What is the best filet knife out there at a reasonable price? Also what is the best way to keep the knife sharp during and after use? Thanks in advance for the advice.
jduck1

The white handled knives made by Dexter Russel are about the best i've found.

The best way to keep them in good working order is to keep a sharpening steel around.
If you get rust spots just take a mild abrasive pad and viola' the spots dissapear.

Keep 2 knives one for bait cutting and GP boat uses and one that is your filet baby.

I second what rickh75 said... I've tried a bunch of knives, the white rubber handled Dexter-Russells are the best, with the black rubber handled Victorinox's a close second, though for me they didn't hold an edge as well.

On the Dexters, I use the model S133-8, it's an 8" thin fillet knife. I buy mine at Seattle Marine Supply, on West Commodore Way behind the Fishermen's Terminal in Seattle. They supply all the fish processing ships, so they have a good selection of knives of all kinds. I think S133-8 is about $20 with the plastic sheath included.

As far as sharpening goes, I've tried a bunch of gizmos also. I think once you have it sharp, all you need is a butcher steel to keep it that way... all those sharp v-shaped steel sharpeners that look like little blades take too much metal off the knife's blade. I use a v-shaped sharpener, it's got an orange plastic handle and two v's of ROUND steel (not sharp), one is a butcher steel, one is a little rougher. It works pretty good. Last time I was at Seattle Marine, though, I asked them what the commercial guys use, they showed me a butcher-steel like thing that was flatter, about an inch wide, and coated in diamond dust. They said it's very popular and works really well. It was about $27 if I remember. I plan on getting one soon and I'll post how it works.

I try to keep my boat knives separate from my house knives, of course, yesterday, I went fishing, got the first fish in the boat, and realized I had forgotten all the knives at home. Luckily, Dogfish was there in Sekiu and had a knive with him... thanks Andy!! I also use a ceramic sharpener on the boat, so it doesn't rust.

Remember, you can fillet fish better with an 8" fillet knive than with a 6" boner!!

-N.

Seattle Marine Supply is out of the Dexter S133-8's. I picked up a 7" Dexter and a 7" flexible Forschner. The 9" Dexter seemed too long. Will give both of them a try.

As I speculated, knives are a very personable thing, aside from that fact they have to be made of good steel and hold an edge.

Now, if I could just fillet a fish worth a damn, I'd be set!

I personally like the Rapala in either an 8" or 10" blade. They hold an edge pretty well, fileted 12 salmon before I had to touch it up. I use a steel and a diamond dust stone to get them in shape before a trip, and then maintain them with a small v-shaped ceramic sharpener that I keep on the boat like Norman described. I also have a folding filet knife, maybe a Kershaw?, but I rarely use it, weak blade.

The primary features on a filet knife that I look for are strength and flexibility of the blade, and the ability of the blade to hold an edge. I worked in restauraunts for 10 years, so I got pretty good at recognizing good steel, and making it stay sharp.

Dull knives are more dangerous than sharp ones because they make you put more pressure on the blade. This increases the chances of a slip. Let the blade slice with light pressure. Do not just push it through the fish like you would cut a block of cheese, slice by moving the blade in a steady motion.

Parker, I was taught to filet by a chef in Seattle. We got our fish in whole, and prepared them in the restaurant, so Bruce (chef) showed me the way. I plan on being at the Flotilla, so ask me to show you, and I will. This is not the charter boat method where you leave a bunch of bones in the rib cage. At most you will leave an ounce or so in the bones, and it will look like the nice filets you see in the store, (the ones I won't buy.)

It made me sick to see folks butchering fish and leaving half of the meat on the carcass up at Sekiu last weekend.

Here's something you don't want to hear;

"Well, how is he?"

"Not to good, it was clean to the bone!"

I met an old guy, (you know, over 40) at the cleaning table last weekend that cut the tip off of his finger a few years back. Big ouch.

Andy

cutco has one out that comes in a sheath has a built in sharpning stone a special hook file and is adjustable from 7" to 9" and has the quality of henkil knives, doug

Good thinkin' Andy. For those that do keep fish on the Floatilla III, there should be a "fillet clinic" after the float.

Oh, I didn't say I didn't know how to butter fly fillet or fillet a cleaned fish...I just can't do it very well. Usually, one half of the fish is perfect. I always run in to trouble when turning the fish over and doing the fillet backwards. I don't leave much, if any, meat on the fish or the ribs - I just have nice slash marks in the fillets. The meats all there - just doesn't look like an expert did it. Oh well, the people to whom I give the fillets do don't seem to mind!

This last may I was getting ready to fillet a king with a Rapala knife. It had some gunk on the blade left over from cutting up sturgeon bait the week before. I turned on the hot water in the sink and started scubbing it with one of the sponge deals that has a handle on it. It was not coming off so I decided that I should use a dish rag. Grabbed one and started scubbing it hard. Next thing I know there is blood pumping into the sink at what seemed to be 1000 cfs a second. To the bone on my right index finger. 12 stitches later... and 3 months and I still have no feeling in my right index finger. WOW... that hurt.

On another note, I also have always had the problem where the first side looks perfect, and the other side always winds up looking all hacked up.

(Filleting) This is what I have done for years at home on kit counter. Take your whole fish and whack it into serving size pieces (3 to 4"), like you are cutting steaks. Now with the smaller size to work with slip knife in along backbone cutting edge up and slide the knife upwards and cut through on fishies back. Next slide knife back in along backbone and slide cutting edge down along ribs - voila, a nice fillet serving. Repeat on the other side. Very little waste. Does this make sense? I do the entire fish this way and freeze what we can't eat fresh. Working with the smaller chunks permits more 'touch' less hassle. Cutting thru the backbone is a little challenge so I use a meat cleaver and a hammer on the bone. Give it a try.

Just bought 2 of the Dexter-Russell filet knives, one 8" wide and one 8" narrow. Sharp right out of the box, nice handle for maintaining grip and the blades appear flexible enough. I use a 6" Rapala with a spoon in the handle for cutting bait on the boat and cleaning fish. It's been a great knife and will shave the hair off your arm with occasional use of a V-metal sharpener. I've broken 2 knives (an 8" Buck and a 9.25" Iron mountain) in the past 2 weeks from applying downward pressure as I was fileting. It didn't seem that I was pressing down that hard. Anyone else have problems with breaking filet knives? They break right at the handle.

Filet knives are finesse knives. You should never try to force the knife through the product, If you have to do that, you are using the wrong typ. For breaking/cutting through the backbone use a 10" chef's knife.
Very few filet knives have enough backbone to cut through tough material. Andy

Initial reports tend to have me favoring the flexible Forschner over the more rigid Dexter. Will need more fish to complete my survey!