I'm heading to Jacksonville Florida next month and wondering if I can use some bass lures to fish piers and in the surf for salt water species.  I'm guessing that jerk baits and cranks would probably work, but what about soft plastics?  I would assume any fish would bite a senko but I'm just guessing.

I have used jigs and twister-tail to some degree off piers.  Gotcha plugs for spanish but not a freshwater lure. Also spoons, particularly gold spoons but I have used them more in the surf but have jigged them with success around pier pilings.

Jerkbaits, spooks, paddletails, flukes, underspins and chatterbaits all work in the salt. Granted I'm basing that on the Chesapeake Bay where it tends to be less clear. I've even watched big glides become popular with the specks here the last year or so. 

I’ve used a Carolina rig with curly tail grubs to catch surf perch in the ocean

I’ve had more luck with grubs and hair jigs than anything. Sure seems like a spoon would work but I can’t make it 

Spoons, hard and soft jerkbaits, soft swim baits, topwaters, paddle tails, grubs…

 

I’d suggest you try to find some tidal creeks or inshore waterways to fish

By way of update - I took all of the lures listed above with me, but storms stirred up everything in-shore water so that there was about 0 visibility.  So, I tried using spoons, swim baits and some top water, but I only had success using real shrimp.  Incidentally, frozen shrimp does not stay on a hook during hard casts and it takes zero effort for tiny fish to steal it off your hook.  You are better off with whole shrimp that's never been frozen.  Even then, everything in the ocean will try and steal it so you go through a lot of them.