# Filet Knive



## Copahee Hound (Dec 21, 2017)

I got a custom Williams knife co as a Xmas gift last year. It’s an amazingly hand crafted, sharp knife that I would recommend to everyone! I would personally never spend that much on a fillet knife as I usually only keep one fish per trip but it is pretty to look at

https://williamsknife.com/


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## Zika (Aug 6, 2015)

http://www.captharry.com/fishing-accessories/victorinox/forschner-47513-6-flex-fillet-knife.html

Dexter also makes several versions of quality filet knives.

If I'm keeping a redfish for the grill (on the half-shell), I have a serrated blade that cuts through the scales easily and then finish with the Victorinox.


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## karstopo (Nov 28, 2019)

I like the Rapala. I like thin flexible blade that’s easy to sharpen and Rapala has that covered.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Dexter Russell 9” stiff, wide for all fish


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## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

karstopo said:


> I like the Rapala. I like thin flexible blade that’s easy to sharpen and Rapala has that covered.


Yeah me too. Also I have one of those Teflon knock offs for chunking bait. I know it’s heresy on this board, but that’s where I’m at.


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## Finn Maccumhail (Apr 9, 2010)

For the rare occasions when I clean fish I've got one of those old, wooden-handled Rapala knives that's probably 30+ years old. But it's easy to put an edge on it and works well.


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## MMc (Sep 27, 2018)

I use the Havalon Baracuta. The blades are extremely sharp and disposable. They only cost a couple bucks each, so definitely worth it to me to always have a sharp knife without having to do the sharpening.


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## Marshbound88 (Feb 24, 2016)

I think the victorinox 6” boning knife is a really good fillet knife for the money. They are easy to sharpen and don’t rust. You can find them for less than 20 bucks online, and it will last you a lifetime.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Always had good experience with the Dexter knives. I have a serrated blade for the big cuts and a bendy filet blade for the small cuts and detail work.


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## FlyBy (Jul 12, 2013)

I have a Kershaw extendable filet knife but they're discontinued.
Great for larger flounder, pull the blade out and lock it. I did break one steaking a wahoo. It broke at one of the locking slots on the back of the blade, probably why they discontinued them.


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## K3anderson (Jan 23, 2013)

FlyBy said:


> I have a Kershaw extendable filet knife but they're discontinued.
> Great for larger flounder, pull the blade out and lock it. I did break one steaking a wahoo. It broke at one of the locking slots on the back of the blade, probably why they discontinued them.


I think I have the cutco version of that one.


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## GullsGoneWild (Dec 16, 2014)

My GF and I have been stacking the flounder the past few weekends. She wanted to learn to filet the founders so I let her use the newish bubba blade and I used the old Rapala. I noticed her struggling and offered her the rapala while I sharpened the bubba blade for her. The rapala holds a better edge than the bubba cause I cannot get the bubba as sharp as the rapala.


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

https://www.samsclub.com/s/bakers and chefs boning knife set

I prefer Victornox and Dexter but these are a close second and stupid cheap. I use the stiff blade for cleaning and the semiflex for skinning.


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## LowHydrogen (Dec 31, 2015)

Dexter


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## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

GullsGoneWild said:


> My GF and I have been stacking the flounder the past few weekends. She wanted to learn to filet the founders so I let her use the newish bubba blade and I used the old Rapala. I noticed her struggling and offered her the rapala while I sharpened the bubba blade for her. The rapala holds a better edge than the bubba cause I cannot get the bubba as sharp as the rapala.


I agree.


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## Indoman (Jul 25, 2013)

Cutco extendable filet knife. Had mine for 15? Years. Not a hint of rust and keeps a decent edge. Love my Cutco’s.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

If you cut a redfish from the inside out you won’t dull your edge on the scales. Old ******* taught me!


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## dranrab (Oct 9, 2016)

Look no further than good ole made in the USA Dexter.


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## Tailwaters (Apr 9, 2019)

I use to try and buy things that could be used for multiple applications but my thoughts on that have changed over the years. Although they might do several things OK, it's never the perfect tool for one specific use. You're not going to go fishing with just one lure or one fishing pole are you? As it pertains to knives I own 4 with my Dexter 9" filet knife getting the most use. I like the longer blade for those occasions when I keep wider body fish (sheephead) so I don't accidently get spined when cleaning them. I also have a Dexter serrated blade for cutting through bones or the first cut on a redfish to get through the scales (not the meat). My Bubba 9" stiff blade is mainly used for cutting out the meat of cobia/tuna, then I use a thin bladed filet knife to cut the skin off. My small 6" Dexter filet knife is used for smaller fish like trout. I'm sure there are a lot of good knifes being made but even the best ones are useless if they aren't sharp. Having a good "set" of wet stones is equally important. 

