This is my opinion, flame me for it if you like. This is prompted by the posts I've seen here saying 'Go take your boat out to the reef around *dock of your choice*."

The best way to fish from a boat around the piers (Edmonds, Des Moines, take your pick) is not to fish there at all. People in boats can go all over the water. People on piers are confined to the dock. It sucks big time when you're fishing on the pier for bottomfish and some a-hole in a boat is hanging just beyond casting distance trying for the same fish. Last year I almost beaned someone in a boat with a 5" Buzz Bomb. What did they buy the damn boat for? Ya got a boat, use it to go fish the water that the dock people can't get to, and leave the dock fish alone.

Again, just my opinion.