Fillet knives

[bigfoot86]

I own an eagle claw fillet knife that I've had for a long time.  Do they ever have a life expectancy on them?  Seems to be losing a little bit of it's cutting ability even after it's sharpened.  Was thinking about investing in a quality fillet knife but don't know if it worth it.  Any suggestions?  Thanks.

[Rebelss]

Should cut like new if sharpened properly on an oil stone and finished on a sharpening steel. But, they don't use top grade steel in Eagle Claw knives, either. Ya get what ya pay for...especially in a knife.

[ice dawg]

I don't own one, but I understand Bubba Blade knives are good fillet knives. I'm sure you get a ton of suggestions. I don't believe a person needs to spend $100 to get a good fillet knife.

[Rebelss]

I don't own one, but I understand Bubba Blade knives are good fillet knives. I'm sure you get a ton of suggestions. I don't believe a person needs to spend $100 to get a good fillet knife.

No, not always....look at Rapala fillet knifes. Been around for many years and ya can sharpen those suckers like nobody's business. I've got three and love 'em. Depends on the steel used.

[filetandrelease]

No,not always....look at Rapala filet knifes. Been around years and ya can sharpen those suckers like nobody's business. I've got three and love 'em. Dpends on the steel used.

My rapalas  are older than dirt , still using them , I have bubbas , sharp but found them a little to stiff for my liking

[ice dawg]

I have several of the old wooden handled Rapalas also. They still cut like new.

[rivereddy]

x3 on birchwood Rapala knives

fish on,

rivereddy

[stickbait]

Currently using a rapala with the synthetic handle, and also a bass pro. Both easy to sharpen and hold an edge. Was recently given an American angler electric fillet knife. Its old, but cuts like a charm!! Just rhe right amount of flex in the blades.

[Joe in T.C.]

I had a few Raplas for years and they worked great!
Sadly I lost them in a fire

I now own a couple of Bubba Blades and they work great as well.
Bubba Blades come in more choices: Stiff, Flex, Tapered Flex, and ultra flex.
Also available in corded electric or cordless lithium-ion.
fillet everything from Salmon to Bluegills.

lots of good choices out there.

Good Luk All

[Kevin23]

I own an eagle claw fillet knife that I've had for a long time.  Do they ever have a life expectancy on them?  Seems to be losing a little bit of it's cutting ability even after it's sharpened.  Was thinking about investing in a quality fillet knife but don't know if it worth it.  Any suggestions?  Thanks.

If you are sharpening it a lot, eventually you will lose the bevel. A cheap steel knife like the eagle claw isnt going to hold an edge to be honed and kept sharp, so you really do need to sharpen it every use. When you invest in a more quality knife, you'll be able to just use a honing steel (look on youtube how to use one) every couple fish and keep that edge sharp, only needing to resharpen with a stone/sharpener once every 500-1000 fish.

I use a bubba blade 9" tapered flex for 99% of my fish, and I think I've sharpened it 3 times in 5 or 6 years. It has thousands of fish on it, but I will admit I need to sharpen it here soon so better say its been sharpened 4 times. I use a honing steel every 2 fish or so, takes 3 seconds or so.

A lot of people choose dexter russell knives as well, them and bubba are probably the top two knives you'll see on saltwater boats and processing companies that fillet hundreds of thousands of fish a year.

Freshwater guys seem to lean towards rapala.. but not all are the same!! The new rapala ones are junk steel, you need to make sure you get a older one if you can find it. Garage sales, estate sales, even ebay sometimes. I have three rapalas from the last 10 years or so and they are really really bad steel, they'll take an edge like a razor but the steel just wont hold it if you cut through bones.

[bigvfb]

schrade makes one hell of a good fillet knife

[slipperybob]

I've always wanted a Browning knife when the they were made in Japan.  Now the chinese one's are just not the same.

Anyways, I've got several cheap ones that always seem to work okay for me.  Gerber, Shakespeare, Mustad, and even the Sportsmen Dream.  Yeah I bought into that package with that infomercial.