This doesn't pertain to your question but a couple other things I have found useful is having a good cutting board and safe way to transport your knifes. A number of years ago my wife worked for Sysco and I had her order me a cutting board. It was cut to the exact dims of the tailgate of my truck. It take up no space and is easy to transport if needed. Paid around $40 for it. In my area the cleaning stations are just plane disgusting! As far as a "knife case" I cut a 3" PVC tube to size and added end caps. It's simple, holds two knives and works great.

I have to add that I'm sure some of you will get the impression I keep a lot of fish. The reality is I don't. Just figure the ones I do harvest should be treated properly.


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## Zika (Aug 6, 2015)

Good tips, you meat hawg, you.


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

Let me add a little on to what Tailwaters was saying about taking care of the catch. Once you have decided to keep a fish, kill it quickly and then bleed it out. The worst thing you can do is to just chunk them in the cooler still flopping around. You can cut the throat latch, cut the tail, or use your finger to remove the gills and guts or even ike jime. It only takes a few moments and will make your fish taste fresher, less fishy, and keep that fresh caught fish taste longer. For inshore fish, I use my finger to punch in behind the gills, give it a quick yank and remove the gills. The guts usually come right out with it. A quick rinse in the water and right in to a bag in the cooler. You can actually see a difference in the color of the fillets between a fish that was bled out and one that wasn't.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

jay.bush1434 said:


> Let me add a little on to what Tailwaters was saying about taking care of the catch. Once you have decided to keep a fish, kill it quickly and then bleed it out. The worst thing you can do is to just chunk them in the cooler still flopping around. You can cut the throat latch, cut the tail, or use your finger to remove the gills and guts or even ike jime. It only takes a few moments and will make your fish taste fresher, less fishy, and keep that fresh caught fish taste longer. For inshore fish, I use my finger to punch in behind the gills, give it a quick yank and remove the gills. The guts usually come right out with it. A quick rinse in the water and right in to a bag in the cooler. You can actually see a difference in the color of the fillets between a fish that was bled out and one that wasn't.


For sure! 
Stick your thumb through the soft spot behind the pectoral fins on a redfish to bleed it out in the ice chest and you won’t have to cut out the blood line in the fillets.


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## hipshot (Sep 29, 2018)

When I was guiding I was booking a lot of crappie trips, and I had many days that I cleaned over 100 fish. I used an electric knife and a 4" Rapala knife for trimming out the ribs, and it spoiled me. Although I don't keep fish very often, when I do I use the same tools. I have several serrated and straight edged Dexters (great knives!) but I keep going back to the electric. For me, it does the job faster and neater.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

hipshot said:


> When I was guiding I was booking a lot of crappie trips, and I had many days that I cleaned over 100 fish. I used an electric knife and a 4" Rapala knife for trimming out the ribs, and it spoiled me. Although I don't keep fish very often, when I do I use the same tools. I have several serrated and straight edged Dexters (great knives!) but I keep going back to the electric. For me, it does the job faster and neater.


With any fish you can rip the ribs out by hand all in one piece. Take the filet off the skin and as it’s laying inside up make a small slit at the belly where the ribs start and grab and pull away. The bones will come out in one piece with the membrane holding them together like a rack of ribs. It’s so fast and clean you’ll never cut ribs out with a knife again. It works on any normal fish. You miss a ton of meat when you cut the ribs out especially if you cut 100 fish. If you take your time you can get the same amount of meat off two fish as most people get from twice as many. Just hang with an old school ******* and you’ll see how much meat most people toss to the pelicans.


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## hipshot (Sep 29, 2018)

Well damnit Mac, you need to show me how! When we goin' fishin? (sent you a text)


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## Capnredfish (Feb 1, 2012)

I forgot about these.
https://www.cleanyourcatch.com/product-page/6-carbon-steel-curved-blade-cleaning-knife


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Capnredfish said:


> I forgot about these.
> https://www.cleanyourcatch.com/product-page/6-carbon-steel-curved-blade-cleaning-knife


That’s the guy I was referring to. I think he has some videos showing him using that knife in your link to cut some redfish. My brother in law was a guide over on Sabine for about a decade and we fished with his buddy Dickie Colburn a few times and used to share areas with him and his clients. The old school ********* waste no meat. The tourists love a pile of fish knee deep for a Facebook shot though...


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## Capnredfish (Feb 1, 2012)

I’m going to order one. The videos make it look like a good knife.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Capnredfish said:


> I’m going to order one. The videos make it look like a good knife.


https://www.google.com/search?q=dexter+3576+skinning+knife&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari


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## Pole Position (Apr 3, 2016)

Capnredfish said:


> I’m going to order one. The videos make it look like a good knife.


