It's an awesome feeling to catch a fish on a fly you tied, and even the ugliest woolly bugger will probably still catch fish.  In fact, the uglier the better ...

It can also be an amazing creative outlet in and of itself, and from personal experience rather addicting   But also very relaxing.  Enjoy !

Yes, I think it's debatable whether or not surf perch fishing really requires a lot of distance.  Be that as it may, I got out this morning : super foggy, high tide around 8am-sh, not much wind, surf was a bit more than I expected, but not too bad.  Typical sandy northern Monterey Bay.  Beach was practically deserted, and that was a good thing because I was getting used to the new running line, working on my line (mis)management, and so on.  It is tough to work on all that and also pay attention to not snagging dogs or runners with my back cast

I like how the rod casts with the 9wt head.  I think it does pretty well with my usual perch flies, which have bead chain eyes, or small brass eyes for a bit more weight.  I think the rod loaded well with slightly heavier flies, so I might try the shop's recommendation of a 10wt head later.

The old-timers I talked to a few years ago mentioned the importance of staying in contact with the fly.  I found that difficult until I started tucking the rod under my arm immediately after completing the cast and using both hands to strip in line.   That technique made it easier to detect strikes.

I think the snap swivels I typically use for surf fishing with a spinning rod are a little fragile for fly fishing.  Have to either use a heavier duty snap or actually start tying knots in my leader to attach the fly   Lost a couple flies that way, but I can tie more.

I decided to get myself a 7wt Echo Boost Beach rod, 12'1".  At first I tried Echo's recommendations on lines, and went with an Airflo Beach / Surf in 7wt, the fastest sinking one they had.  It worked alright at the casting pool, but the one I got seemed to have a problem with the coating.  Waiting on a replacement.

In the meantime I called up Lost Coast Outfiitters after noticing they sell an outfit based on this rod.  They feel Echo's 265 grain recommendation is way too light; instead at least a 9 or 10wt Rio Outbound Short shooting head.  I decided to try a 9wt (375 grains) and OPST Lazar running line (40#).  Wow, does that thing fly.

Still working on my timing; I'm used to single-handed trout rods with floating lines.  Will have to see if I can actually catch anything in the surf with this thing... the few times I tried a single hand rod in the surf all the double hauling got pretty exhausting.  But again, it's not like I know what I am doing.

Looks like fun   My advice: Listen to your physical therapist for rehab.

I have 20 screws, three rods and a plate in my spine : broken neck (motor vehicle accident, rollover) and a broken back (climbing-related).  But I'm mostly doing OK.  The main problem for the past several years is that the first spinal surgery to install the plate in my neck probably nicked my esophagus, causing scar tissue to form over time, which in turn caused problems with swallowing.  I had to have surgery for that, too, which didn't work, and then lived on a feeding tube for a couple of months until my esophagus healed.  I still can't eat most solid foods.  I've had so much diagnostic x-ray exposure that I should be glowing by now.  But you do what you gotta do, and get on with life.  Stay strong.

Yes, I understand that sentiment

The surf can be unforgiving. I was striper surf fishing once around Pacifica when a kneehigh water rushed me immediately followed by another above my waist. It knocked me down and was under water for a few seconds. The force of water rushing back to the ocean was so strong I had to anchor myself by digging my hands into the sand or I would’ve end up in the ocean. Now that I think about it, Alex (Alien) wearing pfd while perch fishing makes a lot of sense.

Yes, this has happened to me surf fishing, too.  I have balance issues from an old spinal injury, so I need to be careful.  After that incident I wear a PFD at the beach. 

Got out on the water today with the unit, paddled from 8am to 4pm.  Battery life was fine.  Probably could have run it for two days without charging.

The GPS track was handy.  I was out on Los Banos Creek Reservoir and ended up paddling 7 miles apparently.  So that's why I'm aching

The depth display seemed pretty reasonable, and it was cool to see the sonar displays.  Now that I have this thing working, I need to get more educated on how to actually read sonar   I started with some youtube videos which explained "fish arches", how to discern various types of structure, etc.

I think the transducer mount is a major source of drag, but that is hardly a surprise.  Makes for a better workout ...

I hadn't realized until I bought the unit that the GPS track/waypoint info can't be uploaded/downloaded to/from a PC, which is a bit disappointing.  I guess that is a feature of  the SD card-enabled units.  It would be nice to be able to plot the track from a trip on Caltopo or some such, or download waypoints for a specific trip without cluttering up the unit's memory with waypoints from all trips.

As luck would have it I only managed to get out on the water with this setup this morning.  Plugged it all in, pressed the power button, nada.  Jiggled connections, repeat, nope.  Put the cover back on, paddled around the lake, took a few casts, enjoyed the morning.

Got back to the dock three hours later, started putting things away, and noticed that the 4-pin Garmin connector for the transducer looks almost exactly like the one for the power.  I must have had them swapped.  Super facepalm moment 

Back at home I plugged it all in (properly this time) and there was no issue.  I think on these early morning trips I need to practice the night before ... either that or stop at Starbucks on the way.