Fillet Knives-An Unpopular Opinion?

[scorpnsnake]

 

[DMG]

I'm not taking an expensive knife on a boat - too many ways for that to go wrong. give me the cheapest one that will get the job done.

I think that is a factor too. Even the dockside fish cleaning areas are risky.

 

[l1ranger]

I think that is a factor too. Even the dockside fish cleaning areas are risky.

dockside as well. I have a couple filet that are a little higher cost, but those stay home

 

[Piddling]

Enjoyed your thoughts on the subject. But really (and I am a collector with a few hundred knives) couldn't we say most of this for any knife. I mean handle and sharpness are top priority but we chase design, specific steel and designers, etc. Could we not say in reality, a $10 sharp knife that will cut what we are processing and won't hurt when we use it, is really 90% of what we need a knife for? Sometimes I think my spending hundreds of $'s for a knife is ridiculous (so does my wife). I like the thoughts expressed here - they might apply to most knives styles.

 

[VCM3]

I sell these ,from Italy ,Sanelli Premana professional chef knives . I try to keep them in stock but they're popular . Easy to get screaming sharp & the handle feels like no other
Custom fillets are beautiful,but like others said ,if you're hard at work you needreliability ,performance that is reasonably priced . These are great in the kitchn too

 

[Win Heger]

I fished for years in saltwater and learned not to have good fillet knives accessible. I used Dexter Russell white handled and they worked great. They were sharpened after every trip and washed in fresh water, lasted years. For personal use I had a Phil Wilson in S30V that was just amazing, never left out for others to drop overboard!

 

[rileybassman1]

For me, meat processing and filleting are both handled by boning or breaking knives anymore. I've had fillet knives... but a semi flexible boning or breaking knife accomplish basically the same thing for me... so I have moved on from most fillet specific knives and just leverage one of my boning or breaking knives.

My current favorites in addition to my Victorinox boning knives.

 

[Fastleo151]

For me, meat processing and filleting are both handled by boning or breaking knives anymore. I've had fillet knives... but a semi flexible boning or breaking knife accomplish basically the same thing for me... so I have moved on from most fillet specific knives and just leverage one of my boning or breaking knives.

My current favorites in addition to my Victorinox boning knives.

I came to the same conclusion, I definitely don’t own those two mkc knives pictured but I have the victorinox and f.dick versions. It’s really amazing how good a 6” semi flex curved boning knife is.

 

[rileybassman1]

I came to the same conclusion, I definitely don’t own those two mkc knives pictured but I have the victorinox and f.dick versions. It’s really amazing how good a 6” semi flex curved boning knife is.

It really is! I fully acknowledge that the MKC's are overpriced for what they are... I still like them and had available funds to grab them when they were available. At the end of the day, they don't do anything the vic or f. dick can't do

 

[Taz]

I like something I don't need to sharpen constantly or switch knives for. I had a friend in my Fish and Game club ask why my knives were $200 for a fillet knife versus $20 for a Dexter. I did up a S35VN 5.5" barely flexible boning knife for him to play with. He and his buddies used it on several deer, around a dozen turkeys, plus all cooking tasks at their hunting camp and then at home for 3 months, without having to touch up the edge. He bought that knife and then ordered a 4" version with larger guard in Magnacut. He really liked the edge retention and not needing to sharpen it constantly and liked that the handle was more comfy and still grippy.

For a bait knife on a boat, cheap is better, and a serrated blade works well, especially if it's on a cutting board on the boat. These are the el cheapo $5 bait knives.

For filleting/cleaning tasks, I use one of my nice ones (or different ones, depending on species, I used to do a lot of inshore fishing and some Offshore stuff) and make sure it's secured properly and doesn't go overboard. At the dock, I may break out the Japanese stuff if needed, too. Those are a PITA to keep from rusting while out in the salt water though, so I saved those for a more controlled environment! I fished with friends, who took care of the knives I brought.

On a head boat/charter boat, I would do a sheath fillet knife probably so it doesn't wander off. Sometimes the mates clean the fish for people, too.

I did up a bunch of Nitro V fillet knives as a memorial to my Uncle, who loved fishing. Guys who used those rave about the edge retention compared to Dexters and take care of them. I haven't heard of any of them going for a swim yet and they do get used!