Filet Knives

[fish_fishburn]

I purchased a Silver Creek folding fillet knife made by Buck Knives in 2011 for 40 bucks. Its has the slip proof rubber covered handle and an 8 inch blade. Quality is awesome and it holds an edge. The best part is it folds to half its size which has always been an issue with me. Also when the blade is opened it locks in place for extra safety.

[John]

I can vouch for Arts craftsmanship and materials. Beauty work....a few swipes with a steel and it is good to go. I am learning how to refinish the edge when it is needed (an art in itself)...:-)

[Walleye72]

Manitou Bass or Art,

 

Why does that knife in your pic not have a pointed end?

 

What's the reasoning behind that shape?

[aplumma]

The knife has a tip that is used to slice with. The backside of the edge is for scaling fish or can be sharpened to be used to slice the belly. You has less chance of poking your hand on a pass thru fillet. I personally prefer the wider fillet knife it is a little more ridged and is easier to hold flat while cutting the skin off.

 

 

Art

[Old Ironmaker]

The knife has a tip that is used to slice with. The backside of the edge is for scaling fish or can be sharpened to be used to slice the belly. You has less chance of poking your hand on a pass thru fillet. I personally prefer the wider fillet knife it is a little more ridged and is easier to hold flat while cutting the skin off.

 

 

Art

 

And I like a flexible softer blade to skin a fish. We all have our preferences I guess. Is the customers hand the one in your Avatar Art?

Edited March 13, 2016 by Old Ironmaker

[aplumma]

And I like a flexible softer blade to skin a fish. We all have our preferences I guess. Is the customers hand the one in your Avatar Art?

LOL no he is a french chef that years of cutting frozen meat and other hand abuses have left them in poor shape. Over the years I have replaced the handles on a few of his favorite knifes. Most are high carbon knifes from the 60's and 70's that after a little love and some regrinding and polishing are brought back for another round of use.

 

Art

[Big Cliff]

I was always old school, right from when I use to guide on the French people would often comment on how quickly and how well I could fillet fish. A few years ago a very good friend of mine, CPH was here and we went crappie fishing, man we caught a boat load.

 

We only kept about 30 between us and when we got home and went to clean them he pulled out his rapala electric knife. I sort of chuckled to myself (an electric knife to clean fish, ya right) and we both got to work cleaning fish. Well, I have to tell you I was awe struck, he was cleaning fish three to my one and doing as good a job (or better) than I was.

 

The next day I went into CTC and bought myself one of those "electric" knives. I liked it so much that I told my son about it (he's a bit of a chip off the old block and smiled and said "sure dad" (that boy can fillet a pike and you'd never know there were bones in it and he doesn't waste much!)

 

Anyway, we went head to head on a mess of fish one day and he now owns one of those rapala electrics and loves it!

 

I am a great fan of quality knives, well quality anything and I'd love to own one of Arts masterpieces but I'd probably just want it as a treasure rather than a knife, it would likely never get used LOL.

 

I do have a Cutco and have for over 20 years now, it's a good knife but the blade lock doesn't work worth a darn. They have replaced it a few times now over the years, their warranty is fantastic, the steel seems to be quite good but I think their weakness is in the extendable blade, the blade lock is just a cam type thing and it fails quite easily. Still a good knife though but expensive.

Edited March 13, 2016 by Big Cliff

[Roy]

I have two of Art's knives and they're really the best knives I've ever owned. Learn how to keep them sharp and put them away carefully. And this will sound selfish but don't lend your knives to anyone.

[misfish]

I have two of Art's knives and they're really the best knives I've ever owned. Learn how to keep them sharp and put them away carefully. And this will sound selfish but don't lend your knives to anyone.

 

Just like your auger. Unless you know they can replace it.

[Old Ironmaker]

I've always meant to pick up an electric knife. But since I found the fish cleaning lady I am only cleaning 2 or 3 fish anyway. I watched a couple from NY go at a few baskets of Crappie in no time whatsoever, impressive.

[crappieperchhunter]

I was always old school, right from when I use to guide on the French people would often comment on how quickly and how well I could fillet fish. A few years ago a very good friend of mine, CPH was here and we went crappie fishing, man we caught a boat load.

 

We only kept about 30 between us and when we got home and went to clean them he pulled out his rapala electric knife. I sort of chuckled to myself (an electric knife to clean fish, ya right) and we both got to work cleaning fish. Well, I have to tell you I was awe struck, he was cleaning fish three to my one and doing as good a job (or better) than I was.

 

The next day I went into CTC and bought myself one of those "electric" knives. I liked it so much that I told my son about it (he's a bit of a chip off the old block and smiled and said "sure dad" (that boy can fillet a pike and you'd never know there were bones in it and he doesn't waste much!)

 

Anyway, we went head to head on a mess of fish one day and he now owns one of those rapala electrics and loves it!

 

I am a great fan of quality knives, well quality anything and I'd love to own one of Arts masterpieces but I'd probably just want it as a treasure rather than a knife, it would likely never get used LOL.

 

I do have a Cutco and have for over 20 years now, it's a good knife but the blade lock doesn't work worth a darn. They have replaced it a few times now over the years, their warranty is fantastic, the steel seems to be quite good but I think their weakness is in the extendable blade, the blade lock is just a cam type thing and it fails quite easily. Still a good knife though but expensive.

I remember that day. Still one of my all time best days for crappie...both numbers and size.

