I might have some space in my storage garage in Richmond next month. 

You won't regret the decision about buying a drysuit.   It worths every pennies.

Good stuff. Gratzi

California state waters are open to recreational groundfish fishing effective April 19, 2024. Federal recreational groundfish season opened on April 1.   
https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Groundfish-Summary?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery#central-north

If you're new to kayak fishing you'll want to start out with cheap setups so that when you eventually lose them overboard, it won't sting as much.

Medium ugly stick tiger is popular for a reason: strong, relatively cheap and can be used for trolling in the salt (halibut, striper, salmon, etc) or fresh (striper, sturgeon, catfish, etc). I bring my nephew and nieces with me on the boat so I actually go one step cheaper and purchase the daiwa ft rods which are just $30 and similar glass builds comparable to ugly sticks.

Eagle claw featherlite rods (yellow noodle rods) are what I buy for light trolling such as kokanee and trout. They can be had for $21 at Walmart and do a great job. I've caught trout, kokanee, bass, landlocked kings with them.

If you're handy with servicing reels this is where you can do well by going with used gear. I look on ebay and marketplace for used 10-15yr old reels that are selling at rock bottom pricing due to the owner upgrading or selling off altogether. Old penn jigmaster, squidder, can be picked up for ~$15-$30 and work well for salt trolling with just a cleaning and drag replacement. I also like to pick up old gen 1&2 abu revo reels for ~$20-$30 and clean them up, maybe replace a worn down part or two and good as new. All my yellow eagle claw rods have old revo reels on them and average about $50/setup. No big deal if my 10yr old nephew drops it into the lake.