If you don't mind oiling them after every use, they are good knives. The carbon steel will start rusting the second a drop of salt water hits it.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Pole Position said:


> If you don't mind oiling them after every use, they are good knives. The carbon steel will start rusting the second a drop of salt water hits it.


Keep it in the truck wrapped in an oiled cloth and in a ziploc.


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## Pole Position (Apr 3, 2016)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> That’s the guy I was referring to. I think he has some videos showing him using that knife in your link to cut some redfish. ...


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Pole Position said:


>


Yessir, met him in LA in the early 2000s while fishing Sabine. Straight *******!


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

Capnredfish said:


> I’m going to order one. The videos make it look like a good knife.


I have the Victornox version of that knife. It takes a little practice to get the feel for it but it is an absolute weapon. They are stupid sharp. I use it for field dressing wild pigs and deer too.


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## Marsh Pirate (Sep 15, 2016)

Capnredfish said:


> I forgot about these.
> https://www.cleanyourcatch.com/product-page/6-carbon-steel-curved-blade-cleaning-knife


I have the stainless version of this knife. I got it after watching his videos. Works good.


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## Jim Lenfest (Jul 20, 2016)

Zika said:


> http://www.captharry.com/fishing-accessories/victorinox/forschner-47513-6-flex-fillet-knife.html
> 
> Dexter also makes several versions of quality filet knives.
> 
> If I'm keeping a redfish for the grill (on the half-shell), I have a serrated blade that cuts through the scales easily and then finish with the Victorinox.


For commercially cutting and gutting and occasionally filleting, we always used a high carbon steel knife. This is a google quotation, but I could not have said it better myself, "That's right: *carbon steel* stays sharper longer than stainless. Second, and this is really important, *carbon steel*, despite being harder than stainless *steel*, is way easier to sharpen than stainless.* This is critical because, in my experience, *knives* that are used frequently simply don't stay very sharp for long".

I believe we called them Dexter knives, yet I can not find a link to one. They were inexpensive, less than $10, and if you forgot them on the boat and they rusted badly, you could still bring them to a razor sharp edge with a flat file. They were good for whacking through a 1" piece of nylon, or hammering through a wooden lath to repair a lobster trap with. As for the sharpest blade I have eve seen, it was a Wustoff and it would hold an edge for days of cutting through sea pickles. Any other knife used for the same purpose would need sharpening several times a day. The Wusthof would go several days without sharpening. If you need to go on a fish killing spree, take a Wusthof! I took it aboard the boat to try and it would cut a hakes backbone and head off with the slightest touch. Cutting the flesh like a laser beam. The only fault it had, was the handle was too small to grip for hours and hours of use. I gave it the nylon rope test and it cut through a 1" piece of nylon mooring rope with just one pull. Unfortunately, the Wusthof back 30 years ago was a $60 knife. The 6" bread knife today is still priced at $59.99 now.


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## Jim Lenfest (Jul 20, 2016)

Jim Lenfest said:


> For commercially cutting and gutting and occasionally filleting, we always used a high carbon steel knife. This is a google quotation, but I could not have said it better myself, "That's right: *carbon steel* stays sharper longer than stainless. Second, and this is really important, *carbon steel*, despite being harder than stainless *steel*, is way easier to sharpen than stainless.* This is critical because, in my experience, *knives* that are used frequently simply don't stay very sharp for long".
> 
> I believe we called them Dexter knives, yet I can not find a link to one. They were inexpensive, less than $10, and if you forgot them on the boat and they rusted badly, you could still bring them to a razor sharp edge with a flat file. They were good for whacking through a 1" piece of nylon, or hammering through a wooden lath to repair a lobster trap with. As for the sharpest blade I have eve seen, it was a Wustoff and it would hold an edge for days of cutting through sea pickles. Any other knife used for the same purpose would need sharpening several times a day. The Wusthof would go several days without sharpening. If you need to go on a fish killing spree, take a Wusthof! I took it aboard the boat to try and it would cut a hakes backbone and head off with the slightest touch. Cutting the flesh like a laser beam. The only fault it had, was the handle was too small to grip for hours and hours of use. I gave it the nylon rope test and it cut through a 1" piece of nylon mooring rope with just one pull. Unfortunately, the Wusthof back 30 years ago was a $60 knife. The 6" bread knife today is still priced at $59.99 now.
> View attachment 104960


https://www.cutleryandmore.com/wusthof-classic/chefs-knife-p1599


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## Buffalo Bob (Aug 28, 2019)

Dexter 9" filet & Dexter serrated. Inexpensive as knives go; easy to sharpen & hold edge decently. Also, have a Cutco extendable blade; nice / great knife (was a gift) but expensive.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I have an Offshore Angler fillet knife. Its not expensive but works great. Stays very sharp, thin blade and i can sharpen it with a steel 
I've filleted amber jack in the 30-40 lb. Range and sheephead


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