Looking for a couple fillet knives... Help!

SW-EDC said:
How is Sturgeon? Never had that.
Click to expand...

Oh man, you've been missing out! Wild caught, White Sturgeon is the best tasting fish I've ever had. I think it tastes like a good halibut with a better texture... My wife thinks it tastes like lobster. You get a whole lot of meat of a four foot fish too. :D
 
Maybe check out Leech lake fillet knives ?
I don't know exactly what they steel is, but the website says it's a stainless alloy that they call " super steel " vague I know but maybe someone has one and can give an idea of it's performance.
They definitely look really nice.
 
I just put in an order for the 6" North Arm Kermode, hope my brother likes it. :)

I talked a bit more with him tonight and he confirmed he'd prefer the larger knife to be stiff even if it means using a steel with less edge retention. I'm going to give John another day or two to respond about the possibility of making a 9" - 10" fillet knife and if I don't hear anything or he can't do it, I think I'll just go with the Bubba Blade 9" Stiff Fillet knife. There don't seem to really be any options for a 9" - 10", stiff fillet knife with premium steel that I can find.
 
Currawong said:
Also try Brush Creek Knives Eric J.S. Eric J.S.

I got a .040" fillet from him in AEBL, it's very good. He also does fillets in thicker stock.
Click to expand...

It looks like he makes some gorgeous knives... I think his work might be a little out of my price range for this gift though. I'll look into it more, thanks!
 
I use a Victorinox Fibrox filet knife for both salt water and fresh water fishing. The Fibrox filet knife is a commercial grade filet knife and at very reasonable price. It holds an edge, I don't know what steel it is, and is very easy to hold when fileting, and to sharpen.



 
Last edited:
The Mora Frost PG series are good knives and inexpensive. The handles on the 6" may be a bit large for the blade. They get silly sharp easily and hold their edge pretty well. They come in both narrow blades (more flex)and wide (less flex) The non-slip handles are great around water and they come in 6-8" models. Good knife for the $.
 
that kermode is a very nice option! now I'll end up with one despite having a perfectly good mora ...
grrr (*curses bf*)

honestly it would be interesting to see just how springy pm s35vn can get, I have nothing thin in s35vn
 
dirc said:
that kermode is a very nice option! now I'll end up with one despite having a perfectly good mora ...
grrr (*curses bf*)

honestly it would be interesting to see just how springy pm s35vn can get, I have nothing thin in s35vn
Click to expand...

They both came in yesterday. I'd give North Arm more props on the speedy two day shipping from Canada to the U.S.... But they're only located about 45 minutes from me, lol. I'm really liking the Kermode! Really liking it. I think I'm probably going to pick one up for myself. This is my first time handling a knife with a CNC finish on the blade. It's pretty cool. The blade is also super flexible. The G10 scales also have a nice carbon fiber look to them (not to mention the cool fish scale milling). I think it's perfect. The Bubba Blade is like a giant boning knife... I wouldn't have a lot of use for it since I have a Butcher's set I picked up when I worked in the meat department of Costco, but it's exactly what my brother needs according to him.

Y0ja3J2.jpg



Here's a pic from the North Arm website showing the S35VN flexing!
Flexible_60hrc_fillet_knife.jpg
 
I am currently sending several 1/16 fillets off to heat treat today, wait time should only be about 3-4 weeks!
 
North Arm Kermode come in both 6" and 9". A little more than your $200 budget but well worth it. No one I have dealt with provides better service and their products are of outstanding quality.
 
Eric J.S. said:
I am currently sending several 1/16 fillets off to heat treat today, wait time should only be about 3-4 weeks!
Click to expand...

I’m going to have to think about grabbing one of those for myself! You do some beautiful work.

indischI said:
North Arm Kermode come in both 6" and 9". A little more than your $200 budget but well worth it. No one I have dealt with provides better service and their products are of outstanding quality.
Click to expand...

Yea, I thought about grabbing the 9” to go along with the 6”, but my brother specifically said he’d prefer the 9” - 10” to be stiff and the Kermode has a fair amount of flex.
 
Fixall said:
I’m going to have to think about grabbing one of those for myself! You do some beautiful work.

Thank you very much! I've had really positive feedback from the folks that have used them so far.
Click to expand...
 
Hickory n steel said:
Maybe check out Leech lake fillet knives ?
I don't know exactly what they steel is, but the website says it's a stainless alloy that they call " super steel " vague I know but maybe someone has one and can give an idea of it's performance.
They definitely look really nice.
Click to expand...
This. They make a really nice knife and super sharp, great handles and an unbelievable sheath.
 
I have one of the old Schrade folding fillet knives that I will sell for what I paid for it. It is unused. These were high end knives. I bought it years ago when Schrade went out of business at a gun show.
 
Necrothread with good fillet knife choices.

“How It’s Made” today had a segment on the production of White River Fillet knives. It's offered in 440C and in two sizes and two handle material choices. The cork option floats.

They don’t come up in a search. Anybody here have one?
 
marchone said:
Necrothread with good fillet knife choices.

“How It’s Made” today had a segment on the production of White River Fillet knives. It's offered in 440C and in two sizes and two handle material choices. The cork option floats.

They don’t come up in a search. Anybody here have one?
Click to expand...

I have one of the Cork handled White River fillet knives the longer version. Very nice knife. They use the same size handle for both the 6" and 8.5" models. I thought the handle was a bit large for the 6" model. Some may prefer that. Also got my son one of the Kermode's as a gift. I didn't like the flex it had. Imo flex is good for skinning but I prefer little flex for filleting, particularly for fish with tough skin or larger scales (redfish). Again that's a personal preference. I'm a nut for fillet knives and have many. From inexpensive to high dollar. For small fish (and some larger) the Havalon Baracuta Z folder works well. Razor sharp! You can cut the snot out of yourself if not careful. I have a friend with stitches from one of these. He didn't heed my warning. They don't hold their edge real well but can be brought back to razor sharpness quickly with the Sharpmaker. I like mine really sharp so after a dozen or so fish I do maybe 20 passes and it's back to almost original sharpness. If in a situation where not easy to sharpen, replace the blade and keep going.
For larger fish the Bark River or Microtech Black Marlin both work well. I have one of Phil's Punta Chivato's, one of my favorite and most used knives, classic.. Some day I'd like to get one of the craftsmen on the forum to make me a custom of my design. Talked to a maker in Florida about 6 month's ago but he never got back to me. He's very busy and does mostly beautiful hunting blades. Dexter makes some good and inexpensive knives. I've had or tried many production makes and models. Always on the search for the perfect fillet knife. Wish Spyderco would do a run of the Catcherman's in LC, would like to try that.
 
Last edited:
Blade HQ lists an 11-inch White River Fillet knife, too. If you like high dollar fillet knives check out Perceval. It has a flexible 7 1/2 inch blade.
 
If you're a cheap bastadge like me, look at the Opinel Efile no.15- I recently picked one up in beech. INOX only but it is incredibly sharp and effortlessly processed a nice striped bass shortly after I got it. It's a folding knife that I picked up specifically to keep as a nicer knife for the tackle bag that wont make me cry if it disappears, and I like it better than the professional style Dexter Russel filet knives I've owned.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top