more tips on safety gear.....

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,14820.0.html

There is a lot of tether talk in that thread. I think over leashing is dangerous. No more than 2 leashes. I only leash my paddle and my wine. A person could easily become entangled in their leashes while being thrashed in the surf. Furthermore, I have seen more than one guy not be able to get back in their boat because of leashes. When they flipped their boat back over everything was so entangled that they couldn't get back in the boat and had to swim back to shore. Keep in mind that in addition to any leashes you have mono,hooks,anchor lines, crab lines,drift chute lines. All that can quickly turn into a nightmare in thrashing seas. Keep it simple and stay alive. There is a real good chance that someone in this world actually cares about you.

Good point Jack - The only thing I leash is my paddle - which I unleash when surf launching and landing.

Hey Jack!  After fishing with you at gs4 and seeing how you have things set up I switched over from almost everything leashed to only the paddle and fish.   Now everything that is loose on deck either floats or I dont care if I lose it.

When a 50 lb WSB takes your rod out of the holder and starts jamming away with your rod, just because it floats wont save your rod. Leash the rods if you are fishing for big fish while in the holders.

When a 50 lb WSB takes your rod out of the holder and starts jamming away with your rod, just because it floats wont save your rod. Leash the rods if you are fishing for big fish while in the holders.

  For sure

and UN-leash that paddle when launching or landing in the surf.

When a 50 lb WSB takes your rod out of the holder and starts jamming away with your rod, just because it floats wont save your rod. Leash the rods if you are fishing for big fish while in the holders.

Yes, but this is the safety forum.  It is still safer for YOU to not leash your rods.  I never leash rods.   

-Allen

Leash the rods if you are fishing for big fish while in the holders.

This is why I like using a flush mount rod holder over any other type of rod holders. My WSB and yellow tail were both hooked while my rod was on my flush mount. I was never a believer of the ram mounts (or any other type) of holders.

and UN-leash that paddle when launching or landing in the surf.

Wish I would have read this last week before I botched a surf launch because I couldn't get my paddle into position due to the leash. Didn't lose anything except my pride.

Safety first then !

When a 50 lb WSB takes your rod out of the holder and starts jamming away with your rod, just because it floats wont save your rod. Leash the rods if you are fishing for big fish while in the holders.

That's exactly why I don't fish for WSB! I'd hate to lose my $30 set-up. 

I do both if I don't have a surf launch and wanna fish my good rods I leash, if I'm fishing freshwater and I bring my friend Loomis and I'm not using it I leash it on lakes like LL  I keep my leashes really short 12-18"

Also, after you land, keep an eye out for the next guy landing, chances are hes gonna be wobbly on his legs and its a great feeling when you land and people are there in the surf to grab the front of your yak and pull it up a few feet with you. Very bromantic.

I keep my leashes to a minimum of three, 1 for the paddle and the other two for the game clips.
And always have my dive knife strapped to the ankle just in case i need to cut away from any danger of entanglements.

Think Safety then have fun!