sabiki rigs. get yourself some kind of chum and use that to get the baitfish going. then use your sabiki rigs tipped wiht some chum on each hook. drop that down adn kind of jiggle it works pretty good on most bait species that dont have teeth
PaperChaser1 -always trying for that masters plaque

I agree with using Sabiki rigs. I use them on reefs and structure. I like to tip the hooks with squid.  Also, use a length of 1/2" PVC to store the rig when not in use.(It keeps 7-8 sharp little hooks contained and out of you legs/shoelaces/ect)

what is a sabstic w/e rig ?

A cast net is also useful, difernt sizez for differnt size of bait fish- I would use at least  a 4 footer.  However, you realy didn't say what kind of bait you are looking for. 

a sabiki rig is basically a length of mono or fluorocarbon leader with small little fly's hanging off of it. or in other words really tiny hooks with flair or hair on them. a cast net on a pier isnt exactly a greatest idea. piers will genrally have other structure in and around them and most nets dont have enough rope on them to use on a pier anyways. form the surf go ahead and use about a 6 ft net get yourself some open space and practice throwing first. the net should open almost fully  or completely fully by the time it hiuts the water. once it hits let it sink and then start hauling rope fast to keep the weights up i the net any gaps and you will lsoe bait
PaperChaser1 -always trying for that masters plaque

I would use 20 pb test and make a 5 hook lead by tieing in the bait hooks with a figure 8 loop knot and tip them off with some bloodworms with a 2 or 3 oz weight current pending