Rapala VS Rapala

[limeyangler]

Hi all,

 

Won an electric fillet knife in a small local bass tournament, gave it a try yesterdays with mixed results. I have been putting off using it because it just feels so big and cumbersome….and it proved to be an issue wile using it. I think as long as my hand fillet knife is sharp I'm way faster and more accurate than with the electric, having said that I think that because I go round the ribs as I go this made the electric less efficient and more difficult to use. I do plan on trying to just slab the crappies we catch this winter and remove the ribs after, I have a feeling the electric knife will be better at it than by hand, especially since the hand fillet knife gets so blunt so quickly with the larger scales and the fact that it is difficult to go around the ribs given a crappie's anatomy…we'll see……...

 

 

[Sinker]

I really dont like the electric knife. I am way quicker, and better with my standard fillet knife. I have even raced buddies and they had no chance with the electric. I remove all the bones in one shot, most guys take them out after the fillet is off the fish. When my fillet is off, its boneless.

 

I also hate the racket the electric knife makes....LOL

 

S.

[captpierre]

I really dont like the electric knife. I am way quicker, and better with my standard fillet knife. I have even raced buddies and they had no chance with the electric. I remove all the bones in one shot, most guys take them out after the fillet is off the fish. When my fillet is off, its boneless.

 

I also hate the racket the electric knife makes....LOL

 

S.

How do you deal with the Y bones mid fillet?

[mike rousseau]

Trick with the electric is to slab the entire side to the tail... Flop the fillet over and remove from skin

 

I put all the fillets in water at this point as I slab the next fish and so on

 

Once I have my slabs off the carcasses I remove the ribs with a manual fillet knife

 

Everyone I've shown this to has switched to electric

 

I also remove that middle line you spoke of in the video... I find it has blood in it and turns brown and has a strong taste to it

Edited September 13, 2016 by Mike Rousseau

[Sinker]

How do you deal with the Y bones mid fillet?

I cut around them. Just turn your knife 90 degrees and follow the bones to the skin, then turn it back 90 towards the ribs, then follow the ribs. Ive never seen anyone fillet fish like me. I have an uncle who is a canadian champion fish filleter who thinks im crazy, but i can almost keep up to him. He is crazy fast!!

[Sinker]

Keep in mind i grew up in a family of commercial fishermen, so i have cleaned more fish than the average joe recreational fisherman.

 

S.

[Sinker]

Trick with the electric is to slab the entire side to the tail... Flop the fillet over and remove from skin

 

I put all the fillets in water at this point as I slab the next fish and so on

 

Once I have my slabs off the carcasses I remove the ribs with a manual fillet knife

 

Everyone I've shown this to has switched to electric

 

I also remove that middle line you spoke of in the video... I find it has blood in it and turns brown and has a strong taste to it

You know you can do the exact same thing even faster with a good sharp knife, right?

[manitoubass2]

You know you can do the exact same thing even faster with a good sharp knife, right?

Yep!!!!

 

Ive been filleting the same way as you sinker since I was a kid. Its a common method here.

 

I fillet northern different but for walleye, yessir thats the technique!

 

Also, get a good knife guys/gals. A good knife not only works faster and more accurate, it will hold its edge FAAAAAR LONGER than cheap knives.

[mike rousseau]

You know you can do the exact same thing even faster with a good sharp knife, right?

I've cleaned hundreds of walleye both ways and the electric makes a nicer fillet in my opinion and wastes less meat

 

Again in my opinion

 

Now if you clean fish similar to Simon's "unders" all the time then a manual blade might suit you... Unfortunately or fortunately depending how you look at it my eaters are typically 22-23" class fish

 

I don't clean my fish like I'm in the Indy 500 but I get em done quick enough for me... And I know my fillets look nicer then I ever got em with a manual blade

 

If you can do em faster and better with a regular blade all the power to you... It's just personal preference... I can do em both ways but prefer the manual

 

Now perch cleaning is an entire other thread lol

[gaspumper]

Anyone who still uses a hand knife to clean fish still lives in the stoneage.

[crappieperchhunter]

Give the electric an honest try Simon. It took me a couple of good feeds of perch to practice on before I had it down. But now I'm like Mike. For me it is quicker, much less messier and does a better job then my old manual rapala. I will never go back to a manual knife for filleting.

 

Added bonus is you never have to sharpen the blade

[Fisherman]

Anyone who still uses a hand knife to clean fish still lives in the stoneage.

Oh, maybe some people don't know how to use a "hand knife".

[Sinker]

Oh, maybe some people don't know how to use a "hand knife".

This is my thought. Or they don't know what sharp is.

 

S.

[mike rousseau]

Oh, maybe some people don't know how to use a "hand knife".

Or maybe some people don't know how to use an electric knife lol

 

Ford or Chevy right

[fishindevil]

I can clean a walleye so fast it will almost swim away.....and that's with a very sharp filett knife...true story I think my best times is 25 seconds

[Consigliere]

I do the same as Mike. Slab the side and then skin and bones removal. I also think the time is about the same if you have a good manual knife and are practiced. But with electric you don't have to take care of the blade and it will keep zipping through ribs. That is the key difference to me. Either way it's personal

Preference.

[NANUK]

Electric shies specially when you have a mess of pan fish like perch, crappies etc

For bigger fish, I don't really care, I will use whatever is handy, quality of fillets will be the same either way for me.

I do it quick enough for me, I am not in a marathon or any competition, I have a life other than filleting fish, lol

Trick to keeping any knife sharp is try not to use it on scales and bones, I slab my fillets with a cheap serrated knife, and do the final skinning and trimming with a razor sharp fillet knife,

Sharpening a knife AND knowing what is "sharp" is a whole different subject ?