Aquaholic
Crew Member
What about if you caught fish? (Kidding!).
Preferred Knife for Salmon?
- Thread starter Baxter
- Start date
I have had Grohmann knives sine the early 1970's when they made the Russel Belt knife.
I now buy their seconds from the website.
Superb quality
Clearance
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Last edited:
bigdogg1
Well-Known Member
Captain PartyMarty
Crew Member
N2013
Well-Known Member
I recognize that piling.
Totally unexpected
Well-Known Member
Ive had my cutco fishermans knife for 20+years has a built in stone on the sheath wich is als a pair of grips for holding the tail it has a no slip handle no matter how gooey it gets and it adjusts from 6 to 10 inches. I give it a quick sharpening at the beginig of filleting and dont sharpen again till the next time. Great knife super edge and very versatile
tubber
Well-Known Member
Here is my set-up.
The key is the Worksharp since it will put a good edge on any knife.
I have a Frost/Mora 6" on the boat for gilling and gutting.
Then I have the rest in the truck if I'm using a freezer away or for in my garage if I bring them home on ice.
14" Victorinox slicer for taking off the side in one pass.
6" Cdn tire Rapala for taking off the ribs.
Kitchen knife for cutting side into pieces. I don't like the thin edges of the other 3 to hit the cutting board much.
I have a 8" fillet knife for hali.
The key is the Worksharp since it will put a good edge on any knife.
I have a Frost/Mora 6" on the boat for gilling and gutting.
Then I have the rest in the truck if I'm using a freezer away or for in my garage if I bring them home on ice.
14" Victorinox slicer for taking off the side in one pass.
6" Cdn tire Rapala for taking off the ribs.
Kitchen knife for cutting side into pieces. I don't like the thin edges of the other 3 to hit the cutting board much.
I have a 8" fillet knife for hali.
Aquaholic
Crew Member
The 14” Victorinox slicer was also marked low at PNT. Saw a guide at the dock from Bon Chovy work a salmon with this knife, was a sight to behold.
tubber
Well-Known Member
I'm sure the 12" would work too. I haven't got a fish over 20 this year. One more trip to go.
CBsqrd
Well-Known Member
Very similar to my setup, right down to the Worksharp to keep everything shaving sharp.
I have a stainless Morakniv on the boat for getting abused - cutting through gills, bones, line, etc.
At the cleaning table I use 6” stiff and 12” flexible fillet knives and a 14” slicer. The last three are all Dexter Russel knives from PNT / Harbour Chandler. Not too pricey, and they are high carbon steel so hold an edge well, although need to be kept dry or rust stains will form.
Also have a Japanese steel fillet knife at home for any last minute prep work when cooking. Takes longer to sharpen than the Dexter knives because the steel is much harder, but will take a finer edge that lasts a long time.
If Iwas in the market for a new fillet knife, the North Arm one would be at the top of my list.
RiverBoy
Well-Known Member
The knife brand is great and all but it matters not if your edge is dull. I use the Finnish Martinni knives and i feel there is nothing better. i also have some of the old school Sani- safe ( now Dexter )
i only “steel” the edges otherwise you are removing metal. a stone used improperly only dulls the edge. if they get really bad after a west coast ling fishing trip i add the polishing compound to the buffing wheel on my bench grinder which gets it scary again
i only “steel” the edges otherwise you are removing metal. a stone used improperly only dulls the edge. if they get really bad after a west coast ling fishing trip i add the polishing compound to the buffing wheel on my bench grinder which gets it scary again
Capt_Ed
Crew Member
This is knife we used at the lodge and I have 1 at home and one on the boat
I have the Kershaw Pro Grade Scimitar knife with the 12 inch curved Granton Blade. It does a good job of taking the sides off a big slab salmon.
Just picked up a set of Henckels Damascus kitchen knifes on sale, which I think should work well on fish and most other things in the Kitchen. They are designed with an inner core of very high grade Japanese stainless steel that is then wrapped with 66 layers of folded Damascus steel. I understand high-end Samurai Swords also incorporate folded steel. They are very attractive knifes with their Pakkawood Handles but cannot be put in the dishwasher or left to soak in water and must be washed and dried by hand.
Squire
Well-Known Member
I watched Jerry from Mills Landing fillet salmon with this knife as well and it changed everything for me!
I tried his technique at home (minus the right knife) and I’ll never finesse the process with a thin fillet knife again. Even with an inferior knife it took less than half the time I normally take to fillet and left only a negligible amount more meat on the bone. I’ll be looking to pick up one of these knives on sale in the near future.
fish brain
Crew Member
What is his technique?
Squire
Well-Known Member
He guts the fish first, takes the head off, then cleans the work surface before filleting. He grabs the salmon by the tail, takes the big serrated knife and lops off the adipose and dorsal fins with one quick stroke each (I can’t remember if he removed bottom fins as well but I didn’t bother). He then lays the fish on its side and with one steady stroke slices level along the backbone to remove the fillet. Of course he flips the fish over and does the same for the other side. This method cuts through the rib bones right about where the belly meat starts or at least it did for me.
When I tried this at home I found I could use my sharp fillet knife to remove what’s left of the rib bones if I wanted the belly meat attached to the fillet but it’s just as easy to cut along this line lengthwise making a clean uniform thickness fillet and saving the belly for bottom fish or trap bait.
Of course I’ll need a lot more practice and will still never do it anywhere near as efficient as Jerry but even using just a kitchen knife it was much quicker than slicing down each side to the backbone and following the rib bones with a fillet knife the way I’ve always done it.
Dogbreath
Well-Known Member
The belly is the Best tasting part and the collar is second Best.
It certainly is. The belly has more fat, better flavour and melts in your mouth. It smokes well as the fat will absorb the smoke. For tuna at the Sushi bar you pay a premium for Toro, the fatty tuna belly. We do sometimes cut out a little belly when removing a pectoral fin and keep it for Halibut bait. A little belly oil leaves a nice scent trail and the fin structure holds well on the hook.
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