I most always, not always, pack the spinning rod. And as you learned this fall, 5' to 5 1/2' is all you need.
For the tackle, I mostly downsize my cranks. You will never go wrong with a Teeny Wee Craw. But make sure you get the deep diver version. You can work more of the water column with them than you can with the short billed version. The smaller shad type cranks are also killer. Another way to fish these small baits is to add a split shot about about 6 inches to a foot above the crank. Toss it to the edge of or on the bottom end of a riffle and let the current provide the action.
Smaller stick baits like the floating Rapala also work great. But also pack one of the CD models. Like a CD 3. You can work these like a small jig deeper in the water column with great results. I like the gold and black.
And don't ever over look the good ol' Beetle Spin. Still to this day one of the most productive baits you can use on smaller streams.
I like small plastics too. The 1 1/2" or 2" soft craw on a 1/32 oz will produce all day. Smaller worms, in the 4" to 6" range either texas rigged or on a jig head will work wonders too. An H&H spinner is really good on smaller creeks.
One thing you need to do on these smaller baits is change out the hooks. Most, like the Teeney Wee Craw, come with a #14 treble. I change all mine to a #10 gold. You don't have to have gold, I just think it adds a little flash. And I only change the rear hook.
You don't have to have a large variety on smaller creeks. Four or five cranks and a handfull of small soft plastics will fit the bill all day.
I don't discount what Al said either. We just have a different approaches.