What is the best bait for salt water pier fishing?

live shrimp if you have a bubble box and a plastic bucket. you can buy a bubble box at most bait & tackle stores near the beach. They will show you how to use them at the store. They are about $10 and require two D batteries to work. If you do not have access to live bait I would suggest using dead shrimp or squid. Live bait works best but dead bait is better than no bait.