What fillet knife?

[Pig_sticka]

i got myself a 6in rapala cheap knife, and it works terrible. i could barely clean my last catch. what knife do the experts recommend? (what was that one guy at the last fishin show? his knife worked great it looked like) any help, other members are probably wondering the same thing

[Bobb-o]

I always liked the rapala fillet knifes and i felt that they do a great job, did you sharpen it before you used it?

[Guest]

I have owned quite a few Rapala knives over the years. The older wood handled ones were a b*tch to sharpen and to keep an edge on (for me at least.) I now have three knives that are great. The first is a folding Chicago Cutlery fillet knife (no longer made) which is just great. Holds it's edge really good and sharpens up in a jiffy. Same goes for the Schrade I have. The third is a Wusthopf Trident. Tough to sharpen but once sharp, it stays that way a long time, even through a bag of perch. All of the knives have thin blades and are longer than 6". I think Rapala sells a nice folding knife now that is almost identical to the Chicago knife I have. I'm sure you'll get alot of different opinions on this. Just my 2 pennies worth on what works for me best.........T

[upnorth]

I sharpen my old rapala filet knife prior to any fileting and it has worked fine for me for the last 20 years. But I sharpen any knife I own frequently(they all work poorly when dull) nothing stays sharp for long when cutting through bone and such.

[Pig_sticka]

electric?

[Swill]

Those perch tear up a blade really easy.
I would recomment the knife I use a Wusthof
You can buy them at one of those high end knives stores in the malls or check out the links I posted here. The knife will set you back 50-100 bucks but I have owned mine almost 8 years and it is as sharp as ever. They made out of high carbon stainless steel and made in Germany.

None better....

Check these links out....

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/shop/details.asp?SKU=2480

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000632SM/qid=1041880855/sr=1-1/ref=pd_sbs_k_1//103-5928245-5855865?v=glance&s=kitchen

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000631ZQ/qid=1041880855/sr=1-2/ref=pd_sbs_k_1//103-5928245-5855865?v=glance&s=kitchen

[rmh2o]

electric once you learn how to use one you will never go back.

[BarryG]

If you don't go electric them I would say Schrade. Those knives will shave you right out of the pack! The only knife I will buy that's not electric will be a Schrade.

[Guest]

Check out the Helle knives on their web site. Best knives I've ever used, I'm a taxidermist and need good knives in the shop and these are awsome.

[fishinphyl]

Electric is the only way to go.

[Prudence]

I won't fillet anything without my Leech Lake knife...the double sided blade takes a bit getting used to, but once you try it, you get pretty quick.

Check 'em out at the Sportsman show or at http://www.g50.com/ll-story.htm

[Wables]

I won't part with my Easley! Check them out at:

http://www.easleyknives.com/page2.html

Not a bad price for a custom knife!

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Wables

[Dano2]

I gotta say again after cleaning fish last night that I am very impressed with the electric one I got from the wifey for christmas, its almost fun cleaning fish now.

well, maybe.

[Steve Foss]

Not sure what you mean by "cheap" Rapala.

I got a Rapala knife 15 years ago for about $10. Think they're only $15 now for the medium length one I've got. It's got a light-colored wooden handle.

I just make sure I sharpen it after EACH fillet session by running it through one of those red plastic/ceramic Normark sharpeners, and it's never let me down. I get the best results if the knife and ceramic are wet when sharpening.

I've had other fillet knives, but I keep coming back to that same Rapala because even the $60 I spent on one knife didn't yield a knife as good as the Rap.

Also, a 6-inch blade is a bit short, especially for panfish, which are so tall top-to-bottom. A fillet knife that short will bend pretty easily, easier than I like, and that makes it tougher to get off all the meat.

You might be better off if you get a little more knife.

But one man's trash is another's treasure, and Raps may never work for you. Cutco knives are widely recommended, as well.

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 01-06-2003).]

[Guest]

Best fillet knife I have ever used is a 6" Cutco Knife...They last forever, but you pay for what you get.

PCG

[Steve Foss]

PCG: That CAN'T be enough knife to clean a guardian fish, even if it's a Cutco.

