Do I really need a wire leader every single time?

If pike are a realistic possibility on that water: yes, every cast, and this is an ethics point as much as a tackle point. A pike's mouth is carpeted with hundreds of teeth that shear braid and standard fluorocarbon; skipping the leader does not just lose lures, it leaves fish swimming with hooks and trailing line. Modern leader materials — thin seven-strand, single-strand, titanium, or genuinely heavy 80–100 lb fluoro for some presentations — cost almost nothing in strikes; the "leaders spook pike" worry is contradicted daily by every leader-rigged spoon that gets crushed.

Browse every question