[IceInTheVeins]

I think for pressured pike in clear water, the best thing you can do is to ditch wire leader. Plain and simply fish see it and it harms lure action. If you use heavy fluorocarbon, pike won't bite off hardly at all, though you have to play the fish more carefully.
I think that a jointed rapala weighted down with a couple split shot is a really good pike lure. Spinnerbaits work well too when pike are not put off. Large mepps black furies, and daredevles work okay too. Two overlooked but lethal presentations are big jigs with curly tails or mister twister sassy shads, or a soft plastic jerkbait 5" long.
Pike are hard to catch. The statements you hear about them being slobbering, agressive fools that hit anything and often take fish half their body length are pretty much legend. They are finicky, smart, fickle fish. You just have to keep casting, and casting, and casting. They have lots of food here in CO in the form of panfish, and for pike over 25", catchable sized trout. So just keep at it and be stealthy.
Pike are worth it. They fight hard and the strike is heartstoppingly ferocious. The best thing we can do is to release most all pike except for a few smaller ones. Encourage others to release them and to not listen to the CDOW about pike.

 

[IceInTheVeins]

Ice...what about a braided leader? I've tried the thicker line but my lack of patience kills me and snap the fish off just before it reaches my hands. "Sonofa....!!!"

I hate leaving hardware in their mouth so I have digressed to using the black wire leaders. I still catch a few pike but the bigger, smarter fish just laught at my gear as it goes by.

I have experimented with a braided leader but struggled to get fish to take. What am I doing wrong? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Actually I have used the 14/6 fireline for pike leader and find it works quite well unless the water is really, really clear. Never have broke a fish off on it. But the fireline works best. Spiderwire doesn't work as well. And on the end of the fireline I tie a swivel unless I'm fishing spinnerbaits or soft jerkbaits.