the biggest reason I haven't fished La Jolla yet is my knees. I had them both replaced in the last year and they don't work good yet. So even when I land in Mission Bay or Newport I have a hard time getting my feet under me. It's getting better but if I had to jump out in surf I would get pounded and knocked down. I'll be glad then they are working again. I hate missing out on this great fishing.

Take your time and get strong. The fish will be there when you regain your strength. I have an ab issue and it gets aggravated on every trip. Nothing like what you are dealing with though. I am sure your body will let you know when it is time to hit the surf.

I tend to kamikaze it in, that is I peddle as fast as I can, lock the drive in the up position as it gets shallow, coast in and jump out closer to the sand, if necessary, sometimes you can just glide on in.

I use the paddles to launch and land. Its comfortable to me. I've tried it both ways. When I used the mirage drive I bent the rods because I didn't lock them up far enough. Paddles seem to be the best for me. Again its what your comfortable with . When I do land and launch I make sure the skeg and the rudder are up. Once I get past the breakers I will engage it all. When landing again, I make sure everything is up. Take out the mirage drive prior. I use carabiner clips to make sure they are locked and come in with the paddles.

I'm definitely no expert, but what I do is unlock the rudder (to where I can still guide it, but if it hits the sand it will rise up and not break), I time the set, peddle as fast as I can get, quickly pull up the mirage drive, and then paddle in the rest of the way with the momentum I've created.