On the water knife
 

I am hearing it is best practice to gill and gut fish on the water. Sounds great since that removes a messy step before you get home. Any recommendations for an on-the-water knife? Safety is my top concern....and getting through the head.

I carry a spyderco pacific salt ( think thats what its called), it folds and fits in my life vest but still has a 4 1/16" blade nd is made from H1 steel (non corrosive), all the fasteners are titanium so that they wont rust either. Yellow scales so its easy to locate and a lanyard hole so you can tie it off.

That's a cool knife but pricey. I'm just using a cheap kitchen knife with a plastic sleeve. I store the knife in my bait tank at launch and landing.

I agree with gutting the fish immediately. No mess at home and no fishy smell.

I caught 4 bonitos at the same location last weekend and it felt like I was chumming... :eek:

An inexpensive dive knife is a great way to go.

https://www.makospearguns.com/Kona-Kill-Knife-p/mkk.htm

Zip tie the sheath wherever you want it.

I use a blunt tip dive knife and a tuna spike to dispatch the fish quickly.
The dive knife has been great gutting and scaling my catch.

Fixed blade all non corrosive materials and super sharp in case I have to cut myself free of anything. I keep it tied to the boat in it's sheath , if I ever go over board I don't want a sharp blade in the water with me.

Lately I've been using scissors to clip the gills. Much easier and safer.

Tools falling overboard is my specialty. I lose them before they rust or dull badly :p . I buy cheap and stack em deep. Fixed serrated knives are good all around knife for cutting and sawing. Scissors are awesome especially for cutting squid strips.

I use this

Camillus 8" Multi Function Game Shear with Sheath https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A26R0AK..._1adsFb5ZS8TS6

Has a sheath. Comes apart and can be used like a knife. Safe, cheap, and efficient.

Great advice, y'all. Thanks for sharing. :you_rock:

Those game shears look interesting for sure (and cheap!). I'm gonna try a fixed blade with a nice sheath and find a place to stash it safely in the yak. Once it falls overboard I can try something else :rolleyes:

I think the game shears are a great idea. I like my knife but I use shears for prepping birds all the time, they will work great on fish. A word of warning though, it's easy to cut your finger tip with shears and it hurts when you do.

when you're catching cormorants on sardines !!

Pelicans, more bang for the buck and I repurpose the pouch and sell them as designer hand bags

My fishing store sells 3.99 Promar bait knives with a polypro handle.
Did every job I ever asked of it.

If I spent more than that on a knife I'd lose it.
If I lost this one, I wouldn't care :D

Although damnit those shears looks amazing.
They look really similar to the semi-expensive cutco shears I have in the kitchen. Totally buying a pair

The Coach Pelican Pouch Bag...popular with Cardi B, Kim Kardashian, etc. :D

I put mullet scales on them so they have some bling

A small ceramic knife should work well.

Been using a ceramic knife for years. No rust

Will a ceramic knife show up on an airport xray machine? Asking for a middle eastern friend.

Totally worth it’s weight in gold. Great for bleeding out fish and cutting bait without having to have a cutting board. Fast and efficient!

I held myself from posting about chuming with fish guts, but decided against it.

However, this is something to think about.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2020/05/kay...Zi30_qdQnvGUY0

Perhaps you can wait to beach, before disposing the guts in the water.

Inexpensive, durable and sharp.

Morakniv Companion Fixed Blade Outdoor Knife with Sandvik Stainless Steel Blade, 4.1-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ZAIXSC..._lOQwFbZVS20WQ

I needed a new knife for the saltwater as well, but started looking into shears after reading through this thread. Just ordered these Gerber Processor Saltwater shears, they look awesome... https://www.amazon.com/GERBER-Proces.../dp/B07P5HLQ96

Can't wait to try them out next week!

there's really only 1 true solution, mate:

https://viewsfromthesofa.files.wordp...ed16.jpg?w=600

I too am searching for a kayak fishing knife.

My must haves:
1. It must be designed to attach to my NRS Chinook PFD knife lash tab
2. H1 steel or something similar (not 420 HC) that is rust proof
3. Blunt tip
4. Fixed 2.25" - 4" blade

I've failed to find a knife made today that meets these criteria.

On the water knife
 

This is the type of knife I use and have it mounted to my PFD for quick access in an emergency. I have even used it too cut gills and gut fish on the water, it also works great as a brain spike. It is awesome and super inexpensive. I made a leash with nylon cord and bungee so even if I drop it I can't loose it. They also have ones that have the blunt tip if that is a must for you, I don't have a problem with the pointed tip. I have been using one of these for over 6 years.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Scuba-Divin...gAAOSwNmNfFjEZ

This is my favorite as an all purpose kayak knife. I clip the plastic sheath to a stretch cord around my neck. Very sharp, strong, easy to sharpen, good quality stainless steel, no moving parts to gum up, and low price makes it good value for money.