When I go at night to catch bait at OB I see those guys with their shark set up. They come with 6-7 rods each and that's no exaggeration. I saw them hook a Black Sea Bass a few months ago. At least they didn't try to bring that out of the water. 
If we want to get them off the piers and encourage conservation, it's going to take friendship and education. It's up to us to meet them, invite them to fish with us, share our spots and secrets and hope that they'll understand they can still catch monsters without having to kill them. Yeah, it means sharing our honey holes, but it's not all about us, it's about the health of the animals. In the end, a larger healthier population will mean more catches for us all.
Merry Christmas, peace out 
I don’t know Chip, I think the main hurdle is changing some people’s sense of a catch. I think these guys might still be in the stage where it doesn’t feel like a complete catch to them unless they have finished it with a kill and possession of the carcus. If just a photo and a live release is done they don’t have the feeling the catch is complete...that’s the particular thinking that needs to be changed in them some way.
That's part of it. Piers are a natural fishing spot. And just as we don't count it as a catch until it's on the sand and under our control, it's only natural that pier fishermen don't count it as a catch unless you get it on the pier. And there is where group membership, education and perception come into play. If they are invited to join another group that welcomes them, instead of throwing shade, then there's a chance to change behavior and attitudes. But if they are attacked, the natural human behavior is to become defensive and defiant.
Surf fishing is different than pier fishing. How many of those guys have 12' surf rods? How many have reels designed to really cast in the surf? How many of them are invited to fish with us in our secret spots? They know they can catch monsters off the pier, what's their incentive to change?
I know. I used to be one of them. I didn't know anybody who fished from the surf. There weren't any online boards or social media back then. And just like we fish together with friends, the same guys we saw on the pier became our friends. That's where everybody went to fish and hang out together. And just like we are, we were competitive. It wasn't a catch until you got it on the pier. It felt great having a monster on the pier. It validated you as a man and provided evidence of your fishing skills to everyone that walked up and gawked at and asked about your catch.
When you come right down to it, the only real difference between us and them is the landing and release.
Next time we're on the pier making bait, try meeting some of the guys. Invite them to the board. Hook up with them on social media, and go fishing with them, sharing your knowledge and conservation practices in the process. Bring down some of your extra equipment and loaner rods for them to try out so they can learn about real surf fishing.
And maybe it's time we looked at our behavior and attitudes too. Maybe we shouldn't consider ourselves successful fishermen until we pass along our experience and love for this sport to the younger generation.
