Bonehead Braid vs mono

I’ve tried many, many lines over the years and this line is special. My friend Glen wanted to buy some Bonehead Braid, but Josh was out of orange at the time, so he tried another popular brand and hated it. When he tied on some Bonehead orange braid this past weekend, he said, “I love it”. I would never have thought I would say that about any line, much less braid, but I love it too. Lol
I jig fish 99% of the time, even in the dead of winter, with very light – sometimes imperceptible – bites, so I need a **straight** line with no kinks. You will not even know you have a bite with kinky or coiled mono. I can feel everything going on 100% of the time with my jig. It is awesome. Sometimes the big girls are just ‘weight’ or just a different feel.

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words… Braid vs mono

http://i707.photobucket.com/albums/w...psc158a3e3.jpg


If you have ever considered trying braid, winter is the best time to really see the difference. Mono pretty much sucks in the winter with line memory. J

I had to learn a uni-to-uni knot to have some mono for backing. But after tying it five or six times, it becomes real easy. (Braid is so soft it will slip on the spools so you need some kind of backing.)

You can see the knot in the picture above where the orange braid joins the mono.

You can get a free app called “knot wars” and it will show you color coded, step by step, slow motion video of all kinds of knots. I stopped it at each step as I was learning. Works great!


Here’s another picture worth 1,000 words. These were caught this week jig fishing in 28-33’ of water on Lake O’ the Pines in East Texas. I would say 99% of the boats are using minnows, but I vertical jig. I have to have sensitivity and direct contact with the bottom and feel the bites. It is easy to tell the difference between the bar fish (yellow bass) and crappie bites, so I just shake off the bar fish and keep fishing for the crappie. J I’m also using a 7’ Bonehead rod. These were the first two fish I caught on a ~20 something degree morning, one black, one white.

http://i707.photobucket.com/albums/w...pscb394738.jpg

After many months of testing, you can see all my rods on the deck now have Bonehead orange braid on them. For a while, I had only one rod, then two, then half of them… now all of them. LOL
Love that stuff.

Are you using 8 lb?

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Originally Posted by Oldyankee

Are you using 8 lb?

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12lb

http://boneheadtackle.com/products-p...ine-duplicate/

Is this line produced by Bonehead tackle co. or is their name just being added to a braid that is produced by one of the major line manufacturer???

I would also like to know.

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Originally Posted by polarcrafter

... or is their name just being added to a braid that is produced by one of the major line manufacturer???

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Bingo!

Oddly enough, Josh designs ALL of his stuff and has it manufactured to HIS specifications. I honestly don’t know how he does it all, but I know he does. J He’s an east Texas guy with a wife and kid growing his tackle line.
He started out carving wooden lures for fun, but then people starting wanting to buy them. Somehow that grew into a thriving Walleye and Bass lures and products. Josh sponsors some guys on the Walleye and Bass circuits. But Josh is from east Texas, Tyler, and he crappie fishes a lot, so he started making and designing his own stuff for crappie. I am in CAT (Crappie Anglers of Texas) and have been crappie fishing for over 20 years, so he asked me to help test his new crappie products beginning last year. I still remember telling him “I hate braid!!” But he said his was different, so I tried it.
He has explained to me what he has done with a tighter weave, different fabric and especially different dyes… but I really don’t know how that stuff works.
I just know that for me, it is the only braid I have ever liked. It is soft, limp, castable, easy to tie, -extremely- Hi Vis and has the intense sensitivity that braid is known for.

Call him and ask him what he has done to design his braid. Like I said, he is just a local guy and will always talk to you.
I asked him one time if should post his number or his website or e-mail. He said “Phone number – I like talking to people and I’m not too good at that other stuff”.
It’s not often you get to talk to the owner and designer of products. Maybe one day he’ll make it huge and he won’t take our calls anymore… LOL but for now, give him a call and ask him!

Josh Spain – 580-276-0768

http://i707.photobucket.com/albums/w...psde9054ec.jpg

I did some reading on it here awhile back. My understanding was that they have it made to their specs.

