Looking for a nice fillet

J

jetmak2002

Joined
Jun 30, 2008
Messages
3
Meets and greets everyone,

I have been lurking here for a while and find it to be a great wealth of info. Not often discussed is a good fillet knife. I am looking to buy one as a gift to my father. He is not the knife enthusiast so will not treat it like someone here would so it should not be too pricey, although I don't want cost to be the main consideration.

I'm looking for utility more than asthetics. He generally filets speckled trout, I would guess at least 25k a year, although most are done with an electric knife he does use a fixed blade knife as a secondary or primary when more than one person is cleaning fish.

The knife would need to be in the 6-9 inch range, the flexible variety (not like a sashami knife). Fixed blade. It would be exposed to salt water regularly.

I think that covers what I'm looking for. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks,
Jet
 
Welcome to the show. Rapala is my choice. Good and sharp and nice flex to the blade when you are slicing the skin off.
 
I am very happy with my Global G-20:

large_G-20.jpg


It has a flexible 8" blade, and I think it's well made.

Now, I wouldn't ditch the idea of a folder. A folder (if suitable for filleting) is easier to take on a trip. And the classic french brand Opinel has exactly the right kind of knives for this, they are from their "effilé" (thin) series, and as usual with Opinel they exist in various sizes (biggest one has a 15cm blade):

A-OPINEL-000519-0004.jpg

A-OPINEL-243150-0002.jpg


Update: I was too quick with responding, the contact with salt water is probably less than ideal for the Opinel's wooden handle, and the high number of fishes may cause it to wear early. But my recommendation of the Global still stands.
 
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Corner butcher shop.


Oh, you meant knives! :p

Kershaw has very decent ones for a very reasonable price. The Global ones are great, but spendy.

Also to be considered if you have a decent cutlery shop in town are the Forschner fillet or boning knives. They're a little secret of the culinary school crowd, as they offer very good performance for rock bottom price. Personally I prefer the Globals or the Kershaws.

You might think about googling America's Test Kitchen (PBS show) and searching for fillet or boning knives, I seem to remember they had that test available on their website for free. I think they also recommended the Forschners as a cheap bombproof great knife.
 
When I met Phil and saw his fillet knives I new that I would make very few fillet knives as Phil's knives were fantastic and well worth the money. Phil is a serious fisherman and uses what he makes. If I was ever asked about making a fillet knife I just said call Phil...Take Care...Ed
 
ivan51 said:
dang that's REAL nice looking i dident know BRKT made a filet knife. im gana have to get one now:D
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Yep. It's a beaut. Mine is an absolute beast when it comes to ripping up flounder, which I consider the true test of a filet knife.
 
If you don't want to spend too much you might look at one of the blue handled Frosts of Sweden filet knives. I use mine all the time and am pleased with it. It's as good as the Case I previously used.
 
Likewise Buck came out with the Silver Creek fillet and bait knives this year. Only $20-30 for them and they feel great in the hand. Steel guard, deeply textured rubber handle, titanium-based blade coating to protect it from corrosion, and a self-draining friction fit sheath. The fillet knives are quite flexible, and a real bargain, imho.
 
Is that 25 thousand trout a year or 25 times a year? If so that will be a good test of durability of the knife.
KC
 
Greyeagle said:
Is that 25 thousand trout a year or 25 times a year? If so that will be a good test of durability of the knife.
KC
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Actually I don't know how but I think I screwed up the math, never my strong point. Probably 8 thousand fish a year cleaned, although the catch number is way higher. He needs to add a different hobby in the mix!

Anyways I appreciate the info. I like the looks of that canadian sportsman II, I'm just concerned that the blade is a bit tall which may not allow for a tight turn or good flexibilty. Is that a valid concern with that piece? Otherwise that looks like a winner

A phil wilson would be sweet but my understanding is that he has a long wait time right now plus it is a little more than I was hoping to spend. They look worth it though and will certainly consider one in the future.

thanks
 
jetmak2002 said:
I like the looks of that canadian sportsman II, I'm just concerned that the blade is a bit tall which may not allow for a tight turn or good flexibilty. Is that a valid concern with that piece? Otherwise that looks like a winner
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I guess that depends on the species of fish you're fileting, but it's perfect for how I work with flounder (which is why I bought it). The longer the blade, the fewer strokes I need per filet which saves meat. If you're really concerned about the length of the blade, Bark River sells a shorter version called the Canadian Sportsman which may or may not be to your liking - the blade is nearly 4" shorter and the spine is actually thicker (.090" vs. .078"), so it wouldn't be as flexible but might be more efficient when fileting larger species. Here's a stock photo of that one:

Can_Sptsman_Blk_G_10_Y_L_Br_Solid_L_E.jpg
 
Ok, I gotta ask. Why does he fillet so many fish a year? Does he work in a cannery or something? Even at 8000, that works out to over 21 per day. That sounds way too much like work to me. And where does he catch so many? I can't think of anyplace outside of a hatchery that would be able to support that kind of take on a daily basis.

-Mb (who would love to catch even a fraction of that many trout a year)
 
While working in a fishery in the Arctic I found that the Cold Steel Fillet knives were everything that I wanted in a fillet knife on Arctic Char, and we were going hard 18 hours a day cleaning fish. They used to be Carbon V but I am unsure what they use now.
 
OOOooo, a friend of mine is a big time fisherman, this thread is good fodder for present materieal.
 
Jetmak2002, I am from Lafayette, LA and know exactly how good the speck fishing is here in LA. My neighbors fish out Cypermort point one is retired and know for a fact he cleans 50 to 100 specks a day, four to five times a week.

To non LA residents the speck fishing here is insane we have the greatest speck (speckled trout,spotted sea trout) fisherie in the conus or maybe the world. Limits are liberal at 25 per peson per day, used to be 50 per person per day. Most people fish at least two per boat, so thats a minimum of 50 specks per trip.

If you fish a lot as most people do down here, it adds up in a hurry.

I have tried everything and nothing works as good as the mister twister electric knives their cheap, last for a couple of hundred fish and then boom you throw it away and go to the box in the shed and grab another one.

Buy him a box/case of electirc knives and be done with it.
 
Ever consider a DIY project since it's a gift for your Dad?
Ragnar at ragweedforge.com sells bare blades that you can put a handle on yourself.
They are quality blades too.
I did this one with a Helle brand fillet blade.
jerseyfisherman.jpg

The only power tool I used was a drill.
Files, sandpaper, epoxy and a hammer did the rest.
I've done 5 or 7 of these blade blanks and it is quite rewarding.

Even if you don't go the personalized, "I made it for you, Dad" route...
Ragnar also sells some fine finished fillet knives as well.
 
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