What is the best set up for fishing off of piers? I was thinking a simple Carolina rig. Would an egg shaped slide weight also be good? I'm also going go fish the top with a popping cork. But generally I like to use a couple different varieties at the same
Time to see what works best.

I've been having great luck with a "pulley rig". It's a modification of the fishfinder rig and and helps me keep a bait where I want it better. Both work well, trick is to keep the bait from washing back under the pier.

http://www.torbayfishing.com/rigs/pulley-rig.htm

http://socalangling.tripod.com/rigging/id9.html

I was fishing Horace caldwell Pier last week. I was using sliding sinkers 1/8 to 1 ouce egg sinkers glass bead tied to an 8inch steel leader with a 4 o/o circle hook so it was like a carolina rig for toothy fish, I was catching small whiting on a smaller rod with a double drop rig on with 1 o/o circle hook an small pieces of cut mullet. I'd cut the whiting in half and put them on the bigger rods with the carolina rigs on them. We were fishing between the second and third sandbars in the gut. we caught many decent size blue fish, and smacks, landed one 4 foot shark
and had 3 sharks cut our wire leaders. Sharks were caught on carolina rigs with the heavier egg sinkers on them the lighter rigs 1/8 ounce weight drifted more and we caught the blues and smacks on that set up. the blues were very active I spent probably and hour just letting my wife catch fish while i was rebaiting and casting them out for her, great day

where is this Horace Caldwell Pier?? Sounds like fun

Go down to the port aransas beach about a half mile south of the south jetty and across from the dunes condos is about a 1200 ft pier going out to past the 3rd bar. It has a pierhouse which used to sell bait but i think the business changed, now they sell burgers and that stuff(only in the summer for some strange reason). They also have rod rentals, tackle, and other equipment. They charge a 2$ per rod fee and maximum of 2 rods per person.