Whats a good Quality fillet knife?

[ukrmaf]

Hey guys we are generally cleaning Pike and Walleye. I want to invest in a decent knife. Wondering what brands people are having luck with. I've bought lots of the 20-30 dollar ones and keep re buying every couple years. Time to get something that will last a while.

[pinelakeperch]

I just bought one of these: https://northarmknives.com/product/kermode-9-inch-fillet-knife/?c=e38de74562d1

High quality and made in Canada.

[Dewey Cox]

I like the cutco fisherman's pal.

[pikeman06]

Henkel. Really good quality without spending a fortune. Yellow handled knifes you see the butchers use cabelas has a nice rack of them and some butcher shops sell them.too.

[Ken07AOVette]

Bubba. Best I have seen hands down.

this one is $89.99 at fishin hole, and 25% off aug 26th

https://www.amazon.ca/Bubba-Blade-BB1-9TF-BP-Tapered-Fillet/dp/B011JHFIC2/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=big+bubba+filet&qid=1626223547&sr=8-7

[trigger7mm]

X2 on the Bubba electric. Awesome knife.

[trigger7mm]

How’s the water clarity in Lac la biche lake? Is it getting green yet? Appreciate anyone who has been there lately letting me know. Thank you.

[bsmitty27]

Check out the grohmann's they have some on their clearance section right now.

[58thecat]

I like the cutco fisherman's pal.


I second the cutco knives


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[oilngas]

Why don't you get one made! There are some excellent knife makers on this forum, as well as folks that sell their product at Gun Shows.

[35 whelen]

I've been using the wooden rapalas for 30 years same knives still have them and that was a lot of years of doing Shore lunches

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[ghostguy6]

My favourite is made by Nor-mark, its basically just a Mora clone. I picked it up for $10 and have used it for the last 20 years without an issue. The steel seems to hold an edge longer than any of the higher priced knives I have used.

[FCLightning]

Been using my Normark for going on 45 years and have never had any reason to consider getting a different filleting knife.

[Outbound]

If you want to buy once/cry once, have a knife for life and something that's can been a heirloom:

https://sandstormknives.com/custom-knives/custom-fishing-knives/

[StringTheory]

Check out the grohmann's they have some on their clearance section right now.

Thanks for sharing this! I'm looking right now.

Continuing one the OP's question, what size of knife is best for pike and walleye? I own 6" and 7" fillet knives, the 7" Rapala is my go to but I choose it for the handle design (I think the finger guards get in the way). A 6" might be a better all around knife, especially when deboning. Thoughts?

[Freedom55]

Made in Canada, every bit as good as my 50 year old J. Martinni Rapala. Maybe better. Plus a very good honing steel.

Free

[Douglas N]

Been using my Normark for going on 45 years and have never had any reason to consider getting a different filleting knife.

I’ve had one for 20+ and feel it’s the best I’ve had.

[Coiloil37]

What do you expect from a knife and how much are you willing to spend?

I’ve got high standards, I expect a knife to cut like a laser. I won’t tolerate a knife that loses its edge AT ALL while I’m using it regardless of how much cutting I’ve got ahead of me. I won’t steel, strop or sharpen an edge mid task and I won’t use a knife that’s dulled enough to require any force or slicing to cut. I also initially sharpen my knives to a level of sharpness you could shave with and expect to finish the cutting in pretty much the same place.

Now for a filleting knife I’ve got two.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210716/e046e7f95bf27e8ee2aab4616cdb94d9.jpg


After I upgraded from the standard junk sold almost everywhere I bought a Phil Wilson. Google him. He’s well revered as a man who extracts the most from a blade. His heat treat is spot on, he grinds thinner then all factory blades and almost all custom makers and his filleting knives are considered the best on the market. I’ll say they don’t disappoint. It’s ground .003” behind the edge and I sharpen at a 10 deg per side. It has never microchipped or rolled and has never lost an edge anywhere regardless of how many fish I’m cleaning. Being as I’ve never damaged it, I’ll cut bones as needed and some of the fish I clean have massive bones compared to pike and walleye. The flex is perfect and it’s an absolute joy to use. Being as he doesn’t take custom orders and it took over a year to get I didn’t get to choose the scales but it’s one of my favourite knives.

I then bought a 9” north arm that was to be used on the boat, on bigger fish and I wanted to see if their performance was close to the custom. It’s seen two years of use now and I clean a lot of fish. It microchiped even with a factory edge. I ground the factory edge away to expose new steel and sharpened at 15 deg per side to try and minimise the chipping. It hasn’t helped much. It won’t take an edge like the custom and it won’t hold an edge through a few fish. It’s flex is also to soft but that’s a subjective quality and the stock is very thick compared to my Wilson. In contrast to the Wilson I’ll never use the north arm to cut bone because it damages so easily in comparison but it still chips even cutting flesh.

