What is a good fillet knife to buy for someone? The person I have in mind is all about ice fishing. His typical catch is usually crappies and bluegills. Occasionally a northern pike. All he requested was a knife with a sharp tip. Your preferences and past experiences would also be a great help.t

I've only ever owned one kind.  The tried and true Rapala.

a lot of people that fish the ocean enjoy using dexter filet knives

 

Just now, raoka said:

a lot of people that fish the ocean enjoy using dexter filet knives

 

Yup, we cleaned thousands of fish while working on charter boats, and just needed a few passes on the stone every so often. They make a bunch of different ones, for small fresh water fish a thin flexible blade one in one of the shorter sizes will do nicely. Not  lot of folks know that the character Dexter (great show, terrible ending) was named after a knife.

I haven't filleted pan fish in years, though I loved my Normarks....google isn't helping with those, however...must have gone out of business.

 

My brother in law, on the other hand, fillets a LOT of panfish and he insists on electric.  I haven't used one yet, but if I start keeping crappie and 'gills in the future, I'll probably check out an electric model.

That wood handle rapalas are great. I also use a buck fillet knife which is excellent. And the top edge of the last two inches leading up to the tip is also sharpened which helps immensely. The rapala is like $20 and the buck was $50-60

Also my electric rapala kicks ass. Can clean a limit of slabs in no time. Like one beer fast

47 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

though I loved my Normarks

 

46 minutes ago, Hower08 said:

That wood handle rapalas are great.

Normark got bought by Rapala - and in any event, the Normarks were just re-labled Rapalas.

 

I've got two Rapala wood-handle knives. One is close to 40 years old and despite the handle looking a little beat up, the blade sharpens up to a razor edge with my oil-stone. The other one is newer...only 15 years old.

wusthof fillet knives are the best I have seen.

I have about 15 different bladed knives and electric.  I don’t notice a huge difference among any of them if I keep them sharp.  The electric is amazing and I use it the most by far.  Can completely fillet a walleye in 45 seconds on the stopwatch.  Crappies are great as well.  Sunfish are a little more challenge with an electric.  If I had to choose a blade, I like my rubber handle Rapala as much as anything, especially for the cost.  

The last Rapala I bought was made in China and is rubbish . It has a different steel , its visibly shinier and cheap looking .Hard too sharpen and doesnt stay sharp . I hope they corrected that .I've   owned many of them . They have been  good knives until this last one .

 

 I have a Browning that works pretty well. The one I  have is no longer made . I dont know what the other models are like. 

Rapalas last me forever and cut up tons of fish. Don’t get too caught up with the sharpest knives, I like mine to be sharp but not razor sharp. You want to cut along bones not through bones 

I don't know how to filet, so there's that...

Me, I clean em when I get home ?

 

10 minutes ago, Catt said:

Me, I clean em when I get home ?

 

Catt. This is what I use to clean a big mess of crappie too. Works good

I bought a rapala heavy duty electric knife. You can fly through some fish.