The Quest to Find the Best Fishing Knives: Every Fishing Knife is Different
Knives are an important tool of any fisherman. From preparing bait to filleting a salmon, there are many different obstacles that we need to be overcome every day at sea.
Like we say when we covered other types of knives, such a thing as the perfect knife doesn’t exist. There are great knives that can be used for many different things, but nothing beats the quality you’ll get by doing a task with a specialized tool.
Like the case with other types of knives, fishing knives models are abundant. Having a good knife is essential to get the most out of your fish. Once you have captured your fish, you want complete control to turn your catch into great food.
What’s the best fishing knife?
Fillet knives are a type of knives used to fillet and prepare fish by cutting under the skin of the fish. These long fish cleaning knives have blades ranging from 4 to 11 inches, and are known for their flexibility. Because of this, fillet knives allow the user to make cuts along the backbone, facilitating the removal of skin from the fish.
How to Choose a Fishing Knife
Choosing a good fillet knife will allow you to properly clean and cut the fishes caught on the spot. There are many different options, and you should choose one according to your needs, the type of fish you are going to clean and your budget.
Flexibility & sharpness
Fish cleaning knives are known for the flexibility of their blades. Cutting fish often requires the person to make precision cuts. The knife should be able to adapt to the form of the fish you are cutting, otherwise you risk wasting meat and ruining the fish completely. You should always check that a fillet knife is able to cut through the backbone and ribs with little to no effort in one swift motion. Flexibility is directly related to the thickness of the blade. This means that the thicker the blade is, the less flexible it becomes. This is something to consider
Length
The knife’s length depends on the type of fish that’s going to be cut. The average length is between 6 and 11 inches, but there are also 4 inches models, and some larger fish tend to require even longer blades. The size of the blade depends on the size of the fish, and that’s a reason why most people will often own several knives.
Blade material
The most common material is stainless steel, which is both resistant to corrosion and rust. The quality will depend on the brand more often than not, so it’s recommended to only purchase knives from respectable ones.
Other blade materials include ceramic and carbon steel, but in the case of they are simply not as popular as stainless steel. If you want more information about the different types of steel knives are made of, we recommend the following chart.
Parts of the fishing knives
Handle
The handle of the knife should be ergonomic and comfortable to use. You should look for materials that prevent your hand from slipping when wet. Rubber and plastic are the most common in the market, and they also have the advantage of being easy to clean, so you can be sure
What’s the Best Fish Fillet Knife?
If you can’t decide which knife to buy, here at A Tool for Every Job we give you some recommendations.
| Knife | Weight (ounces) | Total length (inches) | Blade length (inches) | Material | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victorinox 47513 6-Inch Flex Boning Knife | 8.96 | 15 | 6 | Carbon stainless steel | $ |
| Rapala4 Soft Grip Fillet | 5.4 | 10 | 6 | Rapala flexible stainless steel | $$ |
| Kershaw 1259 Fillet Knife | 3.9 | 14.25 | 9.25 | 420J2 stainless steel | $ |
Victorinox 47513 6-Inch Flex Boning Knife
Victorinox produced one of the best fish fillet knife
The Victorinox 47513 is considered by many to be the best fishing knife currently available on the market. With over 270 5 out of 5 stars customer reviews, the 6-inch flexible stainless steel blade is perfect for separating the meat of the fish from the bones. The handle is very large and the texture makes it so it’s easy to hold even when it’s wet. It includes a lifetime warranty directly with the manufacturer.
The knife features a stainless steel flexible blade with a rubberized handle, and with a length of 6-1/2″, it’s compact enough when folded to carry it around safely without much trouble. It’s pretty sharp out of the box, and it includes the lifetime warranty that Buck is so well known for.
Rapala4 Soft Grip Fillet
The Rapala4 is regarded by many as the best fishing knife
The Rapala4 is an excellent knife at a very affordable price. The knife features a flexible stainless steel blade combined with a comfortable textured handle to prevent the hands from slipping. The only complain about this model seems to be that it isn’t sharp enough out of the box, but Rapala packs it with its own sharpener.
Kershaw 1259 Fillet Knife
Kershaw also produces fish cleaning knives
This Kershaw knife packs a 9-inch stainless steel blade. Overall length is 14 ¼ inches, making it larger than other models in this list. The knife is really good for filleting larger fish. Grip is solid, and the rubber handle fits the hand perfectly so it doesn’t slip. It’s known to be really good at slicing through bones because of its sharpness. The blade is flexible enough to bend so that it moves easily inside the body of the fish. The knife includes a sheath made out of solid plastic and it also includes a limited lifetime warranty.