Home Forums Gear Knives and Blades your philosophy on fillet knives?

Do you buy and use up $30-$50 knives every couple years or have you invested in higher end steel?

Lower end Dexter-Russel...American Steel, American made...used by the industry, used by me. I can't imagine having to replace one "every couple years"...but I don't know what you do for a living.

Oh, I don't clean fish commercially. (And I tend to take pretty good care of knives.) I meant more that most of the folks I know don't tend to take care of cheaper fillet knives and either lose, break, or ruin them. But I also know a couple guys who just dropped $300 on Magnacut fillet knives. Hence my thread.

$300 for a filet knife seems over-the-top ridiculous.

Dexter-Russell or Forschner/Victorinox
Hundreds of thousands of pros can't be wrong.

I've got both.

I keep a couple 6" Rapalas around and also have a really nice custom from Phil Wilson. The Rapalas are beaters and I keep the Wilson at home or where I'm staying so it doesn't end up in the drink.

I like the performance of my custom better but I don't take it on a boat. It is for cleaning at fish cleaning stations back at the dock or at home.

What Dude said

I like thin thin, did I say thin, carbon steel. The cheaper the better. Dexter Russel is good in traditional carbon. I always use a steel while filleting fish every 20 or so anyway. Thin carbon gets razor sharp with just a couple swipes. No way I would give over $50 for a fillet knife.

Keep a cheap stainless Rapala or two on the boat. Not great but it will work and is much better where it stays wet often.

Mine were all about wore out, had Mike Miller make me one this winter, can't wait to try it out!

I keep 3-4 kershaw 7" fillet knives on my boat at all times. I buy em on sale at Bass pro for $10 and use em up or they fall in the river and I just grab another one. Filleting thru 20-30 salmon in a day I don't like to have to stop and sharpen, I'd rather do it at home when everything s done and cleaned up.
I've got an expensive semi custom knife, but I haven't noticed any difference in performance between it and the $10 cheapies, so thats what I use.

I have several old USA made old timer filet knives that have seen lots of use and stood up to the rest of time.

I had LJ Rosi build me one of his filet knives with AEB-L steel.a couple years ago.

It has stolen the show since I got it. Nice amount of flex for crappie and trout.

Yet rigid enough to handle boning out the ribs of bigger fish

I was just talking to a co-worker about ordering another just like it from Rosi

Are there any good $100-150 filet knives? Been looking to gift one, but there seems to be a price gap between Dexter/Victorinox and $200-300 customs.

The North Arm 6" is like $160 in Magnacut.

I have Chicago cutlery fillet knives that I 've used for years. Work for me

Just my 2 cents so don't get you panties in a bunch over this.

I have made approx two dozen or so fillet knives and probably will not make any more.
I do not need any more.
I do not want my blade noodeling around while cutting. I want it to be where I point it..
So I make them a little stiff and am very happy with how they operate. Seems customers
have been satisfied also.
I used factory fillets for many years and they did the job just fine, so no negatives on them.
Those who like a highly flexible blade are welcome to their opinions.
It is like a Ford or a Chevy.

Both. Have had a bunch of dexters over the years on the boat and honestly haven’t tried any others to any real extent. Had Dan Crotts make me this one and used it twice in Hatteras and it’s sweet but no big game changer performance wise. Prettier though.

Fishbones knives is a great place to buy Dexter-Russel by the way.

Never honestly tried a high end fillet knife. Usually a 6" Rapala for stream trout , bluegill and crappie. 8" Buck 123 on bigger trout, catfish and small saltwater stuff . The Rapala has a thin flexible blade that works well on smaller stuff. I've had one for over 30 years and who knows how many trout it has cleaned.

Does that Crott's have flex in the blade? Very pretty knife btw.

Nothing like the Dexter but some. About right for breaking down large fish.

Yep, that's a nice knife. Very useful!

Had Dale Howe make this beauty several years ago, never seen a boat, and never will.😎

Thin for the win!

Sweet knife and sheath!

Thanks PARD!! It really is, pretty much a work of art, and it’s filleted a couple salmon.😎

Just not on a boat!!😆

I remember that one and still envious. What scales/liners?

I really hope that this isn't the future!

I filet a lot of fish. I keep a few friends and neighbors supplied with all the fish they want, always have Not so many salmon, but I have blades that will handle them. Those blades are long and bendy. Most of the fish I filet are easily handled by a 6-6 1/2 inch blade, and they tend to be bass and walleyes with a few large sunfish thrown into the mix. Bass over about three pounds, I tend to throw back. So, I do not really need a long blade.

I talked Tim into making me a 6-1/2 incher stiff, out of S35VN. That knife is the best one I have ever had my hands on the for bass and walleyes. On both of those species, you always wind up with the odd pin bones and what Tim made me is perfect for flicking them out . After cutting scales and bone for a year I still haven't needed to sharpen it. I am doubtful it will need sharpening before 2024 for that matter. This knife is by far the quickest knife for fileting those fish I have ever had. I have an almost identical knife made by Dale Atkerson of Oklahoma that's CPM 134, but I need to sharpen it once in awhile.

If Tim is really going to get out of making fish knives, you would be well advised to get one in S35VN before the end. What I have is actually more like a boning knife.

