filet knife
 

I havent even caught a fish yet of significance, but i was curious to know if u guys filet ur fish on the yak once its onboard....what filet knife do u use?

i wait tilli get back to land, thw swells and w/e doesnt make for filleting a fish ideal.

Forsner Knives i hear are the best.

I do not believe anyone completely fillets their fish while on a kayak. Combine the rocking from the swell, having to leave a patch of skin on for the DFG, and a sharp knife... not the most optimal of combos.

I personally cut the gills to bleed, sometimes I'll gut it and cut off the head. (Usually I just cut out the gills and wait till I get home to fillet it on our large cutting board)

As for knives, I am a fan of Buck (the ones made in the USA, not the China crap), Gerber, and Forsner. I used to own a Rapala fillet knife that actually held a really good edge, and wasn't too expensive.

Thx for sharing.

A very sharp one, but you can have the best knife on the planet put if you don't know what you are doing you could be losing some good meat. Go onto Youtube and type in how to filet a fish and even be specific, Halibut, Yellow Tail, whatever and believe me it will save you time, cuts, and missed meat.

I'm pretty skilled with a knife but I wouldn't try to fillet a fish that was laying across my lap. If some thing went wrong it could go VERY wrong. On the water I just cut a gill and let the fish bleed. I have a cutting table set up in the back yard that works very well. That way I can do best filleting job I can. I don't like waste and I think it shows respect to the fish to get the most out of it. I have 2 forschner knives that I get good result with. One is a rather stiff 6" model that I think gets call a boner. Ha Ha. The other is a 10" model that is called a breaker. The work well for most fish in so cal. I also have long, thin, and very flexible knife that I favor for halibut because I can bend the knife and glide it along ribs and get maximum yield. Can keep your knives sharp. Dull knives make the job difficult, give you ragged fillets, and are actually more dangerous because you have to push much harder. Mike

Nice, thanks guys.....

I second the Forschner knives. You'll find most of us who have worked on sportboats will recommend these or Dexter Russell. I like the Forschner's more because the fit my hand better but both blades are good.

I use a 6" for yellows,seabass, and tuna and an 8" for bass and such. I will go 8" or 10" on big big tuna though. I find that the 6" knife works better for outlining than the larger knives as it is almost all tip. Also I do not use "fillet knives" but Narrow Breaking knives.

Dexter Russels are now Chef's review (at least at Smart and Final) I have an 8 inch boning and an 8 inch fillet. Both retail for less than $10. I do the bulk of my cutting with these, then I can preserve a really sharp edge on my better fillet knife for final trim/ skinning etc.

Thx for the great info.

I have a Promar for on the water - for cutting bait & gutting and a Forschner for the final fillet job at home.

Another suggestion, get a QUALITY sharpener and hone, and le..arn how to use them. I have a 3-sided stone and finish the blades off on a piece of glove leather. Used to make extra beer money in college by sharpening chefs blades for them. You can have the best blade around, but if you don't know how to keep an edge on it you will have limited success and additional frustration