Fillet Knives

[HTHM]

What do you use? Here's mine:

 

[CrowMan]

My kids got me a Bubba Electric (lithium battery) Fillet Knife for Christmas. It's a game changer. Comes with different sized blades. I  like to put on fish fries at the cottage for the all the kids and grandkids. Of course, Grandpa would have to do all the work.

Now its so easy....zips through a pile of fish in minutes...

[mikdor]

Wow nice fish Lucky Kids.!

[pics]

I use a plain old normark.. 

[Podric]

I use the wooden handle Rapala Fish N' Filet  4" and 6"

Also have a longer Normark soft handle 9" a little stiffer.

I don't need fancy filet knives because I can make up lost meat by catching bigger fish.

[CrowMan]

47 minutes ago, Podric said:

I use the wooden handle Rapala Fish N' Filet  4" and 6"

Also have a longer Normark soft handle 9" a little stiffer.

I don't need fancy filet knives because I can make up lost meat by catching bigger fish.

Lol...I don’t think you need a "fancy fillet knife" to not waste meat...as long as it's sharp, the rest is just skill and practice.

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I'm in FMZ18 so we can only retain Walleye between 40 and 50 cm. We let the big ones swim. After all, I want my Grandkids to enjoy fish dinners with their kids too.  Waste not, want not.

[akaShag]

I had a Normark with the black plastic handle that filleted thousands of fish but finally broke at the tang.  Before that I used one of their wooden handled knives (which I still have).  But my workhorse is a longer "Uncle Henry" model by Schrade, that I bought at LL Bean's store in Maine thirty years or so ago.

I bought an electric Normark filleting knife (rechargeable) and it didn't have the balls to do even one bass.  That POS went back to CTC.  I tried a corded carving knife, like one of my buddies uses, but kept cutting through the backbones and screwing up the fillets.  So it's power by Armstrong for this guy.

Doug

[Big Cliff]

I have a Rapala electric. Didn't believe in them until one day crappieperchhunter and I came home with a bucket of crappies. I have fillited so many fish I can almost do it blindfolded but he pulled out his electric. The two of us started out side by side and I was blowen away, he was cleaning 3 to my 1 and doing just as nice a job. The next day I went to CTC and bought one. It took a little practice but I love it so much my son and son-in-law now have them as well and use them all the time. The trick is to let the knife do it's job and I can assure you there is less waste than with a regular filliting knife.  

[Beans]

And I defy you to find a bone after CPH has cleaned them !!!

[BillM]

Some cheap Rapala knife that's been razor sharp for the past 10 years I've owned it. 

[DanD]

I've been using a Schrade "Old Timer" for the last 20 + years. Yeah it's a long knife but it's so sensitive that you can feel even the smallest of bones as you draw the knife across a ribcage or down the Y-bones of a pike.

I've cleaned everything from bluegills, perch, pike to the hard bones of salmon with this knife. It holds its edge every well; with maybe a couple of swipes of a steel between sharpening's.

When doing finesse cleaning, like on the Y-bones of pike, I'll hold the knife kind of back-assed but it adds to the sensitivity of the handle.   

Only had it professionally sharpened once; that was to thin the blade edge back to its original thickness. It wasn't a cheep knife back then it cost approx $75.00; now I see them advertised for better than a buck 50+. I have other knives but always end up going back to my Old Timer.

One last thing that has likely helped this knife last so long, it was from the recommendation from Lew here on the board. I asked if anyone here knew of a good sharpening system. That's where Lew suggested to check out the Lansky knife sharpening kit. It works great as long as you take the time to work the tool as instructed.

 

Dan..

 

 

 

[John the Fisherman]

Cutco Fisherman's Solution.  Was an xmas gift over 20 yrs. ago.  I see they are $200 now.  

Great knife.  Blade extends and has a good flex.  Can send back to Cutco if you want it back to factory spec sharpness. (Never have. Just sharpen myself) The sheath has a couple added bonus features.  

Cutco rep told me they would probably replace the whole knife if I sent it in.  Still in the drawer, but thinking of sending in.  

Clean mostly Walleye and the odd trout now and then. 

[Canuck]

This is my main knife  Grohmann  I also use a Rapala wood handle 7.5” on the boat.  For skinning the big salmon I have a 9” cimitar meat knife