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!