Buy a rod/reel combo. Also a pack of spoons, bobbers, hooks, sinkers, and a stringer. Then a jar of powerbait and a license.
Go to your state's dnr website and check the trout stocking schedule. Find the most recent plant in your county.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/reports/stocking/trout-plantsLook up a YouTube video of casting your chosen reel. Go to the dock and make sure there's nobody behind you. The spoons are used by casting, then reeling in at various speeds. Jerk the rod straight up if you feel a bite.
Cut a length of line to use the bait. Tie one end to the bobber, and the other to the hook (I use a Turle knot, since it's so simple). The bait will float, so add the sinker to determine how high up you want it to be. Take a wad of bait larger than your hook and knead it to cover the whole thing.
Jerk as your bobber twitches.
Jam the needle end of your stringer through the gill side and out the mouth of your first catch. Run it through the ring, and tie the end to the dock (clove hitch). Limit in my state is 5, so I catch 4 and release unless I get a big one. String the fish BEFORE removing the hook.
If you're not obnoxious with it, pier fishing is a social activity. Talk about what works, what others have caught. They'll be happy to answer intermittent questions. Also, the dock is a smoking area. Get over it, or fish elsewhere.
