What fishing knife would you recommend ?
 

My buddy is looking for a filleting knife . Seems like a lot of them are made in china . Can anyone recommend a good knife .Are the electric knifes worth getting ,are they worth getting as they just don't store as easy in a tackle box or clean up is not as easy as a fixed blade .

The sky is the limit, you can spend hundreds if dlirs on a cystom built filletting knife and yhere are those that will tell you they ate the brst, or you cam buy a finnish Rapala( Marttinni made IIRC) for under $50 and be happy .
I fushrd cod with a guy last year that uses a Quik Sharp pull sharoener. He went through a full fish box of cod in no time at all, perfect fillets, skinned.
He didn't touch the blade until the end of 30 odd fish. He fishes every day during thecid season.
I have several , some $45, a couple are over $200, for the amount of fishing I do ( about every weekend in the summer) , I am just as happy with the performance of my Rapala and Grohmann as my two custom built fillet knives.
Cat

Rapala makes a good knife and it won't break the bank.

You can also pick up a decent pull through sharpener for 50 bucks or less.

Not sure if the birch handled Rapala's are still made in Finland, but the Finnish Rapalas were decent knives for the money. Mora actually makes some pretty good fillet knives too for a decent price. If you want to spend more I'd go with a Grohman.

I've had a couple Rapalas for over 30 years, not going to say they are anything special, but they work well enough that after using them on probably over a thousand fish I've never seriously concidered upgrading. A few swipes on a steel after each use and minor touch ups with a fine stone a couple times a year keep them shaving sharp.

Picked up a Browning folder at the Fishin Hole sale last summer. Nice knife.
Also have a folding Cuda knife but like the Browning better.
Also have an old Rapala which is worn down but still works great especially for the rib bones.

Love my Bubba. But the one that folds. Little more compact


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I have a 6" rapala medallion (Finnish built) and a 7" Kershaw. Both were right around $45 and both are decent knives.

After well over 30 years In the Biz, from field research, to commercial fishing, to guiding and sportfishing, there are but two I would recommend:

https://www.amazon.ca/Kershaw-1243SH...14968791&psc=1

Or

https://canadiancoyotecompany.com/pr...nife-6-w-spoon

Most assuredly NOT made in China, and both of excellent quality.

Cheers,
Nog

I read Kershaw is made in China then transported to USA

copy and paste
Production begins, with parts manufactured, and assembly underway. All along the way, Kershaw Quality Control (QC) is in place—from parts inspection to final inspection before shipping. Our China-made products receive additional QC before they leave the factory, then again when they arrive in Oregon.

They are still made by Marttiini in Finland, yes.
Cat
https://www.warriorsandwonders.com/M..._Fish_n_Fillet

Cat I know it’s Sunday but how much had you drank when you typed your first post.

I don't drink!:sHa_sarcasticlol:
When I am on my phone at ties it looks like I corrected a mistake but it doesn't enter it. Fat fingers and dyslexia can be entertaining at times!:thinking-006:
Cat

I likely have close to 20 fillet knives I've purchased or been gifted over the years. The ones I bring on trips and keep in the boat are Rapala original (pre-china) or the Finish new Rapala knives.

I have (and carry) the 3 sizes to do different things for different sized fish - the little one is great for filleting perch and cleaning up fillets.

With period touch ups on the stone, they stay razor sharp, are really easy to sharpen back to a razor edge and I won't cry if I loose, damage or drop one overboard.

You can spend more money, but in my opinion, for a fillet knife, it's simply not required. There isn't a thing a higher priced blade can do that a Rapala can't do just as well.

Slurring your speech again??? lol .... I know, I hate typing on my phone too and the auto correct drives me NUTS and corrects me three times in a row sometimes changing my words and I hate it too.

Ah yes, old age, fat fingers ...... join the club

I have a lot of fillet knives. Kershaw makes a good one that comes with 2 different blades. I also have a couple Grohman knives and they are the best in my opinion. Don't keep them in your tackle box though. Keep them sharp, get a Lansky sharpening kit and take care of them and they'll last a lifetime. I would also recommend the Rapala R12 if you're interested in getting a powered knife. The thing is expensive, but what a beast.

It depends on how much you're looking to spend.

Can't speak for which knives specifically but rapala has moved a fair bit of manufacturing to Estonia. Recently bought one of the birch handle knives and while the branding was definitely pushing finish coo was not. That said no complaints is not China and the way I see it is sort of made in Canada vs USA. Don't imagine there's a huge difference in quality. Been wanting to try a helle fillet knife but hard to justify the price.

I myself would shy away from any folding knife . Learnt that from my hunting knifes as they are very hard to clean out once you fold them up in the field .
Kinda of got me thinking about an electric one now . I know you can remove the blades and clean those easy . But what about the handle . Can you clean that 100 % from any raw fish juices !

Watch when the cabelas brand electric fillet knife goes on sale think it’s 120 bucks. Great knife fast easy cleaning and 3 sets of blades. Makes fish cleaning a breeze!!

I’ve bought a Cuda brand (blue handle) and so far it’s been my favourite knife I’ve owned. Seems to always be sharp and the handle seems to fit my hands nice.

if cost was no issue

No doubt about it my choice would be
North arm knives Kermode 6" in magnacut steel.

I'm using the skaha 2 in magnacut from them and the edge retention for a stainless steel is amazing.

Exactly my thoughts ..... keeping a knife clean and sharp is important to me as well ..... nothing more disgusting than discovering a spot you missed.

I also don't see the need to for them, a sharp fillet knife will cleanly cut through the rib bones with zero effort, even on larger fish. Also keeps the flesh much nicer with less ragged edges.

It might be easier or even faster using an electric blade if you are doing 20 fish or more, but add the cleaning time and maybe it's not much different. Here, in the real world, cleaning a few fish at a time, a knife is probably quicker overall time. I'd rather take my time, with some precision to get a nice fillet.

When they first started up, I was selected to review this product.
Difference in mine is it is the nine inch version:

https://i.imgur.com/RoyFfnL.jpg

I use it exclusively at home.
It is a VERY Fine Knife all round!

Cheers,
Nog

I like my cordless Berkley, bit big but good for cleaning at camp.

Bubba and Cutco.

this is an extremely nice blade. Were the first versions also done in s35?

How long should the edge last? I’ve had a couple different ones but always have to resharpen after a couple fish, mostly pike or whitefish.

I like my buddies knife, it works awesome watching him fillet all the fish:)

I have two Kershaws, one cheap and one more pricey. There is a difference. I hear great great comments on the cutco.

If you’re going cheap, the only one I’ve used and found satisfactory is dexter. I bought one about two years ago because I see them recommended all over the web and wanted to see where they sat between junk and quality. I’ll say, for a sub $50 knife they’re pretty bloody good. Nowhere near top shelf but they hold an edge better then most and don’t chip. It’s much better than the northarm kermode I see recommended above.
The northarms I’ve got in s35vn must be the worst heat treated knives I’ve ever seen or owned. I wouldn’t recommend them at any price and with the two knives I own from them I wouldn’t buy more to see if it was an anomaly.



The other question about how long should an edge last? Depends on the knife. My custom will process a couple hundred kg of fish without losing a shaving edge. That includes cutting through rib bones thicker than a wooden match. I can stick it in a fish and push it wherever I want to cut, no effort or slicing required.

Each of us has to buy a level of performance we can live with.