Well, I ended up putting about 10 mostly oak (a couple of hickory limbs) under the pier and strapped them down with some electrical wire. Before I started, I did a quick survey of existed brush and found the the wire I used 5 or 6 years ago was still holding strong and no signs of wear. The oak was green and the hickory was about a year and a half old (just straight 4”x10’ stick. Some small bass and a few nice shell crackers were roaming around as I stirred up old brush and what ever was stuck to it and the pilings. Hopefully I can report good results by this time next year.