This isn't kayak-related, per se, but I've seen quite a few posts from folks who fish from the beach, so here goes ...

I mostly fly fish in freshwater these days, but when I fish the beach I've been using a steelhead spinning rod and a Carolina rig.  This way I can switch between gulp sandworms, flies and perch grubs just by switching out the leader.

A few years ago I experimented with fly fishing the surf, but kind of gave up on the idea after a while.  Now I'm starting to think about two-handed rods : I have a Ross 11'3" 6wt switch rod (probably more like an 8wt in single handed ratings as I understand it).  It seems like it will throw sinking line out there without as much stress on my joints as double-hauling an 8wt 9' single-handed rod with shooting heads and such.  Seems to do well with a 6wt Rio Outbound Short/S6 (240 grains) if I'm doing a two-handed overhead cast.  I think the rod itself is rated for much higher grain weight (330-360), but probably more for spey-style casts (not sure that would really work in the surf conditions we commonly encounter in central / northern CA.  Or more likely I just have no clue what I am doing ...)

Anyway, has anyone used the Beulah Surf or Echo Boost Beach two-handed rods for this kind of thing ?  I have a bunch of hardware in my spine, so I'm wary of buying too much rod...

I managed to snap the tip section of a Ross Flystik 6wt between the 2nd and 3rd guides.  Ross has since gotten out of the fly rod business, and I don't think they will warranty the rod.  Does anyone know of a good fly rod repair shop that can fix it ?

I got the rod on closeout, so I should probably just give up on it, but sentimental value and all that

Hi, just started kayak fishing.  I hadn't fished for forty-some years when my dad took me and my brother fishing for sunfish with spincast reels and worms/bobbers when we were kids, back in Virginia.  A few years ago I started tenkara fishing while on a backpacking trip in the Sierra.  One thing led to another and I started spin fishing, fly fishing and surf fishing.

I've lived in Silicon Valley for almost twenty years, work in the engineering field, and spend a lot of time backpacking in the mountains.  The "gateway drug" for paddling was buying a packraft, which I tested out on Stevens Creek Reservoir and then fly-fished from in Henry Coe State Park.  I also picked up an inflatable kayak (Aquaglide Blackfoot SL) which I've used a couple of times.  I'm a condo dweller, so storage space is kind of a premium for me; a molded one-piece kayak would have to compete for space with my mountain bikes too...

Except for surf fishing, I usually shun places where you drive up and fish -- if it doesn't involve at least an hour of hiking / biking, then for me it isn't worth fishing   But paddling kind of changes that for me.  It makes it possible to get away from the crowds, and enjoy just being on the water.  Catching fish is just a bonus.

Currently thinking about fish finders for some of those Scotty mounts on my Aquaglide... trying to figure out batteries, transducer mounts, etc.  Also, has anyone used those Point 65 modular kayaks ?  The Tequila line looks interesting ...

-Rob