 

I was the same as you about electric knives Cliff. Just thought they where toys for the "must have people" to spend there $$$ on. Then my son got me one for Xmas, so I used it because it was a gift. This was probably 10 years ago and I have only manually filleted fish once in that time. I had a bunch of bluegills to clean at the cottage and my electric knife was at home It was almost like torture after getting used to the electric and that's saying something because I used to love sitting down and filleting fish up with my manual knives. The next day the first thing I did was drive to Marks in Bobcaygeon and get another electric to leave at the cottage.

 

I have 3 manual fillet knives. They never get out of the cupboard anymore.

Edited March 13, 2016 by crappieperchhunter

[manitoubass2]

I have an electric too but I rarely use it.

 

I like my knife better and it was a gift from pops, so you know how that goes.

 

I love the double edge

Edited March 13, 2016 by manitoubass2

[pics]

I have a few older knives that do the job adequately but has anyone tried using an electric sharpener? . Bass pro has a few in different price points that look as if they could get a nice edge on a knife.. I'm just not sure if they are a gimmicky item or are they actually useful??

[manitoubass2]

I have a few older knives that do the job adequately but has anyone tried using an electric sharpener? . Bass pro has a few in different price points that look as if they could get a nice edge on a knife.. I'm just not sure if they are a gimmicky item or are they actually useful??

Maybe a quick edge for lower end knives.

 

Properly giving an edge to a knife is like a work of art lol( ill see myself out, tip your waiter)

[crappieperchhunter]

I have a few older knives that do the job adequately but has anyone tried using an electric sharpener? . Bass pro has a few in different price points that look as if they could get a nice edge on a knife.. I'm just not sure if they are a gimmicky item or are they actually useful??

I was wondering the same thing a few years back and I happened upon one at a garage sale for a couple of bucks so I took it home and gave it a go. I can't remember the name brand now, but at the time I looked into it and it was actually supposed to be of pretty good quality.

 

For me it was a piece of junk. Never did what I would call a good job on any of my knives. Completely turned me off even considering using another electric sharpener.

[Spanky80]

I can vouch for Arts craftsmanship and materials. Beauty work....a few swipes with a steel and it is good to go. I am learning how to refinish the edge when it is needed (an art in itself)...:-)

 

Art's knives sure do look good!

[aplumma]

Heat and inconsistent angles prevent an electric sharpener from being worth anything fora fine edge. I use a unit called the wicked edge.

 

https://www.wickededgeusa.com/product/pro-pack-ii/

 

this unit is more expensive than what most people will pay for using for just the family needs. I also use a large grinder unit for shaping and polishing

 

 

http://amktactical.com/epages/3c926a50-9aba-43a5-9571-098ee03f1288.sf/en_US/?ObjectPath=/Shops/3c926a50-9aba-43a5-9571-098ee03f1288/Products/33

 

This unit grinds from 18 grit to 3000 grit polishing belts.

 

 

Art

[FloatnFly]

I have a few older knives that do the job adequately but has anyone tried using an electric sharpener? . Bass pro has a few in different price points that look as if they could get a nice edge on a knife.. I'm just not sure if they are a gimmicky item or are they actually useful??

 

be very careful with the electric grinders, you can burn through a blade pretty quick by getting the angle wrong

[ecmilley]

the art is in the sharpening, have several knives the schrades are very nice but lack some flexibility, several models of rapala knives that work ok cheapys seem to get a year of cleaning out of them before blade is toast, I love my 2 grit sharpening stone as well as my lagostina steel for keeping the edge pefect

[captpierre]

Been wondering about getting an electric knife.

I'm guessing you use it to cut along the backbone and thru the ribs. The blade is serrated?

Then to cut the ribs off the fillet.

I'm thinking that to be easier and faster than the way I do it with a flexible knife carefully leaving the ribs on the backbone.

[pics]

Been wondering about getting an electric knife.

I'm guessing you use it to cut along the backbone and thru the ribs. The blade is serrated?

Then to cut the ribs off the fillet.

I'm thinking that to be easier and faster than the way I do it with a flexible knife carefully leaving the ribs on the backbone.

that's how I use my electric.. cut right through and remove the rib bones afterwards when I take the skin off.. a few years ago I was fishing in the Nipigon area and the guy I was with cleaned walleye with his filet knife the same way.. I think it's hard on the blade myself..

[NANUK]

Henckels and Wusthof are the best mass produced knives for the quality of steel,

They sharpen fairly easy and keep their edge longer than any other knife I own,

What dulls a fillet knife the most is the scales and bones, I use a serrated kitchen knife to make the cut behind the head and along the back, as well as cutting rib cage, only use the fillet knife on the spinal area and for skinning.

When it comes to fillet a mess of fish like a few dozen perch or crappie, I prefer the electric.

[mike rousseau]

I knew the electric would be brought up. Sorry, but they didnt have them back then ( Well they did, for carving hams and turkeys) and to me, it,s a lazy mans knife. No disrespect intented here.

not sure why you say it's lazy... That's like me saying your lazy for using a power auger... Or a power drill... Or most other power tools... Lol

 

I've used blades and I use electric now (for walleye anyways) and I'll never go back... Many people that have seen me clean fish have now gone electric...

[wallyboss]

I use my electric all the time especially for walleyes. I have attached a video to show how to remove the ribcage.

 

[captpierre]

Great video

He's using what looks like a Rapala knife even to cut the rib cage. From the bottom.

Nice trick to remove the ribs.