How To Choose the Best Fillet Knife For Fishing

Best Fillet Knife

Before you shop for the best fillet knife, you should first know what a fillet actually is. A fillet is a boneless bit of meat, chicken and fish utilized for making steaks, minced meat and alongside a variety of dishes. To prepare the fillet, bones are separated from the skin with the use of a special knife: the fillet knife.

The goal in choosing a fillet knife is to shop for the one flexible enough for the type of meat that you will be filleting. The knife should make food preparation easy and should preserve the palatability of the meat even before it is cooked.

If you are so busy, take a look on our recommend best fillet knives:

Editor's ChoiceMercer Culinary Millennia 8-Inch Narrow Fillet Knife

What Elements Make a Good Fillet Knife?

Best Fillet Knife for fishing

There are many choices that you have for fillet knives. Knowing how to assess each aspect of a fillet knife will help you determine which is best for your particular use whether it is for heavy and professional duty or for personal use at home.

Here are some of the attributes of the fillet knife that you need to evaluate:​

1

Blade Material

Fillet knives are most suitable to have stainless-steel blade. When choosing stainless steel fillet knives, you have to consider that they come in different standards. Search for knives, which have an effective metal blade that possesses non-corrosion qualities.

2

Blade Versatility

Fillet knives should have blades with great flexibility since this is essential to a simple cutting process. Note that the versatility of the knife's blade lies on its thickness-- a thick blade will be much longer and have diminished flexibility, whereas, shorter blades are more elastic. For short fish types, a blade which is more versatile is necessitated in order to deliver the flexibility needed for the tight angles that need to be cut. Thus, opt for thinner and shorter blades. Bigger fish necessitate more efficient blades that have greater thickness.

Sizes of the blades are listed include: 4, 6, 7.5, and 9.5 inches

If you need to choose just one knife, consider that most cooks possess 7.5 and 4-inch knives. But if you have to choose between these two sizes, opt for the 7.5 inch fillet knife. Only at that size can you discover that you can fillet a number of fish with very little issues.

3

Knife Handle

The handle has a vital role in acquiring clean cuts without entailing too much work. To guarantee effort-free cutting and avoid any sliding accidents as you work, the knife must have an ergonomic yet strong grip.

Knife handles can be constructed from different materials such as wood, plastic, and even. The problem with wood handles is its slippery characteristics and susceptibility to burning. Also, it tends to absorb the unpleasant odor of meat, especially fish and contracting the bacteria from these fresh food and thus posing a hygiene issue.

On the other hand, plastic and rubber handles are rather easy to clean. When it comes to flexibility, rubber is the best choice as it will work in accordance to the pressure you apply when using it and thus offers a more efficient hold that prevents sliding. Rubber knives are come with a grip for fingers to improve overall grip.

4

Knife Covers

When not in use, the knives you be covered to protect it from the elements that damages its parts. The cover protects the blade while also protecting you and other users from the risk of getting injured by an uncovered knife. In the case of fillet knives, a product cover is especially important if you will be fishing or engaging in outdoor activities where you will likely be wearing the knife on a belt.

5

Knife sharpener

Keeping any knife sharp is important since dull knives is one of the leading causes of injuries in the kitchen. A sharpener will help keep the knife blade in pristine condition. It will prepapre the knife blade before each use. Getting a sharpener reduces the risk of breaking the knife blade.

6

Manual or Rechargeable Electric Knives

Electric Fillet Knives

Manual Fillet Knives

Top 5 Best Fillet Knife

With the loads of fillet knife choices in the market, it can be confusing to choose the right one for your needs. The fillet knife reviews below will help you make the decision. Here are the top 5 fillet knives of 2016:

Mercer Culinary Millennia 8-Inch Narrow Fillet Knife
Mercer Culinary Millennia 8-Inch Narrow Fillet Knife

The Mercer Culinary Millennia Fillet Knife features superior quality Japanese steel, Ergonomic handles, and NSF certification. The handle is both strong and durable. Its blade is made from a non-staining Japanese steel that is resistant to corrosion, rust, as well as discoloration. The razor-sharp edge makes cutting and chopping easy, and is low maintenance.

Its handles are manufactured from Santoprene to deliver comfort as well as polypropylene to guarantee durability. The textured finger grips of the handle allow for reduced instances of slipping because of its improved grip. The handle has been engineered to widen its junction point for the protection of the fingers.

NSF is actually an authority on public health and safety management solutions. This entity has undergone this knife through extensive and demanding testing to ensure its top quality for safety and performance.

