Multiple rods

Drifting over from another thread. I'm thinking about doubling the number of rods I use next season to four whilst Pike fishing. My local water is a buy a bite type water and runs are few and far between. It's not the sort of water you can leap frog effectively and more often than not you're never more than 50-60yds from other anglers also Piking. However if I have the space in front of me I am considering putting four rods out.

I'm not going to get into an ethical type slanging match over this one, hopefully healthy debate will help forge my opinions.

If, when using multiple rods, either 2, 3 or 4, a pick up occurs which you're dealing with, what would be normal procedure if another pick up occurred on another rod. Obviously the first option is for a mate to deal with it and 99% of the time I am accompanied.

I can anticipate the "Don't fish with four rods while alone" responses, that is already one of my options so don't bother, my response would be "don't fish with two rods while alone" for the same reasons albeit with less odds. I'm looking for viable solutions to a possible if highly unlikely scenario.

if you get a run on another rod while you already have a fish on ,put the one you are playing in free spool,the pike will usually lie still until it feels pressure from the rod again,strike the other rod,if it feels bigger than the first,play and land it,if it feels smaller,free spool it and land the other one,return the first one and then land the second.if you are fishing running water,its better to freespoll with the baitrunner rather than freeline,otherwise you might have to reel in yards of line before you can connect with the fish.
don`t try and fit two pike into your landing net,or leave a pike on the bank while you play the other(you probably realise this is dangerous for pike,but there are plenty who don`t).
tightlines.
it once happened to me and the late jc,3 fish on at once,we did the above instructions and none of the free spooled hooked pike moved while we were dealing with the biggest,which turned out to be an 18 plusser,the other two were 12 and 13lbs.(it was march and we`d found a spawning area stuffed with pike of all sizes.)

If you are on barbed trebles, then hit one, and then the other. Once they are hooked the trebles hook hold shouldnt come out and get swallowed. Try lightly hooking baits too. The bait should come off and the pike wont then try to swallow the bait down further along with the hooks.

Magic, exactly the sort of response I was hoping for, thanks for that Pete and Andy I'm pretty sure I remember hearing a similar explanation a few years ago when I first started this Piking lark. I suppose I was trying to reinforce my justification in my intentions. I've thought about this these last couple of years but the confidence hasn't quite been there until now. Although still "green" compared to many on here I now consider myself competent and able to deal with just about anything I come across, still not had deep hooked one yet, touch wood!! but feel ok about dealing with one should the need arise.

still not had deep hooked one yet, touch wood!! but feel ok about dealing with one should the need arise.
you must be doing it right then mate,tightlines and many big fish to you.