Fishing knives: North Arm Kermode or White River Fillet or ...

S

Sid Post

Joined
Oct 14, 1998
Messages
4,675
https://northarmknives.com/product/kermode-6-inch-fillet-knife/?c=d115e58d09e2
https://northarmknives.com/product/kermode-9-inch-fillet-knife/?c=d115e58d09e2
https://www.whiteriverknives.com/products/traditional-fillet?variant=7970916696092

I am looking for a great fishing knife in the ~$150 or less range. I'm not opposed to a cheaper stamped knife but, I have had terrible experiences with the ones I bought in the past so, I'm thinking about possibly getting a nice one that would last versus the 'disposable pen' theory of cheap fillet knives.

On a related thought, how do the Mora versions rate against these? Similar, better or worse?

For fish fillet needs, I generally fillet Blue Gill in the 1# range and Catfish in the 3# range with lots of random things in this same general size range. Big Salmon and ocean species are not a factor in this, for me, as I don't go saltwater fishing or to the Pacific Northwest enough to be a factor.

TIA,
Sid
 
I don't have an answer for you specifically, but White River Knives is in my opinion a serious sleeper. Outstanding quality and designs, but not much talked about.
 
I have a folding Schrade USA filet knife that is still unused. If you want it, let me know. It was an "expensive" knife in their line before they died. When I bought it, I thought having the folding feature would prompt me to carry it, but I don't filet fish often (almost never) and just worry my way through the process if I have to do it.

As far as your choices, I would only keep a filet knife on a boat or just available on the shore should I need it. So something cheap makes a lot of sense to me.
 
Last edited:
For fresh water fishing the Buck Pathfinder is a great inexpensive easy-to-sharpen knife. I believe there might be a smaller Buck than the Pathfinder in that collection, which might be better yet. Those Buck knives with the old-fashioned black handle are great knives for all around use and you can get them razor sharp without much effort.
 
22-rimfire said:
I have a folding Schrade USA filet knife that is still unused. If you want it, let me know. It was an "expensive" knife in their line before they died. When I bought it, I thought having the folding feature would prompt me to carry it, but I don't filet fish often (almost never) and just worry my way through the process if I have to do it.
Click to expand...

Interested! Shoot me an email at username atgmaildotcom please!
 
evilgreg said:
Hard to beat the Mora 155 with 12c27 and a comfy handle for <$30, but those White River knives look nice if you're spending to spend for the fun of it.
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm wondering about the Mora's some. Sandvik 12C27 seems like a good steel choice, as is 440C, for an application like this. However, I rarely see them anywhere and don't recall ever seeing one at a big box store or even a BassPro or Gander Mountain. Their commercial and industrial line (think it's Frosts), seems to have a large number of options too. Maybe it is just an EU versus USA thing though.

The blade shapes and profiles, along with pricing, makes me wonder why I don't see them more often. I guess at ~$30 they cut into the sales of store-branded cheap knives from China that sell in the same price range with fatter profit margins. Why pay $20 wholesale to sell at $30 retail when you can buy from China for $3 and sell for $40 with a 50% discount? And similar marketing gimmicks?

I must admit though, on European websites, the Mora fishing knives look cheaper and, when you take off VAT, they seem competitive with the trash being sold at the big box stores as 'premium' fishing knives.
 
mendezj said:
For fresh water fishing the Buck Pathfinder is a great inexpensive easy-to-sharpen knife. I believe there might be a smaller Buck than the Pathfinder in that collection, which might be better yet. Those Buck knives with the old-fashioned black handle are great knives for all around use and you can get them razor sharp without much effort.
Click to expand...

420HC isn't a terrible blade material but, a slick handle hunting knife doesn't seem like a good choice for freshwater fishing. A little blade flex is helpful too so you don't leave as much meat behind.

With smaller fish where all you do is gut them and drape over a stick to cook on an open fire though would probably work well though! I've cooked a few fish whole and flaked or pulled the meat off the bones if they were too small to eat whole with good results in the past.
 
The Kermode has S35VN, and assuming they're putting a good heat treat on it, it would have better edge retention, which can be noticed with a bucket full of bluegill.

In my mind, the fillet knife to get is neither of these. Buck has an "Alaskan Guide" series sold at Cabelas and Bass Pro. The fillet knife uses S30V and its Buck's BOS heat treat which is considered to be very good, at least for an affordable production knife.
 
SubMicron said:
The Kermode has S35VN, and assuming they're putting a good heat treat on it, it would have better edge retention, which can be noticed with a bucket full of bluegill.

In my mind, the fillet knife to get is neither of these. Buck has an "Alaskan Guide" series sold at Cabelas and Bass Pro. The fillet knife uses S30V and its Buck's BOS heat treat which is considered to be very good, at least for an affordable production knife.
Click to expand...

At $110, that opens up a lot of options. Plus, the rosewood handle isn't something I would want on a knife like this. A cork handle would make this more tempting.

BOS was the bomb back in the days when heat treating by large companies was at best spotty but, today modern heat treating is a whole lot better so not something I focus on from premium vendors and reasonable pricepoints.
 
My little brother is a fishing guide on the Columbia River. I picked him up the 6" North Arm Kermode and a bigger Bubba Blade (for sturgeon) and he absolutely loves the Kermode. He says it's the best knife he's ever owned.

Y0ja3J2.jpg
 
Another vote for the Mora 155. Good steel at a great price.

I also admit I don't fish a lot so I don't have to process a lot of fish. If you do process a lot of fish, I could understand buying a more expensive knife. Most of the folks I know who fish use a Mora and seem happy with it.
 
Many mates on salt water party boats use Dexter Russell. Also a friend worked as a butcher and used Dexter Russell knives for most all his cutting chores.
 
rpttrsn said:
Many mates on salt water party boats use Dexter Russell. Also a friend worked as a butcher and used Dexter Russell knives for most all his cutting chores.
Click to expand...

On a party boat, I wouldn't use an expensive knife personally. I would look for a cheaper option that I wouldn't miss if it was lost, stolen or, broken.
 
I have a 9” Kermode and it is a great fillet knife that holds an edge really well. It was a cosmetic blem or something so it was cheaper. Can’t tell what the issue was. Not sure if they still sell blems or not anymore but you might check into it for a good deal.
 
Fixall said:
My little brother is a fishing guide on the Columbia River. I picked him up the 6" North Arm Kermode and a bigger Bubba Blade (for sturgeon) and he absolutely loves the Kermode. He says it's the best knife he's ever owned.

Y0ja3J2.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks! The Kermode sounds like a solid choice and I appreciate the feedback on it.
 
I'm kinda partial to White River knives, but I think there are better steels for a fillet knife than 440C. Not that there's anything wrong with 440C, there isn't, and I'm not thumbing my nose at it in any way. I like the look of the Kermode, I like S35VN, and, were I in the market, that's likely the direction I would go. I do prefer the cork handle on the WR, tho....
 
Based on my experience with my Skaha II, I'd buy the Kermode if I was interested in a premium filet knife.
Based on my experience with my Rapala Fish 'n Filet, I'd buy another if I lost mine.
 
Spyderco Waterway, LC200N, absolutely rust free, saw a video where a guy would go to great lengths to rust it, leaving it in salt water, lemon, mustard, for days, no dice. i believe its in that range, check it out
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top