Home Forums Fishing Freshwater What is your favorite fillet knife...?

I've got a few but they are huge. I'm thinking of the one from when I was kid, the Finnish style with a bendy blade, lightweight wood handle, light colored sheath. Any thoughts?

yeah, that's basically it...have had a few of those in my life. Don't know anything about that blade, though, not sure the material

I have a Gerber, a couple of the Rapalas. Two I made from saw blades.

I like a shorter knife. Most of what I catch is not that big.

I've got a dozen or so. Different blades for different fish, different jobs.

but for most of my fillet work on salmon, I grab a cheap Kershaw 10" blade I bought at Cabelas for $10.

A sharp blade is important.

I like all of my Rapalas, as well as my folding Chicago Cutlery, but my son's Cutco is the best.

Hard to beat a 6" or 9" Rapala depending on the size of the fish . I've tried most knives out there and keep going back to Rapala

I exclusively use Rada Fillet Knives. Made in the USA, $20 bucks on Amazon. Click Here



I sharpen them on a Chef's Choice sharpener, because the knife is cheap and I always want to get the filleting job done fast after a day on the lake. I keep several on hand at my cabin and give them away as gifts. Everyone who uses them loves the sharp, flexible blade.

I've been using mostly the cheaper offering pine handled rapalas in the 6 & 9" lengths. I have a couple other ones that have been gifted to me. One thing I've noticed is that a lot of the fillet knives for sale these days are edge ground on one side only. I can work with these but I prefer a 2 sided grind, the one side blades want to draft or plow... the blade climbs one way or another rather that running straight through a cut. It can be corrected by tilting the blade a little, but I've started looking for this and I wont buy one with single sided grind.

I'll probably order one of the Rada knives that Walt posted, I've not heard of them but they sound like something I'd like.

I've got multiple 6" & 9"original Rapalas, a folding buck fillet knife & half a box of others.

Liking the folding buck, after a full season use.

This is the buck folder & my favourite 6" Rapala;

I may have to put you on ignore Paul, you sure know how to hurt a guy!

Not the knife, ALL the fish!

That was last spring, Osborne Bay, Eagle Lake.

Good day, 2 man Walleye limit, + good bag of Jumbos & a northern too !



Home mid afternoon & mild enough to keep the mess outside !!

Paul, Can you take out the "y' bones on a legal size northern?

the ergonomic handle on that looks fantastic, especially useful if your hands are cold

the bottom one looks like a 'bird & trout'

I have a decades old Rapala, a recent white-handled Dexter Russell, a Bubba blade somebody gave me, and very recently, an American Angler electric with 6" and 9" blades.

The electric kicks butt. Whether a small perch or a steel-ribbed channel cat, it just zips right through effortlessly and in complete control.

No, & don't usually keep them, so very little practice.

Got to be winter & about that size, before I'll bother "fiddling" !

sweet