Pros

  • Extremely sharp and high quality but at an affordable price
  • Suitable for hours of use since it was designed to be comfortable
  • Lasts long with proper care
  • Suitable even for professional use
  • Fine quality material
  • Good stain resistance

Cons

  • Flexibility can be a drawback, especially when improperly handles by the seller; the tip can bend with improper packaging
  • Handle grip can be awkward for some users
Rapala Fish'n Fillet Knife
Rapala Fish’n Fillet Knife

The Rapala Fish'n Fillet Knife is available in 3 various sizes namely, the 4", 6", and 7". It is has been gradually thinned with full tang blades of stainless steel of Scandinavian origin featuring an incredibly sharp edge. It is heavy duty and has an ergonomic handle that is reinforced birch varnished allowing for solid and comfortable grip. It also comes with a leather Laplander sheath alongside a straightforward to use single-stage sharpener. Every one of its features led it to being a good "go-to" fillet knife for all those into fishing.

Pros

  • Narrow blade
  • High quality material construction
  • Lasts for many years
  • Varied utility aside from filleting fish: cutting fish bait, butchering other animals, and general kitchen use
  • Comes with a top quality leather case
  • Very sharp

Cons

  • Wooden handle gets slippery
  • Sharpener does not have much utility and does not possess good enough quality
  • The handle is a bare and untreated wood
Morakniv Fishing Comfort Fillet Knife with Sandvik Stainless Steel Blade
Morakniv Fishing Comfort Fillet Knife with Sandvik Stainless Steel Blade

Mora Fishing Comfort Fillet knives are built with quality stainless blades available in 2 sizes where in the shorter is 3.5-inches.

This fillet knife has a high-friction grip handle with patterns featuring the advertised "Easy-Clean" sheath. This comes with two interchangeable clips for the belt as well.

Mora fillet knives are ideal for use when fishing and in activities involving outdoors, marine, and even construction settings. This just means that the knives can withstand hard use. Relevantly, it is resistant to moisture and dirt. Because of the chromium content of material used in the making of this knife, it is less prone to corrosion and oxidation as compared to other carbon steels. All in all, its construction provides this fillet knife with an extended lifespan.

To be more specific about the construction of the Mora fillet knife, you should know that they are constructed from Sandvik steel. Sandvik knife steel is characterized by incredibly carbides possessing unbeatable forging and hardening qualities. The lack of huge carbides allows sharpness for max cutting.

Pros

  • Great flexibility
  • Super sharp edge
  • Blade has a moderate flex that locks perfectly and tightly on to the plastic sheath that comes with the knife
  • Sheath openings enable easy cleaning as well as rust and debris build up prevention
  • More affordable than other fillet knives you can find in department stores
  • Sheath allows for convenient carrying of the knife

Cons

  • Plastic sheath material is flimsy, which is a big deal if you intend to carry the knife around
  • Does not hold an edge on tougher meat than fish such as deer
  • Shows some rust spots when not cleaned well
Wusthof Classic Ikon 7-Inch Fillet With Sheath, Black
Wusthof Classic Ikon 7-Inch Fillet With Sheath, Black

The Wusthof Classic Ikon was produced within the U.S. by a few of the finest fishing experts in the nation. With this knife, you can expect your catch to be easily boned and cleaned. This includes a leather sheath so you can bring it around the lake or have it safely stored in the kitchen. This is one among the many fine-quality cast knives manufactured by Wusthof for professional chef and residential cooking enthusiasts.

Every fillet knife undergoes numerous manufacturing processes in order to guarantee its preciseness. Highly skilled workers in conjunction with modern and technological equipment follow exacting standards. These steps to guarantee precision are performed robotically that are identical to the machinery used to produce perfectly known Swiss Watches. In short, this knife is a result of the combination of German technology combined with old school hands craftsmanship

The unique element angle of this knife, which cannot be found in other knives, tapers in the backbone from the knife up to its edge to enable a sturdy and sharp edge. However, tapering from the bolster to the tip of the knife is done to make it even stronger and more flexible.

Pros

  • Has good balance between stiffness and flexibility brought about by its spine shape
  • Fits eve huge hands
  • Sharp edge even without sharpening
  • Feels great to hold
  • Well constructed
  • Tough but delicate when used on fish

Cons

  • Sheath snap is too tight
  • Pricier than other fillet knives
American Angler Saltwater 6 Inch Curved Fillet Knife, White
American Angler Saltwater 6 Inch Curved Fillet Knife, White

The American Angler Saltwater is made from German stainless steel, which is know to be of great quality and durability. It features a soft grip with dual texture that allows for convenient use and comfortable grip and thus manageable to do its job.

For precision control, this knife features side thumb grips that allows for maximum control when filleting in a horizontal direction.

Pros

  • Extremely sharp to cut through meat but is also suitable for slicing tomatoes and other ingredients
  • Rubber grip allows for comfortable and secure handling

Cons

  • The blade is a bit stiff when used in fileting delicate fish skin
  • Sheath is flimsy

Conclusion

The ultimate goal in shopping for a fillet knife is to find the one suitable for your use. It should have the right balance between flexibility and stiffness, should be durable, and of course, sharp. If you are looking for a versatile fillet knife, you should consider the Mercer Culinary Millennia 8-Inch Narrow Fillet Knife because of the fine quality it delivers at an affordable price.

Best Fillet Knife
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