[Fry Flier]

I guess I am a Rapala guy when it comes to knives.
Rapala 1-9" 15 yrs. old, 1-7", 1-6" (at least 30 yrs. for the 7" and 40 for the 6")and 1 folding 5" fillet 10 - 15 years. (Looking at picking up a 4" for panners.)
Olsen 1-6" 40 plus yrs.

[Rebelss]

If you are sharpening it a lot, eventually you will lose the bevel. A cheap steel knife like the eagle claw isnt going to hold an edge to be honed and kept sharp, so you really do need to sharpen it every use. When you invest in a more quality knife, you'll be able to just use a honing steel (look on youtube how to use one) every couple fish and keep that edge sharp, only needing to resharpen with a stone/sharpener once every 500-1000 fish.

I use a bubba blade 9" tapered flex for 99% of my fish, and I think I've sharpened it 3 times in 5 or 6 years. It has thousands of fish on it, but I will admit I need to sharpen it here soon so better say its been sharpened 4 times. I use a honing steel every 2 fish or so, takes 3 seconds or so.

A lot of people choose dexter russell knives as well, them and bubba are probably the top two knives you'll see on saltwater boats and processing companies that fillet hundreds of thousands of fish a year.

Freshwater guys seem to lean towards rapala.. but not all are the same!! The new rapala ones are junk steel, you need to make sure you get a older one if you can find it. Garage sales, estate sales, even ebay sometimes. I have three rapalas from the last 10 years or so and they are really really bad steel, they'll take an edge like a razor but the steel just wont hold it if you cut through bones.

"Only need to sharpen every 500-1000 fish?!" "Only sharpened 3-5 times after thousands of fish"? Seriously? Come on now!...our Wusthoffs at the butcher shop were sharpened and steeled at least 3x a day....and steeling removes the burrs that are present after every use or a stoning. I won't even get into the steel grading vs. edge longevity. If yours last that long, you're onto something that beats the 40+ years of sharpening I've seen and learned from the masters!  But whatever works for ya, have at it! More power to ya; to each his own. 
PS...not blowing smoke at ya, my buddy Terry lives 2 miles from me...and I own a few of his knives. He's taught me a whale of a lot over 20 years, and I'm grateful for it. My knives are lots sharper thanks to him! 

https://www.knipknives.com/

[Kevin23]

"Only need to sharpen every 500-1000 fish?!" "Only sharpened 3-5 times after thousands of fish"? Seriously? Come on now!...our Wusthoffs at the butcher shop were sharpened and steeled at least 3x a day....and steeling removes the burrs that are present after every use or a stoning. I won't even get into the steel grading vs. edge longevity. If yours last that long, you're onto something that beats the 40+ years of sharpening I've seen and learned from the masters!  But whatever works for ya, have at it! More power to ya; to each his own. 
PS...not blowing smoke at ya, my buddy Terry lives 2 miles from me...and I own a few of his knives. He's taught me a whale of a lot over 20 years, and I'm grateful for it. My knives are lots sharper thanks to him! 

https://www.knipknives.com/

Dont know what to tell you, get one and try it. I steel every 2 fish (cutting through the ribs), which for me is about 3 passes down each side. I clean fish for other people, and used to clean and smoke A LOT of fish a few years ago. Not so much lately.

I was on a guided salmon trip once and the captain said he has never sharpened his Dexter knife, he just hones it after each charter. I asked how many fish were on that and he said thousands a year and he had had it for a couple years. It whacked the sides off of salmon like I have never seen in my life, one flick of the wrist and half the salmon was laying on the cutting board. I had JUST bought the bubba blade a week before that or I would have bought a Dexter Russell for sure.

I'm sure these professional fish processors dont know as much as a meat butcher either.

[Rebelss]

Or a master knifemaker. I just speak from experience.

[Kevin23]

This is the knife I use

I also have a 9" stiffie because I won a free knife in one of their giveaways and I chose that one for two reasons. Cutting sides off of pike, and so I could ask if people want me to pull out my 9 inch stiffie when its time to clean fish. It has met expectations in both regards.

