Fillet Knife

[smitty]

Looking at buying a top quailty fillet knife. It will be used to fillet mostly white perch / pan fish.
Not looking to buy a cheap $10 or $20 knife. Also any length recommendations would help.
I usually target salmon and trout but the ponds I fish also have some very nice white perch.


Thanks smitty

[Fishing Buddy]

Check out cutco, top quality and made in the USA.

[Unclegillhunter]

Whooooo boy! Y’all should gets lots of opinions on this one. Most spendy one I have is a leech lake knife, 7”. Around $100.00 a few years ago. Really nice knife! Like it a lot! Having said that my 20 year old uncle Henry gets the most work.
Keep it safe! JDL

[kayl]

If you want an electric go with the Rapala Lithium...it's awesome!

[Slab catcher]

I use a 12" Old Timer with bone handle there not cheap but have a lot of back bone to them.

[jimhaney08]

I have an American Angler electric, and I like it a lot.  It comes with a big 8" or 9" blade (I forget), but I bought the smaller blade since I'm mainly targeting panfish and that was a good decision. 

A lithium one would eliminate the cord, which would be nice.  If I ever get another electric fillet knife, I'll likely go that route. 

[Huntindave]

Looking at buying a top quailty fillet knife. It will be used to fillet mostly white perch / pan fish.
Not looking to buy a cheap $10 or $20 knife. Also any length recommendations would help.
I usually target salmon and trout but the ponds I fish also have some very nice white perch.


Thanks smitty

I wouldn't let price alone be your guide to "quality".  IMHO there are many way overpriced products to choose from.  I bought a Rada fillet knife from my neighbors kid.  It was a fund raiser effort but I was already familiar with the quality of Rada products.  Don't let the price fool you, this knife can compete with the much higher priced (I have one) Leech Lake knife in edge holding, proper flex and ease of sharpening.  https://radakitchenstore.com/collections/all-cutlery/products/fillet-knife

Nice grip on the Rada knife and comfortable (for me) to use.

[HWeber]

They all get dull eventually. Pick one that "fits" you well and keep it sharp

[Kevin23]

Looking at buying a top quailty fillet knife. It will be used to fillet mostly white perch / pan fish.
Not looking to buy a cheap $10 or $20 knife. Also any length recommendations would help.
I usually target salmon and trout but the ponds I fish also have some very nice white perch.


Thanks smitty

Salmon, trout, and white perch sounds like the 9" tapered flex from bubba blade to me. I use mine for walleye, white bass, crappie, and bluegill (I haven't been able to catch a salmon in Iowa yet). My buddy takes several trips to lake michigan salmon fishing and he uses the same knife for kings, coho, lakers, and steelhead that he catches there. They are good knives, the grip is amazing and the steel holds an edge very well. It takes a few hundred fish before I need to sharpen it (only sharpened it twice in the 5 years or so I've owned it), I do use a steel with it regularly.

I also have a 9" stiffie (mostly for the laughs when I say I'm pulling out my 9" stiffie), that I use for catfish and taking the sides off of pike. That would be too stiff for your fish I believe.

[Unclegillhunter]

Looking at buying a top quailty fillet knife. It will be used to fillet mostly white perch / pan fish.
Not looking to buy a cheap $10 or $20 knife. Also any length recommendations would help.
I usually target salmon and trout but the ponds I fish also have some very nice white perch.


Thanks smitty

guess I should have asked electric or not. JDL

[KinnickResident]

I have 3 full years on the Rapala lithium now, and I can say I'd never go back to corded, and no way in HELL would I go back to a manual knife.

I got the kit with the case and an extra battery and never needed the spare. Several times I've done 2+ Iowa limits of bluegill (25 per person) and it never slowed down.

Love the knife and Rapala brand replacement blades are $6.79 at Walmart.

[Ice Surveyor]

https://www.industrialrev.com/morakniv/fishing/mora-fishing-comfort-fillet-knife-155-m--11892?returnurl=%2fmorakniv%2ffishing%2f

I own this knife.  Very happy with it. 

$26 from amazon prime.

[NateD]

I have the cutco extendable and really like it, stays sharp a long time.

Never tried an electric, never saw the point.  What advantage does an electric knife give you?

[Ice Surveyor]

Never tried an electric, never saw the point.  What advantage does an electric knife give you?

If you're cutting a lot of fish up, I believe the electric knife will be quicker than the manual knife.  I've seen guys whip through gills with an electric knife so fast it was unreal.  Taking the rib cage off the meat is the tricky part.  Practice makes perfect though. 

[dunnhuntin]

I have a few Grohman fillet knives that I love. Custom made knives for about $100 with great steel that holds an edge for a long time between sharpening. I've got a 6, 7 and 8 inch. I like the 8" for bigger fish, and the 6" for perch. I personally don't like the electric knives. They may be quick, and I know a lot of guys love them but I find they waste more meat. I've got a buck folding fillet knife that cost about $40 that I like to keep in my shore lunch kit. I've been very happy with it. Doesn't hold an edge quite as well as my Grohmans but it's great for a mid grade knife.

[filetandrelease]

If your cleaning bigger fish take a look at Victorinox  , it’s Swiss made great knife for bigger fish
 Small fish I just retired a cheap B&D electric after 20 years

[JonPerry]

I've owned one of these for yrs. the best knife I've ever used.

https://www.reedssports.com/brand/leech-lake-knives

[Kevin23]

I have the cutco extendable and really like it, stays sharp a long time.

