guys I see fish with 7 or 7 1/2 foot rods. I regularly use 12 and 13 foot rods, and judging from the number of other anglers' flies I see in the trees, they seem to catch as many trees as I do. I suspect I catch more fish, though. I firmly believe that the improved presentation more than offsets the reduced casting distance. And if you have to hike in, the compact size and light weight are a real plus.

If you have enough overhead room to raise the rod to bring in a fish, tenkara is ideal for small streams.