Favorite knife for salmon was a dexter butcher. Like this:

https://www.grainger.com/product/DEXTER-RUSSELL-Butcher-Skinning-Knife-6-in-2TLN5

I have often thought of trying this Leech Lake knife

https://www.scheels.com/p/leech-lak...id=fishing-cleaning-and-cooking#start=24


I am just doing panfish so I haven't spent the money. Just sticking to the ole rapala.

I’m in the saltwater 100% and use dexter russell and have for at least 30 years. Theres been a few rapalas along the way. I usually lose knives them over the side or some calamity. Easy to sharpen. At home I use a bubba fillet knife. Its ok but I am having a hard time getting used to that huge handle on the bubba. Dang sure will fillet a seatrout or a redfish.

Hey Jack, dyed camel bone, tapered tang, and red liners. Badass for sure!👊🏻

screengrab

Few I gathered up, the big one works great for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon etc. little ones for smaller fish.

Is the big knife on left a Forsschener/victorinox 40630?
Its my absolute favorite blade for Salmon/steelhead/Etc
I have a pair of em that have butchered lots of kings, coho, steelhead etc. Had a good run at em for lotta years

I like the Howe alot. Does he make a mini version? Say 4” or so.

Yep, got 2 of em, good leverage for bigger fish.👊🏻

Dunno about the shorter fillet. Shoot him a pm, goes by mtnman1 on here, great man, easy goin, sure you guys can work something out.

Il do that, Thanks

Hell ya! Post er up when ya get er.👊🏻

I probably average 30 salmon a year, a dozen or two rockfish and some halibut. The Dexter Russel fillet knives have worked fine over the years and add one of their diamond hones to touch up the blade every few fish. For trout the Rapalla 5" folding filet knife is the ticket. I've had a few cheaper fillet knives that are crap and won't hold an edge. My fillet knives get a fair bit of abuse so I can't see spending on a high dollar knife when a $25-40 knife will do the job and I won't cry if it falls overboard.

I'm a bit of a knife collector so this is hard for me to admit; but... Electric knives are a lot faster for many people once you get the hang of it. Once, long ago, a friend and I caugnght a bunch of bluegills. To dress them, I was using a custom fillet knife. He was using Electric. Didn't take long to see which was faster.

I was wondering who would bring up electrics first! For fishing on the rivers where I fillet the fish before they go in the backpack any decent fillet knife will work. But if the fish make it back to my house whole, electrics rule the roost. Bet I can fillet a catfish or panfish three times faster with an electric vs old school.

If speed is sooo important, maybe fishing with dynamite or going to the meat counter
would be better use of time.
Just kidding. I know the electrics work slick as heck, but I do not have one. Don't have a
thing against those who use them.
I still use a stiff bladed filet knife personally.

What he said

side question: Anyne ever try a leech lake knife?

Sold in Minnesota for about $110.

They have the tip backside sharpened with a slight hook for doing initial scale cuts.

Most of the pros around here use a curved blade that looks more like what a meatcutter might have. I can see how it would help when removing the filet from the skin without cutting into it. I just use old Chicago Cutlery long thin boning knives I got a garage sale for nearly free. On the boat I use Walmart filet knives that cost about two bucks, and surprisingly they hold up in saltwater! I like fancy knives as well as the next guy, but they stay in the drawer.

I have used several electric knives. I currently own at least 15 different conventional filet knives if not maybe 24. I have come to prefer the stiffer non bendy blades for most work and am not in the least handicapped for speed. I do tend to use different sizes to match fish size, and I do use long bendy blade knives for fileting salmon, but mainly I do that because they call stiff knives that long swords.

Are you removing skin? I find a flexible blade best at skin and scales removal.

I found a semi dull butcher knife excellent for removing skin from filets.
Might be a bit much for gills though.

Of course I remove the skin! I use a 2 foot by 3 foot 3/4 inch piece of exterior plywood laid on top of an old picnic table so that it overhangs a couple inches on two sides. That makes the bendy blade irrelevant. I used bendy blades on salmon because they are thicker and usually my salmon are not right out of the lake fresh which makes them a little firmer.

re: scales I just cut. with decent steel, cutting scales doesn't phase the edge. Even 420 and 440 steels are adequate to that. Yeah, you have to sharpen them more often than better steels, but I use several CPM 154 blades and the 420/440 blades and they're easy to give a couple licks on a oval diamond steel an they're back to sharp. I used a Tim Olt S35VN blade he was kind enough to make to my pattern for a little over a year without sharpening. That year saw it do a couple hundred fish, 3 deer and a couple of whole beef rounds and some pork. I like the S35VN best of any steel. It touches up as easily as anything, but stays sharp way longer. Easy to live with is GOOD.

I never cut ribs anymore. I cut around them and the pin bones. When I flip the filet over to remove the skin I drag a finger across the pin bones and if I missed any the stiff blade is faster and easier to remove them with. The only small problem with doing that is when that hard steel is that sharp it can and does lice right through pin bones and it might not be something I can feel.

I'm likely faster with an electric, but I also muck up more. I find that I make fewer mistakes and they are easier to correct with a traditional filet knife.

We had a homemade knife made from a recipical hacksaw blade. No flex but sharp it cut well.