Beem meaning to post this for awhile.

The standard Wallywold Normark/Rapala type knives just don't "cut it" :laughs:

Can anybody recommend a good commercial grade knife.I did some looking on the net but really didn't find anything decent and haven't seen much in local stores.

Get the basic white handle Dexter Russell and keep it sharp...less than 20 bucks with a plastic scabbard.

-spence

this might sound like a stupid question and for all intents and purposes it probably is but do you have and good tips on how to keep your knife really sharp?? a good type of sharpener perhaps?

Get the basic white handle Dexter Russell and keep it sharp...less than 20 bucks with a plastic scabbard.

-spence

Thanks Spence.I'll start searchin'.

this might sound like a stupid question and for all intents and purposes it probably is but do you have and good tips on how to keep your knife really sharp?? a good type of sharpener perhaps?

Got a decent sharpening setup.The junk knives are just to flimsy and don't hold an edge for to long.I find myself CONSTANTLY sharpening while fileting.

i feel your pain on that one. mind you my fileting skills are sub par at best anyway but half way through it always seems like the knife needs a refresher.

You can buy them at any West Marine or Restaurant supply shop, a lot of tackle stores carry them as well.

A good knife should hold an edge well and just need a few swipes on a steel before you use it.

I've found the electric Chef's Choice models to be pretty good for all my kitchen knifes. They make a smaller manual model you can usually get at Homegoods for prety cheap.

Just get somthing easy to use so you'll actually do it :tm:

-spence

Red Top sells a cheaper hand held unit that my buddy picked up two weeks ago. An occasional swipe with the knife between fish is all it took. It doesn't take much.

most important is a blade that is high carbon stainless steel, most company's have them available like this for short money. not steel, not stainless...high carbon stainless steel. it'll hold a point longer and you don't have the usual dullness or uselessness of most crap knives. If you find that you are resharpening alot it's a bad blade or you're sawing, let the knife do the work and it should be almost effortless.

Another big tip is that after you fillet and wash the knife, let it dry then spread a dab of cooking oil on the blade to keep it from rusting.

the white handle dexters are stainless the stay nice an shinny an keep a pretty good edge they are harder to sharpen the wood hanle models are carbon steel easier to get a edge an cut better imho.they will tarnish after a few uses.The trick to not cutting urself is to always use a sharp knife dull blades cut the user i have a chefs chioce sharpener but i mostly use a hand held butterfly type thing . everytime i fillet.Get a sheeth

Wow..I have a load of different fillet knifes and and here is my take...


1) Those ultra-shiny really nice high-end "fillet" knifes you see in the cooking stores should be left in the kitchen for touch up work just before the fish hits the grill IMO. Don't bring them on-board.

2) Dexter-Russell is the way to go for working knife. Get one of those inexpensive sharpeners and make a few swipes after each fish and it goes like butter. As mentioned above they come in wood and plasitic handle. I have both and they work just as NIB mentioned above. The plastic knife is ss and the wood is carbon. For most use the SS is good enough but it you like a really sharp knife and don't mind touching it up frequently to stay that way and don't mind a "seasoned" (rusty looking) blade, go with the stofter carbon blade. Otherwise get the SS blade it looks more sanitary and it keeps a good edge.

Most knife pro's tell you those cheap swipe type sharpeners ruin the edge...I can tell you they work great and I get YEARS out of the blade before discarding it and for 20 bucks it is a bargain! I can make a few passes with a $10 sharpener and it is like a razor. When it stops working you can even reverse the sharpening blades and easily get a few years out of this. Avoid those electric sharpeners if you can they really chew up a lot of steel.

Wow..I have a load of different fillet knifes and and Avoid those electric sharpeners if you can they really chew up a lot of steel.
Unless it's a quality unit. I even sharpen carbon steel chef's knives on mine with no issues...

-spence

The problem with many of the electric sharpeners is that they heat the blade too much and ruin the temper. I don't know if the electric Chef's Choice models do this but the ones on the back of electric can openers do. I have the hand held chef's choice sharpener that I only use for very dull blades. On my high quality carbon steel knives I use a steel on them everytime I use them and I have not yet had to sharpen them. If I do, I will have it done professionally. Carbon steel knives are definitely better except when they are subjected to saltwater environments where they easily corrode.

I have used a few different knives. My wife bought me a set from Stanely two Christmas's back. I swear by them. The set has two fillet knives, one scaler, a board, a glove, and a combo small scale and tape measure. All of it comes in a compact carry case that makes it easy to take and store in a back pack or on a boat (those fish do count, too). Excellent set, good price. Three guys that I fish with now have a set themselves.

a sharp one!

I second quick decision - SHARP is the most important thing.

I don't keep and cut enough fish to warrant anything too fancy but I do keep it sharp. When I was in college I worked the summer of 1980 as a fishpacker at a fish company on Cape Cod. They always had two or three cutters going full time serving the local restaraunts and other fish markets. This is what they used-

Dexter Russell 1378 and 1379 (Wood handle)
Wetstone ( I don't know what grit)
Steel

Bear in mind that they would cut thousands of pounds of fish a day but I recall them doing this. Sharpen every morning on Wetstone and again during the day if they think it needed it. Steel the blade all throughout the day to realign and keep the edge. Wash and dry knife at end of day.

There are probably better knifes out there but for the money it is tough to beat Dexter Russell. Every commercial fisheries supplier along the coast should carry them.

Just ordered the white handle Dexter.

I use a SPYDERCO TRI-ANGLE SHARPMAKER to do my sharpening....easy to use and puts a hell of an adge on a blade....works for serated blades too. in between I use a steel coated with diamond dust to touch them up. :kewl: