Fillet Knife? Steel Types?

[Chris_P_Bacon]

The Spyder was a recent purchase on flea bay. The seller comments stated he found it in his fathers old tackle box. It came exactly as you see it, scratches and all. Which for what it is, I don't mind, it felt like a rescue? Because that guy had no love for it, sentimental or otherwise. May flitz the blade surface, but will definitely be refining the edge soon.

The jury is still out on the Dalstrong Omega's heel shape. Thus far it's done a fair job on the fish I've filleted and skinned. Granted they weren't giants with thick scales. Wanted a stain proof blade, bought it due to the BD1N's ability to fit that role perfectly at the beach for catch n cook. Ya know, where afterwards, it'd get a rinse in the salty ocean water, with absolutely no worries (well...except for the FEV). Definitely prefer stain proof to stainmore and even stainless in camping type conditions.

Ever since I stumbled onto Etsy, and eyed that Vanax custom fillet it's been on my mind. I don't know if the guys heat treat is worth a hoot, would have to do a bit of digging, pro'lly fine. I'd rather love to see another Phil and Sal collab', this time for the fishermen 'n women. If you missed the Sprig, you missed a hellova good knife.

[deepdiver17]

One issue with creating a production fillet knife is everyone has a slightly different idea of what a fillet knife is. This can be based on a number of factors, including what type of fish you clean, size of fish, technique you use, and not least of all, simply what you are used to using. Some folks like a very narrow profile and lots of flex. Some folks (like myself) prefer to fillet larger fish with a fairly rigid and wider blade. Some guys want lots of belly in their fillet knives while others prefer a completely straight edge profile.

The biggest factor in performance is the skill of the guy holding the knife. I reckon my skill is barely average amongst guys who fish a lot and clean their own dinner daily. If I ever start thinking I’m good at it all I have to do is go to YouTube and pull up some Japanese fish monger breaking down a 200lb tuna like a Jedi Master. There are guys out there that have been cleaning fish 10 hours a day for 30 years and they can do it like a machine...and often they are using a knife design and technique that I would never have imagined.

Eventually, I decided to just make my own fillet design that was best suited to the fish I clean and the technique I use. My knife is more rigid than a wispy little fillet knife I might use on small bass or perch but it works great for me on tuna, mahi and snapper. The rigidity of my fillet knives also made them suitable for kitchen use so I put a good deal of effort into creating a fillet knife that would also be a highly functional kitchen knife. My “Kitchen Fillet” is by far my most used kitchen knife.

Would you mind sharing some pictures of the fillet knives you're using? we have a very similar target species, I agree that for the bigger grouper and hogfish the stouter blade helps make the initial incisions, however when it comes to getting the cleanest fillet (up against the bone) i havent been able to do that well with a stout blade, always end up reaching for a flexible VERY THIN 6-7" blade, and i typically use that to clear the inside of the fillet, as well as to de-skin the fillet.

[amateur blacksmith]

as fish come in a few different sizes too. :-)

Who told you Boke? That's a big one around here. :-)

[David R]

Agree that we may need/want different knives for different fish. I'm fish almost exclusively for steelhead and salmon. An 8-9" thin and flexible blade gets fillets off the bone. I'd want something larger and less bendy for tuna and other larger fish.

I would love to have an LC200N fillet knife. Not sure if that steel is flexible enough to do what I'm looking for. My favorite fillet knife right now is a $10 fishing store special with no-name steel. The length and flexibility are good. The edge holding is terrible.

I doubt there's enough demand for a Spyderco fillet knife. As mentioned previously, most guys will spend a fortune on their gear but not their knives.

[Loudenboomer]

I fish mostly northern Minnesota walleye. 6 to 8 inch blades work best for me. When I'm wanting high flexibility in a quality blade it's the Whusthof 7" Ikon. For a ridged fillet knife I like the 6" Buck Cabela's Alaskan guide with S30V steel. For all around use on a budget Victorinox 7 and 8" blades are a good value.

[arty]

I just got back from a trip to the beach and I did some fishing off the surf. The fish are small, but tasty.
I was not happy with a Buck open season 6 1/2” fillet knife. The S35V steel was fine, but it had more curve to the blade than I like and the handle was way too small and very slick when wet.
I prefer the handles of the Warther fishing knives - they look much like the wooden handle on the Cabela Buck Alaskan Guide knife. I was happy with the VG10 on my F2 Fallkniven. The rubber grip is very secure on the Fallknivens. My favorite is probably the Warther blade in S35V.

[Matt Deaner]

I really wish Spyderco would make a fillet knife. I am getting exasperated with the consistently poor edge holding steel that is in 99% of available fillet knives.

I don’t know how many times I sharpen when I process a deer, but it’s a lot. I use fillet knives for silverskin removal, and use other Spyderco fixed blades for other tasks. Those knives include a reground Spyderco Phil Wilson Southfork, a sprig, seratta, Bill Moran, and a Temperance 2, and it’s crazy how much longer those knives hold an edge. My fillet knives are Rapalla and Dexter Russel, btw.

[Ez556]

My parents have that exact knife on the top, they’ve had it (and the rest of the original kitchen set) for over 30 years and other than scratches and the edges of the handle being rounded off from use, they are like new. It would be cool if they brought that one back.

[Slash]

How flexible is nitro v? I know it gets sharp and stays sharp for long time and is super corrosion resistant. Should make for an excellent filleter...

[Bloke]

I’ve been dancing around an UHC Roselli Minnow for a while. :)

[Pelagic]

Vanax would be my choice.

This is a good time to ask the more knowledgeable steel experts here... what STAINLESS steels exhibit exceptional apex stability? What can reach high hardness without becoming brittle? Can anything STAINLESS come close to competing with 4V or K390?

[Tdog]

One of my favorite small fillet knives is the Havalon Baracuta Z. They are a 5" scalpel and yes, you can cut, or stab yourself easily with this knife. They sell these with the idea of changing the blade out, and at times it might be just what's needed. They stay VERY sharp for about a dozen fish and start to drop off a bit but will still continue to clean well. I keep my Sharpmaker handy and after a dozen or so fish I'll hit it about 20-25 passes on the brown stones.....back to scalpel sharpness. I've cleaned hundreds of specks with the same blade so changing it out frequently isn't necessary.

The Frost by Mora PG series is a very good knife for the money. I use the longer, thin blade for skinning. They use the same size handles on all the models and IMO the handle on the shorter blade seems a bit large for the blade though some may like it. These have an almost "sticky" grip even when wet. They don't come with a sheath. Another nice inexpensive fillet knife is the Swibo fillet with scaler. 6 1/4" blade. These are made by Victorinox. Never use the scaler but the knife does a great job on many different kinds of fish. Again no sheath with this one. Don't know I have a "favorite" but my Phil Wilson in CPM154 is mighty fine. A lot depends upon the type of fish being cleaned/skinned. Been trying to get a knifemaker in my area to make one to my specs but he's backlogged for month's. Maybe in time. Wish Spyderco would do a colab with Phil, 6'1/4 to 7", I'd be in for several as my kid's all need nice fillet knives too.

[Tdog]

I’ve been dancing around an UHC Roselli Minnow for a while. :)

Really like the "Minnow".... now if the blade was only 1 1/2" longer.