Professor Predator's first sessions -
A night trolling session was planned to start at around 7.00ish. There were 3 hours to kill in the afternoon so it was a bucket of lives, 1 rod each, and off down to one of the arms on the reservoir, starting off working baits where the water enters the res - usually good for a fish or two, but none forthcoming.
I recast towards the far bank - the 1 inch poly ball with the 8 inch trout fished 2½ foot under the surface went exactly where required as if it were radio controlled. After covering 10 yards of the far bank margin she's gone in a very subtle take, the very soft rod I was using bent into a ridiculous battle curve, a nice fight and a long lean fish was safely in the net. I thought it was going to be 16ish but it wasn't to be, due to very empty belly it only went 13.8.
Two hours later and 200 yards more covered and only one Jack to show, so it was time to get ready for the evenings fun. The wind had dropped - prospects looked excellent.
The rig for the 1 rodding swim hopping was not very complicated. Tackle required: rod, reel, unhooking mat, net, couple of spare traces, shot, unhooking gear, bucket of 'lives', spare poly.

6:45
Boat, set up finder, rod, rests, net, mat, starlights on float tops, cage full of 10 inch trout.
The wind which had been a strong northerly (which normally blows straight down the res) had dropped off totally so the session was a goer. After fish and chips and a few lagers it was time to get the strings pulled big time. The area we were going to concentrate on was around the valve tower, dam wall and jetty. There was a very big shoal of fish in 12 to 21ft of water and the first 2 laps of the trolling area proved fruitless with no takes and no sign of any pike on the finder. Time to hit the margins, we figured there was too much food fish in the deeper water so hopefully moving to the margins, any pike sitting in wait wouldn't be able to resist the baits going over their heads off the main shoal. 50 yards of the new trolling line with floats set 4 and 5 ft deep. The first take on the inside rod, my boat partners rod. After preparing ourselves for battle and getting my rod out of the way, he winds down too slow and not hard enough resulting in one splashed-up bait and no pike. Another 30 yards and his rod's away again, the starlight is still visible about 8 inches under the water. We give it a bit of time and she trundles off with the bait again. He winds down only to see the float pop up just before he's made contact with it - bastard thing's had the bait off the hooks .
2-0 to the pike. Nothing else in the shallows so we deepen up to 10 and 12 ft, flick the baits by the jetty, line the boat up and start rowing. Away, my float pops up in the water then flies under and towards the jetty moorings. This fish had to be hit quick and hauled away from the ropes, the 2½ test curve glass rod did the biz and turned the fish with no problems and in clear water the fish ploughed around very nicely. My boat partner thought he would reel his out of the way - this wasn't a good idea as he managed to reel it straight into mine so the fish is now attached to two lines - time to bully this to the net before any more trouble, in she goes first time, proper looking fish this time unlike the skinny thing of the afternoon. We didn't bother weighing her as at night, unless it's a special fish, it's more trouble than it's worth; between 14-15lbs, a nice fish and the first of many hopefully.