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 01-06-2003).]

[kwkfsh]

Two thumbs up for the Rapalas. I have half a dozen of them and they work great, and even use them quite often in the kitchen. I fillet alot of fish, and I mean ALOT!!! As a guide in Alaska I usually fillet 2 to 3 tons of fish a season. I have used a number of different brands but have not found any that work any better. Also the sharpener that was mentioned in a previous post with the crossed steels is the best money you could ever spend on a sharpener. I have the Edgemaker Pro which I bought a K-Mart for about 6 bucks. In just a few strokes thru each side will bring a blade back to almost razor sharp. The Rapalas are a carbon steel which won't hold an edge like stainless, but is also alot easier to put an edge back on. Those Rapalas will cut right thru the high spots on the spine of a 40lb King salmon, and will fillet a 10lb Sockeye like it has a zipper. They may not be the best, but they are certainly the best for the buck!!!!

[Gissert]

I have a drawer full of those Rapala knives. Some I can get a good edge on, and some I can't (yet). The bad ones are pretty boogered up from years of poor sharpening practices. The good ones have been restored using the Lansky sharpening system.

Two years ago, I picked up one of those green handled Schrade fillet knives. Before that knife saw its first fish, I honed the edges to perfection with the Lansky sharpening set I have. That thing is really sharp, and it only gets used on fish and trimming silver skin off of venison.

After every two fish, I slowly draw the blade through those hand held plastic sharpeners with the small crossed hones on them. I use the yellow one, which is for final edge straightening. This smooths out the edges, and gets a good cuting edge again.
Once that method will not restore the edge to my liking, the knife goes back into the Lansky and I have a great edge again in short order.

The Lansky is great, as the same angle is always kept when the hone is on the blade.

I admire people that can sharpen with whetstones or sticks. I just could never get the hang of it.

[Pig_sticka]

cheap as in $6
i just went out and got the best rapala on the shelves for 20 bucks. and it did work pretty good. i had to work alittle bit at makin the first cut on the perch but they are tough, tough fish. cant wait to use it on a eye or slab. it has a cool sharpening thing with it, so ill try and use that after every few fish. thanks for the help everyone, you made my choices alittle easier. i didn't really want to go spend a hundred bucks on a fillet knife just yet, i am only 19

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Good Luck Stickin Dos PigZ!

[Lip RIPPER!]

I like the Old Timer from Schrade. Had mine 3 plus years and have never sharpened it. It is the best knife I have ever owned. Even managed to cut up about 8 deer with it too. Blade is a tad flimsy but works great for removing bones too.

[Twitter]

I bought a Leech Lake filet kife 5 years ago and haven't used any other knife since. The double sided blade allows you to make the first cut through the scales with the back of the knife, keeping the regular edge sharper for longer periods. They're spendy ! But, you get what you pay for !!

[Guest]

I use a chainsaw on the guardian fish.

[WallEYES]

Scrade 1st holds edge better than most, 2nd Chicago cuttlery, All my Rapala knives I gave away.

[Pig_sticka]

how much does a shrade run?
anyone try those knifes on tv, or a product like the guy had at the ice fishing show. i always see them saying they never dull and you can cut into rock n stuff with them. and they fillet fillets.

[Bobb-o]

my buddy at school bought one of those knives that supposedly never dulls, he uses it all the time and likes it, but if I had the choice i would still use my rapala knife. What would be nice is if Buck made fillet knives.

[Guest]

Some good suggestions so far, but no one has mentioned the Kershaw fillet knives. I've had a variety of knives over the years including (in no particular order) Rapala, Case, Chicago Cutlery, Cutco and Gerber. They all cut fish. They each have a unique character - no 2 blades flex exactly the same, and each brand of knife sharpens slightly differently.
My current Kershaws are a "blade-trader" model which is my standby (sharpens easily, holds an edge reasonably well, and flexes just fine) and another unit that allows me to vary blade length from 5 1/2 to 9 inches. I use that one for larger fish, and have no complaints (although the blade flex is a bit stiffer than my "everyday" knife).
Keep 'em sharp, and most any of the popular fillet knives will do an adequate job.