filet knife

[aliénor]

my husband is fishing again after a 20 year break. he has caught several small mouth bass and we are eating well. but i would like to filet the fish and my chef's knife and vegetable knives are to big and broad to do an adequate job. can anyone recommend a good knife to help me with fileting. i am willing to spend a good amount to get a good knife. it is just the beginning of the summer and i can see many more days of fresh fish coming. yummy

[Fat Guy]

A lot of people, both professionals and serious fisherfolk, use Forschner filleting knives. They come in a few sizes, like 10" for big fish like salmon, and 6"-8" for average-size fish. They're terrific knives and they're only about $20. Spell it with two "l"s when you Google.

[budrichard]

Most traditional US filleting syle where one cuts around the curve of the rib cage is done with a flexible knife blade versas the technique where one uses a non flexible blade and cuts off the fillet including bones which are then removed. Each technique works and one doesn't require a special knife. If you want to cut around the curve with a flexible knife, Wusthof makes an 8" 'Flexibel' Model 4518/20 that I use personally but one can get 6", 7" and 8" models depending on your hand size, ability and fish size. These are high quality forged knives and not stamped.-Dick

[Matt_T]

Forschner/Victorinox. I have the 8" and also their 6" "boning" knife which is a similar pattern, and I use for trout and panish. The non-slip handle is great for this application, and the blade is the right degree of flex and pretty good steel. When I saw these on sale I bought three for fishing buddies and they are all very happy.

By the way the Victorinox Super Slicer is great for sawing heads & fins off fish, too.

MT

[snowangel]

My husband got one of these J. Marttiini knives some 35 years ago, and it is wonderful. Nice flexible blade; very easy to sharpen. The case is a bonus -- nice protection in the tackle box.