I've done quite a bit of shore fishing and pier fishing at KH and the fishing is generally really only decent in certain areas of the harbor. Without a doubt the docks are the best, but that's not generally a good idea if you are trying to teach a kid some ethics.

I'd recommend the short pier, 4lb gear, and squid or shrimp for bait. The last time I was there, which was about 3 weeks ago, some guys were nailing short calicos.