Where do you put your rods when entering/exiting surf?

Are they in rod holders or stowed in hatch or strapped to side of kayak?

I'm building a checklist for entering/exiting surf and want to have everything nailed down...

Anybody using 1-piece rods...or is it exclusively 2-piece??

I only stow if it is pretty big. I have been lucky to never roll in surf as I usually jump out before it gets to that point. I am pretty comfortable in surf though.

Stowing is your safest bet however. Just leashing your rods prevents you from losing them but it is still likely that your yak is going to roll and smash your rods to bits.

Like Bill... I only stow if I have to come through a true surf zone on an exposed beach.  I try to fish spots with easy launches like Fort Ross.  When I've fished places like Linda Mar, I would strap my rods to my deck since I don't have a hatch big enough to stow them.  They were fine.  I use mostly one-piece 7-foot rods and a two-piece 8'6" salmon rod. 

Basically, you want to provide a way to either securely strap or stow everything that could possibly come loose or get damaged on a heavy surf landing.

Erik

If I land in any kind of surf I like to turn around and put my rod in the hatch.  I use a 7' 1 piece usually.

Seeing as how I have a tendency to roll in anything bigger than 6" I always stow everything below deck.  Losing even the little stuff like pliers and tackle trays sucks.

If there's surf I stow everything in the hatch, if the surf is small and easy I don't. This is really a no brainer question if
you have ever come into the beach in decent waves. The worst is a shore pound where the wave rolls and breaks near
or on the sand. What happens is there is a shelf where the wave breaks that is waist deep so if you get out too soon the wave pushes you around and off your feet. If you don't time it exactly right  between the right waves you will end up
doing a spin cycle.

A second problem I have encountered is a late afternoon tide change and rising wind. You leave the nice beach in easy surf but when you come back the surf is up. The waves are too fast to outrace and too big for your kayak to surf without nose launching. Your only hope is to race to the beach and let the wave turn you sideways and hope it doesn't roll you.

I'd say I roll my kayak about a quarter of the time. That's because I choose the beach and don't let the beach choose me. You
gotta go where the fishing is good. Often, that is a rocky beach where boats can't get to and kayakers don't use very often.

I use a 7' one piece rod that i strap to the deck. When I'm coming in or going out the rod is along the hull in one of my paddle parks, bungied down with a leash on it. The reel I stow in a hatch or dry bag to keep the sand out of it. I dislike the idea of opening the front hatch of the yak on the water so I keep the rod topside. My brother in law has a scupper pro with the huge hatch, so he stows his rod below deck. He's also a bit lighter in weight than I, so he can get away with scooching up to open the hatch without lifting the stern out of the water.
My last thought: if I was concerned about damaging or losing a piece of equipment I probably would not bring it out on the kayak. I consider most of my gear as no great loss should it get wrecked.