Never tried an electric, never saw the point.  What advantage does an electric knife give you?

Electrics make it easier. They are absolutely slower than a regular knife in the hands of an experienced person... however if you don't clean a lot of fish and have the techniques down, electrics are probably faster. All you do is press a button and point it in the right direction and it does all the work. I clean a lot of fish because the guys I fish with keep fish and we fillet fish together at my place after fishing usually. And not to brag but I am pretty good at it now so it seems I'm doing 75% of the fish every time in the time it takes the other guy to do 25% of them... now that I think of it though, maybe he is going slow on purpose so I have to clean more fish.... dang

Anyways.. electrics are easier and faster than a not-so good fish cleaner.

[IDbasser]

I just got a silverstag fillet knife, super sharp, great quality

[spoofhoundicefisher]

I have a few Grohman fillet knives that I love. Custom made knives for about $100 with great steel that holds an edge for a long time between sharpening. I've got a 6, 7 and 8 inch. I like the 8" for bigger fish, and the 6" for perch. I personally don't like the electric knives. They may be quick, and I know a lot of guys love them but I find they waste more meat. I've got a buck folding fillet knife that cost about $40 that I like to keep in my shore lunch kit. I've been very happy with it. Doesn't hold an edge quite as well as my Grohmans but it's great for a mid grade knife.

The more you use the electric knife the better you will get.  After thousands and thousands of gills and crappie, you dont waste as much meat as you would think.  I had a buddie a few years ago and he has a few farm ponds and wanted to have a fish fry and try and knock down some of the gills in his ponds. So a few 5 gallon buckets later we were ready to clean fish.  I whipped out my electric knife and he grabbed his trusty ol' NON electric knife.  I just about killed him.  After about 30 minutes he went to town and bought an electric knife in quick order.

[grababrewski]

https://www.industrialrev.com/morakniv/fishing/mora-fishing-comfort-fillet-knife-155-m--11892?returnurl=%2fmorakniv%2ffishing%2f

I own this knife.  Very happy with it. 

$26 from amazon prime.

X2 very happy with it! 
I have a bunch of fillet knives including https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QCNJ3C/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 but the Mora's the one I usually use.

[WolfPack1]

https://www.industrialrev.com/morakniv/fishing/mora-fishing-comfort-fillet-knife-155-m--11892?returnurl=%2fmorakniv%2ffishing%2f

I own this knife.  Very happy with it. 

$26 from amazon prime.

I’ve got two of these. One for fish and deer, the other for the kitchen. Absolutely love em. Keep a good edge, and sharpen very well on stones. Highly recommend them. I do wish they made a flex version of the 4” though.

[TickleStick]

I like Wusthof fillet and kitchen knives myself.

[teampar]

If you want an electric go with the Rapala Lithium...it's awesome!

Question for you guys using the Rapala Lithium...Dont you find it much heavier then a cordered knife? In the lakes I fish there are no limits on perch/crappie so they few times a year I target them its not inusual for me to have 100+ fish to fillet & vacum seal. I have tried a rechargeable one time and after about 40 fish felt like my hand was going to fall off, also the American Angler was one of the few that did not get very hot after alot of fish.

[Roccus]

For electric, I've got an older Rappala that, once I got past the learning curve can make a nice clean pile of white perch fillets faster than any manual knife.
When it comes to a good fish cutting knife, Dexter Russell gets the nod, I ran a comercial gill netter for years, I cut thousands of fish,nothing was faster or sharpened easier than those Dexters.

[catskills]

what is the best way to sharpen blades?  I am a newb at it and either the sharpener doesn't work good or I am not good at it

[missoulafish]

Get a "guide" that forces you to apply the right angle to your blade and you will be an expert in no time👍👍

[johnb340]

Top quality is in the eye of the beholder.  My Normark Fiskars Finland 6" has been a workhorse for fish and even deer for 40 plus years and wish I had a tabulation of what it's been thru.

[dunnhuntin]

The more you use the electric knife the better you will get.  After thousands and thousands of gills and crappie, you dont waste as much meat as you would think.  I had a buddie a few years ago and he has a few farm ponds and wanted to have a fish fry and try and knock down some of the gills in his ponds. So a few 5 gallon buckets later we were ready to clean fish.  I whipped out my electric knife and he grabbed his trusty ol' NON electric knife.  I just about killed him.  After about 30 minutes he went to town and bought an electric knife in quick order.

I agree they can be a lot faster, but I've worked at fishing lodges a long time, and cleaned a lot of fish beside guys using electrics. I've never seen one get more meat off a fish than a regular knife. Some guys who are really good with their electrics dont have a ton of waste, but definitely some. And the guys who are mediocre or average seem to be missing half the fillet

[NateD]

Electrics make it easier. They are absolutely slower than a regular knife in the hands of an experienced person... however if you don't clean a lot of fish and have the techniques down, electrics are probably faster. All you do is press a button and point it in the right direction and it does all the work. I clean a lot of fish because the guys I fish with keep fish and we fillet fish together at my place after fishing usually. And not to brag but I am pretty good at it now so it seems I'm doing 75% of the fish every time in the time it takes the other guy to do 25% of them... now that I think of it though, maybe he is going slow on purpose so I have to clean more fish.... dang

Anyways.. electrics are easier and faster than a not-so good fish cleaner.

Interesting, I don't like to cut through the rib cage does an electric have the finesse to get around it?