Thread: Knives for Fishing

I bought two of that Victrinox knife only a slight bit longer. They are indeed awesome. Love their plastic blade cover as well. Protects the edge and stays in place in tackle bucket and doesn't get contaminated like a sheath does.

Originally Posted by Simpleman

A chainsaw was really tempting until the “Trojan Horse” meathod revealed itself to me for Bull Reds. Gotta “sneak” the knife inside the skin and attack from within...

I pop a single scale off just behind the gill-plate then, after breaching the Kevlar plated fortress, “un-zip” the skin from the inside with a 1/2” to 3/4” of the knife tip (blade edge facing outward) upwards and forward towards the top of the back (like a normal first-cut when filleting non-scaled specimen), then along the top of the back to just short of the tail. As the skin is cut, the scales part and retreat as if they are down-wind of 3 day old egg salad exhaust fumes... After that, the typical cuts can be made with the stone wall, uhmmm scales, separated. It adds an additional step, but preserves the knife edge quite well.

I’ll try to remember to take a video on our next visit, as long as the fish decide to play nice... that being said, HAYWIRE, can you talk your secret fish language and let them know we will be down the 13th of March???

With the sheepshead, it's really simple---you gotta lick your shrimp, but you need to eat some super spicy food ahead of time so it "heats" them up. (This is something I've never told anybody and it's a secret, so keep it to yourself.)

You're absolutely right on the bull reds---you have to fillet them from the inside out. Sheepies, too.

And look for the scale free bare skin on each side of the dorsal. You can get your knife between there and not dull it on scales. Going to try to cut around the ribs this year if they show up by mid March. They seem to be a.w.o.l. this winter.

I agree, I have two sizes of Rapala fillet knives and a Dexter Russell 9” serrated from JM. Those and cheap bait knife are all you need. I’ve never spent more than $30 on a fishing knife. Simply not needed.

That DR serrated knife is scary sharp makes short work of reds, sheepshead, snapper and AJs.

An el cheapo from the $$ store for bait and a couple of Dexters for filet work. Of course I have others that I don't need or use, guess it is just a fetish, I love knives.

for me, every comment here has validity. personal preference comes with time, usage and cost. i can’t tell you how many knives i own but depending on the possible purpose i use a mixture of them. might be i wake up on a tuesday and want to do whatever... thing is as long as it is legal never go anywhere without a knife.

I might have a new favorite, cutco fillet that has a fairly flexible blade, but just discovered it goes from 6in to 9in (not that I need 9") now if only I can get a good sharp edge on it
sad to say it is an issue for me sharpening a knife....but I sure need to learn.....I still haven't found that sharpener that does it for me (just don't know when to stop)

I lost my Morakniv Companion after field dressing a deer last fall, and replaced it with the orange version. At under 20 bucks delivered, these knives are an excellent value. There are a ton of reviews online, and I haven't found any negative ones. The slightly more expensive version in carbon steel is easier to sharpen, but for rust resistance, the stainless is probably a better choice.

-FishLips

Originally Posted by ironman172

I might have a new favorite, cutco fillet that has a fairly flexible blade, but just discovered it goes from 6in to 9in (not that I need 9") now if only I can get a good sharp edge on it
sad to say it is an issue for me sharpening a knife....but I sure need to learn.....I still haven't found that sharpener that does it for me (just don't know when to stop)

Look up Smith's ceramic sharpening sticks. WorkSharp is another good one.

Originally Posted by stik

Look up Smith's ceramic sharpening sticks. WorkSharp is another good one.

I have many sharpeners & systems....just not the skill or know when to stop ....thought about the work sharp, forgot I had a chef choice in a drawer used it and did good....I still need to take the time and learn to use a stone or ceramic sticks....a good friend always did it (scary sharp) shaving