Is this a good starter rod/reel: Shakespeare Catch More Fish

Thanks for all the great info everyone; I'll do some more reading and looking around before buying. The one I used in the class was an Ugly Stick Lite that also said Shakespeare on it. I would guess it was around 7'. I don't know what type of reel it was, it had a lever to release the line rather than a metal bar, but other than that I have no idea.

One of the reasons I don't want bigger fish is I haven't actually touched a live fish yet - the instructor took care of that part - and I think I'd be a bit scared trying to handle a large fish (or a small one...)

Thanks for the reminders about safety gear, always a good idea. I've been ocean kayaking for several years, so fortunately I've got all the safety gear already, including a marine radio. I just don't own any fishing gear yet.

Not having touched a fish yet is cool, everybody started that way somewhere along the line,

With that said, fish, especially rockfish have lots of sharp stuff, spines, teeth, gill plates, etc,

get yourself some gloves and lip grippers until you get some experience. image of the lip gripper below, very common item that works great.

The only thing I'll add is to check out Angler's Choice Tackle Shop in Capitola.

http://www.theanglerschoicetackleshop.com/

Mark and Julia are super nice, have a wide range of tackle/gear and are a great resource for Santa Cruz County.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Also Outdoor World gives a much better deal here in Santa Cruz, and has a wider selection of lower-priced but still quality gear.

Bushy

+1 on the Ugly Stik Lite, those things will last a long time at a reasonable cost.  The lighter the better, after awhile on the water, everything will feel heavier.

+1 on 10lbs line being too light.  You may want to try Trilene Big Game 20 or 30lbs line (get the green color, although the clear one is good too).  It is reasonably price and last awhile.

As far as reel choice, I recommend a spinning reel as a starter.  You can throw your lure/bait farther away without too much 'bird nest', especially for a beginner. 

As far as handling fish, you can get a pair of cloth-based glove from Home Depot at a decent price, or just use an old towel to grab the fish.  Not getting any fish is pretty common, so if it happens to you, don't beat yourself up.

By the way, I like LoletaEric's recommendation.   Also, post a date as to when/where you want to go out and see if anybody with experience can go out with you.

^^^^^^ that

Agreed with dtizz on not using towel/gloves if you plan to not keep the fish, lip gripper is best (that's what I use as well). 

Also, have a plan on what to do if the fish goes 'berserk' on your yak after you decide to keep it (on my case, the duty goes to the towel).  They all go berserk, large or small.

I looked at The Fish Grip on Amazon, but one of the reviews said The Fish Grip Junior is a better size for smaller fish; agree or disagree?

I would recommend this one. It floats and is hard to lose visible
It works really well for my needs anyways and is easy on the fish

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01FRGK8O4/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1470892923&sr=8-11&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=fish+grip

Even if you are nervous about catching and unhooking your first fish by the time you catch your second you will then want to catch bigger and bigger fish. Even the regular fish grip can grab a fairly small fish most rockfish  have pretty big mouths. By the time you catch your third fish you won't give a second thought to eating some snacks with bare hands covered in fish slime that smell like squid. It grows on you

I thought I'd post a followup since I just bought a rod/reel.

I went to the West Marine grand re-opening in Santa Cruz today and the employee that helped me is an avid kayak fisherman named Marcus who was super helpful (and patient!) I told him I wanted to get started inexpensively until I'm sure I'm going to stick with it, and that I wanted to start with kelp/rockfish and didn't mind if the equipment couldn't handle large fish. He had a Shakespeare Ugly Stick rod, 7', medium action, with a Shakespeare Encore reel on clearance for $44.88. He said I would probably at some point want a better reel, but that I might never outgrow the rod. I bought this setup along with some rubber-fishes that he uses, and some fishing line. I still want to get a lip gripper (they ran out of the plastic ones) because I'm just not comfortable with the idea of putting my fingers in the fish's mouth.

Since I don't have a license and it seems a bit of a waste to get one so close to the end of the year, I plan to do some practicing from (licence-free) wharfs or jetties for a while. I do realize next Saturday is free-fishing day, but already have a (non-fishing) kayaking event scheduled; I might try the rod out from the rocks after that event on Saturday though.

I just read that Sept 3 is a free fishing day which I believe means no license required (someone please feel free to fact check this)

But on the other hand I have bought my license way later in the year than this. Fall time on the coast is usually the best weather and there is for sure plenty of time to make it worth your while if you get a chance to go