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Originally Posted by TexExp

... he asked me to help test his new crappie products beginning last year.

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Do you get discounts to promote his stuff?

I’m still relatively new to Crappie.Com (only a few years) and Josh is a brand new sponsor. I'm not really a sales guy and not good at that and I don’t ‘self-promote’. But just a little bit about me so you know where I’m coming from. Crappie fishing is my passion. I am a hard core jig fisherman, but I also like to support the industry and help it grow. It makes for better products for all of us. I think Wally Marshall has done more to bring us into the light than anybody else with his 30+ years of promoting crappie fishing. Wally also lives near me here in north Texas and I count him as a friend. So when Josh asked me to help test his products, I was all on board.
As a Christian, I was taught to be humble, so I don’t like to drop names or mention this stuff… all I want to do is go crappie fishing. As I mentioned, I am a hard core jig fisherman and early last year won the Crappie Masters “Ultimate Challenge” – One pole, one jig tournament on Lake Fork. I don’t know if that helps, but just trying to make the point that I really love this stuff and work hard at it. I love that THUMP!!

http://i707.photobucket.com/albums/w...psa1ffe9f4.jpg

I’m wearing that same crappy windbreaker that I wore last weekend on LoP. J

http://i707.photobucket.com/albums/w...psd80bf462.jpg

But I also like having great products. For decades, the only information I could get was from the old timer at the boat ramp in a jon boat that used a cane pole and minnows. There were no crappie magazines, very few crappie tournaments and certainly no crappie shows… and not a whole lot of crappie specific products.

I have a normal job and just crappie fish on weekends. I don’t really need sponsors or discounts. I am not trying to make a living at it by any means. I mainly do it for fun. In my last post a month or so ago, I mentioned that Josh is now sponsoring me and my new tournament partner for this year. I honestly don’t know what that even means. J He gives me stuff to try out and if I like it, I tell you guys. If I don’t, I tell Josh and he may redesign it. I have learned a lot tournament fishing, so I keep doing it, but if it ever stops being fun, I’m out. So, it’s not really that big of deal if you use it or like it, but before you cast stones or pass judgment, at least give him a call or try the stuff. Josh is just trying to make good products for ALL of us crappie fisherman.

I appreciate the moderators and Crappie.Com sponsors posting on here and giving me a hard time and really vetting out all these products and claims! That lets me know you guys are hard core also and are not going to let anybody just slide by! Thanks so much for having a great forum where we can share ideas, what works… and yes, new products from the “new guy”. J

God bless you all and have a fantastic Crappie New Year!!
Tim

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Originally Posted by TexExp

... Josh is now sponsoring me and my new tournament partner for this year.

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That's all I wanted to know. Thanks.

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Originally Posted by deathb4disco

That's all I wanted to know. Thanks.

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I think that answers my question also!!!!

I loved the fireline I had on my Heaton 12' jig rods. Then I found out that the eyes are not made for braid. So they have mono on them now. There is a world of difference in the feel.

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Originally Posted by justinp61

I loved the fireline I had on my Heaton 12' jig rods. Then I found out that the eyes are not made for braid. So they have mono on them now. There is a world of difference in the feel.

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Could you explain how an eye is or is not made for braid?

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Originally Posted by Oldyankee

Could you explain how an eye is or is not made for braid?

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A lot of the crappie rods have eyelets that don't have the ceramic inserts. Braid won't cut into the ceramic inserts like it will the stainless eyelets.

Hey guys I see some people asking about my line. I do not use other people products and never will. I design all my own stuff. When designing braided line its all in the weave and dye.

I just bought some of the 12lb bright orange braid to test out. I was pleasantly surprised that there was no tax or shipping fee.

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Originally Posted by GeauxTigers

I just bought some of the 12lb bright orange braid to test out. I was pleasantly surprised that there was no tax or shipping fee.

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Me too.
I won't use anything else. Whether I'm a field tester sponsored or what.
It's very user friendly and works.