Any tips on Fillet Knives?

[Jeff]

Well its Salmon season up here in the Pacific Northwest. I have 2 kershaw Fillet knives that I’ve been using for fish. What would you guys recommend in terms of Angles, mounting, and finishing?

-I’ve been mounting them in the top location and sharping at 18*. I’ve found that the right side keeps getting caught up by the screw, any ideas?

Do you think I should mirror finish the blades or leave a bit of grit to it? I was thinking strop them and then hit them quickly with the 1k.

Any ideas or personal ways of doing fillets would be great!

[Mark76]

Hi jpar247,

Welcome to the forum!

I have little experience with fishing knives, so let’s wait until somebody chimes in who has more experience with them.

That said, if I don’t know how I want to finish a knife, I usually start around 20 degrees and I experiment a little. Knives made for meat usually benefit from a little bite (say, stop at 800 grit), knives made for veggies often benefit from a bit more polish. But this is highly personal. Do you use the knives for breaking the fish apart or mainly for making fillets?

If the stone is caught by the screw, position the knife high in the vise (top position, maybe even a little higher). If it is then still caught by the screw, increase the angle.

Enjoy your WEPS!

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[Eric Morgan]

Most fillet knives are made from 420J or Chinese steel equivalent and are not hard enough to hold an edge that acute. I typically take my fillet knives to 23 degrees per side. Then, I sharpen to 1,000 grit diamonds and strop them well. I also keep a kitchen knife steel on the table when I am filleting fish, as the softer steel can bend the edge pretty easily. The good news is, it will straighten quickly with a few strokes on the steel.

That being said, I am strongly considering buying a Knives of Alaska Coho Fillet knife. It has 440C steel, which should keep an edge well and be reasonably rust resistant.

[Jeff]

Thanks for the reply guys. I was getting fed up with the cheap kershaw dropping its edge after a cpl cuts. I grabbed the kitchen steel and its amazing how much it cleans up the edge. I think I’ll take it too 1k grit @ 21* and keep the steel close.

[Author]

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