I would go with Nicks approach, go carp or pike, you risk gorging a pike if you leave it too long before striking, split attention is never good, different approach though, most of my pike angling has been done on the river, sink and draw deadbaits scored highly, on the reservoirs, drift floats with a bait suspended below at 4-6 feet, if you have ever seen a thousand roach exit the water with a noise like an express train you would understand why, the pike attack from below, and sometimes a porpoirsing crocodile will explode through the surface, the drifter covers a lot of water and is very visible, if cats are present the dead bait approach balanced with balsa spears, running rigs in an elastic band at the rod butt, a cat will drop if it feels resistence.