Fishing from a pier...

It is a Sunday afternoon on the Manhattan Beach Pier in L.A. Men stand with several poles between them fishing. It is a type of fishing I do not entirely understand. Some men cast over head - although there is a sign that clearly states they are not suppose to do just that. The each pole is then rested on the pier rail and the wait begins with the fisherman watching the water. It seems perhaps too distant to me...to sit and wait with the pole not in his hands. I wonder how often they actually catch a fish and what kind of fish lurks in the salt water shallow trying to decide if it should nibble on a minnow? How will the fishermen know the right moment to set a hook if they do not feel that tiny tug that whispers to their hands "NOW"? Of course these fishermen are there with other men. Perhaps that is the point of the wait. These men may be simply enjoying the sun and the breeze, the talk of wondering if something will be caught, and of course the company of male friends.