The Knife

[Majja]

So since I am coming from a strictly trout background I have never used or even owned a Fillet Knife. Any suggestions. Also any tips or tricks would be helpful.

Thanks
Majja

eited for spelling
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[DKStroutfitter]

Get an electric knife. Takes all the work out of filleting! [well almost all the work []]
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[CROSSINEYES]

DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU PLAN ON USING IT. AT HOME ELLECTRIC IS SWEET. IN THE FEILD IT USELESS. THER ARE MANY GOOD BRANDS. THE ONE I HAVE HAS A SHARPENER IN THE SHEITH THAT SHARPENS BLADE EVERY TIME I PULL IT OUT OR PUT IT IN THE SHEITH. JUST MAKE SHURE THE BLADE IS THIN AND BENDS WELL.
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[Flycasting]

There are battery operated ones for the field. []
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[CROSSINEYES]

COOL. I HAVENT SEEN THOSE YET. IM BETTER WITH TRADITIONAL TYPE ANY WAY.
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[Flycasting]

I have only seen TubeDude use his. They are pretty sweet though! []
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[fishmagnet]

The three most important qualities in a fillet knife are that it be:

#1 Sharp
#2 Sharp
#3 Sharp

After that flexibility is good. Length depends on the size of fish. You need a long knife for salmon but a shorter one (but not too short) is better for Perch etc. Electric is easier for the beginner but most of the pros prefer a traditional knife.

FM
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[Old_Coot]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2][#002850]Majja,

Here is some good advice by BearLakeFishGuy. I followed it and amd have been very pleased since. [/#002850][/font][/size]

[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=246810#246810"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=246810#246810[/url]
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[Fishcrazy]

I got a electric one for Wipers,to hard to fillet with a manual one,they work great for trout though
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[Jedburton]

I have had really good luck with the crenshaw brand fillet knife that I have, but electric fillet knives are also really nice to have,
jed
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[RILEYFISH]

Majja,

I would strongly recommend a electric knife. I had a rechargeable one and it was junk. Most of the time I can find an electrical outlet at the cleaning stations to use it. Most of the time at Lake Powell where I really use it we are always around electricity or have a generator on the house boat.

I also have a good filet knife and a good steel to stay on it. Keeping it sharp is the most important.

RILEY
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I have been filleting fish both recreationally and commercially for a lotta years. I learned how to pick a good blade and to keep it sharp a long time ago. I also learned that dull knives are more dangerous than sharp ones...and they do a lousy job of filleting. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have been using mostly electric fillet knives for the past 15 years or so. But, I do rely on having a good assortment of other knives for specialty work and for fine boning on fillets with special needs. (see attached pic). My 120 volt fillet knife is an American Angler from Walmart, bought about 6 years ago and still working after filleting thousands of fish. I bought a new one two years ago when I thought this one was ready to die, but it keeps on cutting.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I also have a cordless Anglers Best with two rechargeable batteries. I have never had to put the second battery in during a fillet session, even after a couple of limits of big cats and a couple of carp for bait. It really runs tough for a cordless. The only thing I don't like is the two button operation system. You have to push two buttons at the same time. I took care of that by epoxying the top button permenantly on.[/#0000ff]




[#0000ff]I got mine at Sportsmans for about $60. I prefer 120 volt but take the cordless wherever there is not a cleaning station. I set up a big fillet board (see pic) off the back of my vehicle and drop the cleanings down the hole into a foldup box with a plastic bag.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Here are some links to posts I have put up in the past on filleting tools and on handling different species.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=144109;#144109"]FILLET BOARD & TOOLS[/url][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=235668;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread"]FILLETING TROUT[/url][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=142538;#142538"]FILLETING CATFISH[/url][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=184171;#184171"]FILLETING PERCH[/url][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Here's a tip I learned at a cleaning station at Lake Powell. We had three electric fillet knives and. Two electrics and an AC/DC powered one. I used the lighter AC/DC fillet knife and it was pretty worthless. With 50-60 stripers in front of me, the AC/DC knife heated up to where you could barely hold it after filleting 8-10 fish and didn't have the power to get the job done cutting through the large rib bones. [/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3][/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I switched to the AC fillet knife and though it worked better, it did not compare to the guy's knife next to me. He was busting through his fish a lot faster than I was.[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3][/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I asked him what fillet knife he was using and it was a Sunbeam kitchen electric carving knife! The guy finished his fish and let me try his out. What a difference. He said he used to buy electric fishing fillet knives but was going through one every season because he lived very close to Wahweap and fished Lake Powell very often.[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3][/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]He decide to try his wife's electric kitchen carving knife. It worked great and the best thing was that he could go to WalMart and replace them a lot cheaper than electric knives designed for fish. Changed my opinion on electric fillet knives. Go figure...[/size][/black][/font]
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[2morecasts]

Thats good to know I will have to look in to [#0000ff][size 1]getting [/size][/#0000ff]one of those
Tommy
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