The fish kills on the Susquahanna this season are being blamed on very warm water and an unusually high amount of fertilizer runoff into the river. Interesting though how the smallmouth bass were affected far, far more than any of the largemouth bass in the river system.
I agree with the shorter rod length for fishing the small streams with tree canopies. It can be done with a longer rod, but that would involve choking up on the rod to effectively shorten it in those situations, and this is not easy for a beginner.
Good luck, and have fun.