The north arm today

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210716/ccee28f63280d5a63b922f8a8f4802a1.jpg


The Wilson

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210716/871893804f477a1e5971c112f16f9149.jpg


After the first few fish without any bone contact the north arm looked like this. If you look closely you’ll see small microchips.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210716/b7f24cdbb72d54b04c3cad900581482a.png


That was from cutting scales and meat on a few tuskies


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210716/d71aa87b06c9507230737becfa2780d0.jpg


Now, since I got the Wilson I’ve always given it a few licks on the stone and strop after every session even though it didn’t need it. I gave up on that and now I’m going to wait until it actually starts to lose some of its edge. I’ve cleaned two rounds of fish since it was touched to a stone or strop and it’s still push cutting, shaving sharp and I’m not sure how far it will go before it needs attention. It’s an absolute pleasure to use. These are the fish it’s cleaned since I sharpened it.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210716/9ae880430bb71345b9ed7a4e8e65f0ca.jpg



https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210716/aa908d6fb20f3fc7550f5b8654ac0e2a.jpg


The north arm is a significant step up in quality to a “standard” filleting knife but it’s outmatched by my other custom. It’s possible it was their one batch of steel or heat treat on that blade that leads it to chipping but regardless it leaves a lot of performance on the table compared to what’s on the market.


I guess the question is how high a performance do you demand and are you willing to pay for it? I can’t help with any other brand of filleting knife but I don’t believe they would live up to my expectations.

[Freedom55]

How nice for you. If I ever get a chance to fish the South Pacific ocean I will jettison my knives and ask to borrow yours.

As if.

Free

[Coiloil37]

How nice for you. If I ever get a chance to fish the South Pacific ocean I will jettison my knives and ask to borrow yours.

As if.

Free

If you ever make it to Queensland you’ve got a standing invitation on my boat. I’ll take you fishing AND clean your fish, I’ve never let anyone else use my knives.

[trigger7mm]

What is the cost of a Phil Wilson knife?

[Coiloil37]

What is the cost of a Phil Wilson knife?

It depends on the model, size, steel and scales. That 7” cost me $460 USD.

[Ken07AOVette]

I’ve never let anyone else use my knives.

Smart man. :test:

That is a sticker that I should put on my knife locker.

One was destroyed cutting bait on metal, one was chipped not sure how, all were rinsed in salt water along with the sheaths for some reason and all my knives are wrecked now.

I was able to scrub and polish a few back to life, but my Big Bubba 9" tapered was wrecked last year, the year I bought it.

Salt and these knives do not get along at all. :angry3:

[Coiloil37]

Smart man. :test:

That is a sticker that I should put on my knife locker.

One was destroyed cutting bait on metal, one was chipped not sure how, all were rinsed in salt water along with the sheaths for some reason and all my knives are wrecked now.

I was able to scrub and polish a few back to life, but my Big Bubba 9" tapered was wrecked last year, the year I bought it.

Salt and these knives do not get along at all. :angry3:


Ken your right, salt and most knives don’t get along. For a boat knife I use the spyderco waterway. Lc200n steel has no free carbon and can’t rust. Mine has lived on the bait board for two years and has zero corrosion.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210716/6ed6fd5e1f552e4da228ad88a844d731.jpg


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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210716/7b172ce2f6f33ffad16ce1b702b01aee.jpg




It gets all the boat work. From trimming line, cutting gills, chopping bait etc. it’s always right there at hand. It’s a little small for filleting but works fine to knock fish down small enough to fit in my kill tank which is only 1.2m long. It’s always at hand where it needs to be.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210716/75ae76c95242611e282eef81b7b8ace5.png






I also put some large magnets under the bait board so metal stuff sticks where I put it.

Also, if you haven’t got some those alloy pliers are awesome. They spring load open and manually close as if they’re new, the cutters will trim braid, mono, wire and cable. Best $15 ever.

[Ken07AOVette]

Nice set up.
I have a ceramic knife for daily duty on the deck.
When it isn't used cutting on aluminum it lasts a long time.

[fordtruckin]

I've been using the wooden rapalas for 30 years same knives still have them and that was a lot of years of doing Shore lunches

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Ha that’s what I use. I do notice though after cutting up a couple fish it needs a touch up. Funny I’ve actually used my rapala fillet knife more for skinning deer quarters of late….:thinking-006:

[schleprock]

I am also a fan of the wood handled rapalas. Tried some higher end knives but didn’t have the patience and skill to keep them sharp so I always gravitated back to the rapalas as they are easy to sharpen. I ended up buying a few of the three different sizes and rotate them out when they get dull.

[Freedom55]

If you ever make it to Queensland you’ve got a standing invitation on my boat. I’ll take you fishing AND clean your fish, I’ve never let anyone else use my knives.

That is a very generous offer; one that I look forward to accepting. I'll bring my Grohmann and you can take some pleasure in shaming it.:)

Free

[Coiloil37]

That is a very generous offer; one that I look forward to accepting. I'll bring my Grohmann and you can take some pleasure in shaming it.:)

Free

Clearly you have the wrong impression of me if you think I would shame another mans equipment. If you bring the grohmann I’ll make sure we find some fish to cut with it.