Favorite Fishing Knives?

[MW740]

I am just starting to get into fresh water fishing and I have a question for any of you forumites that have some experience in the matter. Yesterday, I caught a few decent size catfish upstate and I ran into a problem. I brought along my Spyderco Bill Moran DP, and found it less than perfect for the job of cleaning these fish. I had just put a hair popping sharp edge on the Moran yesterday morning, but when it was time to gut the fish, I had some problems. The spine of the fish was extremely dificult to cut through while I was removing the head, and I learned just how tought catfish skin is! What I would like to know is what knife do you take with you on fishing trips, because I need some suggestions for a better tool for the job.

 

[oliverplomion]

Definitely the new fallkniven F2!!! try a look at
www.fallkniven.com

 

[slices]

The Moran or any other small to medium size plain edge knife is just the wrong tool for the job. A serrated blade will saw through eventually, but you really need something with some mass. A cleaver would be perfect. Keep the fish oriented as if it was swimming & cleave right behind the gills, just behind the top of the skull. Once through the backbone, your Moran can finish the job, but because of the tough skin, serrated works better. By the way, I never skin my fish cause it comes off easily after cooking. I don't clean them till I get home either. Just ice em up & they keep just fine. Caught 2 16" Wiper today & my cleaver did the business. Found a really good deal on em on the net. Good steel & great prices. Their Chef's knife is very good too. Tried it 1st on the backbones & then broke out the cleaver, hehe.
Check em out here.
http://www.montanaknifeworks.com/products_cleavers.html

 

[Ed T]

For catfish, it is pliers. A Leatherman would do just fine. Cut the skin from the spine to belly behind the gills. Grab a hold and pull the skin off.

May not help with the knife question, but should for the catfish...

 

[Buzzbait]

Catfish and bullhead are very different from most freshwater fish.

I normally fish for trout, bass, walleye and pike. Depending on the size fish and the cicumstances, I'll use a Camillus slipjoint, my Spyderco Military, or my Dozier K-4. They get sharpened with a very coarse finish beforehand. A highly polished blade is largely useless for cleaning fish. Filleting, which is completely different from cleaning, is better with a polished edge.

As for the spine of a large fish, I baton the blade through the backbone. Sawing away at it is just too time consuming and frustrating.

 

[slices]

Yeah, polished edges on plain edge knives are'nt very good at hacking/chopping. After breaking a piece of the blade out of my Moran drop point about the size of half a nickel, while beating it through the rib cage of a mule deer with a branch, I decided to invest in better tools & now use a cleaver for that type of work. I live in Golden so a quick trip to Spyderco produced a brand new Moran, thanks to Mike. But I've learned my lesson, hehe.

 

[Ming65]

I catch small school fish mostly. Herring, taylor and garfish. If it's a nice still morning I go out on my sea kayak and trawl a line along the edge of the reef. I'm using the Spyderco Military. I don't fillet. Just gut, behead and clean and fry with garlic butter. Hmmm shame it's windy today.

 

[Steve-O]

Buzzbait had it right - you need a 'fillet knife' for freshwater fish...and pliers for catfish and bullheads, like Ed T said.

A good fillet knife will do most jobs, filleting, gutting, taking off heads etc. Most fillet knives have 8" to 12" blades that taper from a heavy base to a slim, flexible tip. The heavy base allows you to remove heads and the taper lets you control remoival of meat from the carcass or to remove gut and gill.

My favorite fillet knife was made locally out of 440C and has Desert Ironwood scales , it has cut through the bones of many a large Northern and gutted more Lake Trout than I can count.

You can never have too many knives,


Steve-O