[badger132]

I would really think about an electric knife. I have used one since all that existed was the one we used for carving the turkey. When my last Rapala corded burned out, I had to do a few with a manual knife- I was so slow and bad with that knife! I ended up with a Bubba cordless- the design of the blade has more flex than others, and the batteries last through multiple dozens of fish. Look in Youtube for videos of guys using electric knives. They are so fast and good, if you can match them with a manual knife, I am impressed!

[Vtperchchaser]

So after sharpening several times fillet knives will start to have what’s called a shoulder on the blade just behind the cutting edge. If you use a med wet stone and work those down then resharpen it will be just like new. I have a 4” flex rapala I absolutely love and an old 6” rapala I was given, dull as hell, from my mother in law. The 6” is a stiffer blade and after working the shoulders down on it it’s great. There’s some YouTube videos about how to keep your fillet knives sharp

[ICEHOLE]

I use a dexter, i like it

[Rebelss]

I use a dexter, i like it

I've got a 13-6'' Dexter Connoisseur  boning knife from my butcher shop days in the late 70's.I love it.
It's my beef carving knife. Holds a friggin edge that's so sharp ya can slice thru paper like nothin' with. 

[ICEHOLE]

I've got a 13-6'' Dexter Connoisseur  boning knife from my butcher shop days in the late 70's.I love it.
It's my beef carving knife. Holds a friggin edge that's so sharp ya can slice thru paper like nothin' with. 

Reading this thread, it reminded me i want a 6". picked up a dexter U-CUT 6" with sheath for $25 on amazon. prices are all over the place on this knife online, have to sniff out a deal, WITH free shipping

[Rebelss]

Reading this thread, it reminded me i want a 6". picked up a dexter U-CUT 6" with sheath for $25 on amazon. prices are all over the place on this knife online, have to sniff out a deal, WITH free shipping

That's a good knife and a good price!  Enjoy!

[flagup!]

I have been using a leather strop mounted to a board for a few years now along with a sharpening steel. I Rubbed some polishing compound into the leather.   After every use I swipe the knife over it backwards a dozen times.  Makes a world of difference.  you will notice on the leather if you role the edge a bit it will leave a mark on the leather.  Few swipes over the steel then back to the leather.  Low carbon blades are cheap but you can sharpen them to razor pretty quick, but they also lose their edge faster.  Other steels are hard to sharpen, but they will hold their edge longer.   Now they are making knives with super steels and get the best of both worlds (technology).  Fillet knives are constantly hitting bones and I find them the hardest to keep sharp.  Also never throw your knives in a dishwasher, the soap is super acidic and will dissolve the thin edge in one washing.   Warm water, a little dish soap, wipe it dry.  Maybe some mineral oil to keep it from rusting.    Also old knives like mentioned above lose their bevel, get thicker the more you sharpen, and they have to be thinned out again.  I have some nice chef knives that I won't let my wife use so I bought her a 'forged in fire" 19$ chef knife.  I sharpen it maybe once a year over Chinese water stone the rest is the leather strop thing above and it shaves hair almost all year and it gets used every day.   If your going to take care of it and you are half way decent at sharpening spend the money.  If your hard on your knives I would buy another cheap one.   I bought the rubber 8" rapalas 2 years ago when they were 4.99$ a piece think about 4 of them.  I'm still on my 1st one and it cuts good and easy to sharpen.

[Roccus]

I use a dexter, i like it

Dexter
. Inexpensive  and holds an edge, I ran a gill netter for years, and cut thousands  of pounds  of ground fish, steel the blade when they dont melt into the fish sharpen when you need pressure,  they will last until you loose them or make  them into ice picks ..

[Oaktree1215]

My rapalas  are older than dirt , still using them , I have bubbas , sharp but found them a little to stiff for my liking

rapala, ive had mine since i was 11, bought it with paper route and grass cutting money. Still have it and use it everytime. Im 47 now.