Fillet Knife

[wanabefisherman]

Hi! i want to buy my dad a new filleting knife as his broke, are there any suggestions as to what  to look for? thanks

[eyedoktr]

There are cheap ones that work fine as long as they are sharp. Generally they have stainless steel blades and are dificult to get and keep a good edge on. Youcan find a ton of these on e-bay. Last month I won a new Rapapla knife and it's so far (30-40 fish) been great. I also won a Rapala cordless electric. It comes in a nice case with cutting board, two sets of different length  blades, two rechargeable batteries and charger. It fits the hand well, is extremely sharp and the battery life is outstanding. If you want the best (in my opinion) non-electric filet knife available, check out Leech Lake Filet Knives.

[devil-man]

I like a short, flexible, tapered blade. Nothing fancy...
For value it's going to be hard to beat the Rapala knives.
They're $12-$20 depending on blade length, and do a nice job.

[Bobman]

I bought my dad an electric fillet knife for his 68th birthday several years ago.  I got him the electric because he has arthritis in his hands and filleting with a regular knife for any length of time was too much on him.  I got him the Mister Twister corded knife with and extra set of blades and he says it works great.  He mostly uses it for walleye as that is about all he fishes for anymore.

Also, I'd have to agree with D-man on the Rapala knives.  Great knife for the price and mine have lasted forever.  I have a 4" and 6".

[wanabefisherman]

thanks for the advice & info. guys, i myself have a rapela and like it too, wbf

[Capt. Travis]

Dexter Russel makes some of the best knives out there for this purpose.    You may have to search around a bit on thier site, but they make a 9" fillet and a 13" fillet knife that are top notch.   Very reasonable pricing too, around twenty bills.

http://www.dexter-russell.com/product_page.asp?group_name=sani-safe.asp

[grumpymoe]

there's a ton of super quality knives to be had....but overall, the best bang for the buck would have to be the Rapala....I've had mine for years and it also pays to invest in a good sharpener....(I use a "Sharp N Easy" made in the good ole U.S.A.    Grump

[Big Burk]

just got a new rapala knife and love it
dont buy the cheap ones because i had to use them last season because we usually didnt fish much while camping but now i fish everyday im at the lake and manage at least 1 keeper everytime and just keep that knife sharp but for the time and better fillets buy a rapala or good electric knife

[bigdave1018]

invest in a decent sharpener and go rapala. keep your knife 3/4 sharp and it will never fail. i have 4- 4 inchers and 4- 6 inchers. the older ones are over 20 yrs old but have been retired. i use the 6 inchers for skinning and pike and the 4 inchers for all the 4 inch perch that i catch at fair haven park,lmuoao!!!!!!!!!!!

[Hood]

I am with Travis, maybe its us salty dogs, the Dexter Russels are top notch and SUPER sharp if you keep them on the stone/steel from time to time. and they dont cost much at all.  I have the 7" fillet knife and its awesome, I also have the 8" breaking knife and the 9" scalloped utility knife, They are great knives and reasonably priced

[Niffken]

 dexter russel knives for me.  I have at least 6 of them in various sizes and blade types.  IMO a knife should be sharpened every time it is going to be used. 

[archbishop]

nothing beats the fishermans solution from alcas/cutco, made right here in olean NY, it has an expandable blade, lifetime warranty and the knives used by the military, you cant beat the knives made by this company, they are a little pricey but they have a lifetime warranty and if you ship it to them the will fix any imprerfections and sharpen it for you and mail it back free

http://www.cutco.com/jsp/catalog/detail.jsp?categoryId=90&ensembleId=10330

[molsonport]

Like burk said the rapala rechargable with two batt, works gerat came with two diff. size blades only about 75.00 i have had mine for about 3yr has taken care of alot of fish and no problems

[PolarEscape]

I also back the Rapala brand knives, I especially like the wooden handelled ones.

[Perch-Pirate]

I feel that this is related, but I don't want to hijack this thread. Sorry if I offend anyone.

Has anyone noticed that the Rapala knives are now being made in China? I bought a new one with the black rubber handle and my buddy had the wood handle, anyway we were cleaning a mess of panfish and he was commenting how dull his knife was. I said it is probably from all the sunfish, he kept grabbing the sunnies and I wisely was going for the bluegill and perch. 
Well he noticed that my knife had something different lazer ingraved on the side than his. He says hey your knife is made in China and mine says Finland. I thought it was odd and I was not happy that I had the China knife.  He kept joking about the inferior steel and such. Hours later, he has sharpened his knife like 50-60 times and I sharpened mine three times. In fact, I had't sharpened mine in about an hour and he just ran his through the sharpener and mine was a lot sharper.

Guess I got the last laugh.

Wondered if he might have been pressing to hard when he ran it through the sharpener?

Later,
PP