Best knife to cut through Thick Fish Bones???

E

EnterTheSwamp

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Sep 20, 2005
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I do a lot of fishing and after we catch large fish, we always run into the problem of cutting through the bone. I don't fillet the fish, but just cut them up into sections, so that they are easier to handle. I bought a Rapala fillet knife, which was Ok, but still not up to the task. We always end up using a Machete :ooo:.. So I want to end this embarrasment and get a quality knife for the job. I would like to keep it under $100 since it will be my first good knife. Thanks
 
If you're chunking up fish for bait, try a cleaver. It's what it was made for and works beautifully especially if you're chopping up a lot (like on a charter/party boat). The machete should work fine as well except that it's overkill and looks kind of stupid. Is that what you're doing or are you catching huge fish like Tuna and Swordfish and quartering them?
 
Its to quarter fish like a Snook or a red Drum. Not for bait. I would preferably like a knife that could also be used to gut the fish.
 
I worked as a fishmonger and butcher for 3 years. The best thing I found for cutting through thick fish bones was a Victorinox Fibrox fully serrated knife. I'll try to find a link to the model I used, but it worked for every kind of whole fish we encountered - cobia, wahoo, mahi, never had to struggle once to get through them cleanly.
 
Surprisingly, I could not find that knife anywhere on the net.

It is a Forschner by Victorinox with a white Fibrox handle. The blade is about 10" and has a pointy trailing tip, is recurved, and is fully agressively serrated.

They are not that expensive, about $30, and are very efficient with cutting cleanly through large fish bones (as well as the rest of the fish).

Sorry I could not find a link.
 
Dexter-Russell makes a commercial butcher knife called the "fish splitter" for that work. They also make a whole line of other fishing knives.

Google Dexter fish splitter:).
 
Not sure how big the bones are that you are going through when you say 'big fish' but I have used my Catcherman by Spyderco for sawing through some big bass and the serrated part of the blade is pretty impressive for that task. Granted it is a folder but don't let that fool you. It gets the job done.
 
You could go for a heavy chopping style of knife like a bowie style, but that would be rather clumsy for other purposes. Here is a DH Russell survival style knife that could also be used for general camp, fishing, and hunting purposes. Key to the utility of the knife is that you can rock it across a cutting board while applying high force for cutting through the bones.
http://www.agrussell.com/knives/pro...d_h_russell_canadian_camp_survival_knife.html
 
I have done this on cod,salmon,herring, and trout and it isn't overly difficult. The problem with most fillet knives is that they are usually very flexible and soft. The low hardness makes the edge roll/dent easier, and the flexibilty can cause the blade to twist in the heavier cuts which is hard for the edge to handle.

As part of normal use for the various blades I carry I will steak up 10 lbs cod a knife can easily go through a few and not be signfiicantly effected, still shaving sharp. These are often small blades, 3" or so, so any decent large blade should do it for a long time.

If I had to do it really fast and had a solid cutting board I'd use either a small machete (12" blade) or cleaver or decent serrated blade, the catcherman STR noted is very nice as you can still do all the precision work with the rest of the blade while the serrations cut through backbones easily.



-Cliff
 
Get a cheap chinese cleaver and keep it sharp. I steak up large salmon and it works great for that.
 
Google "boning/fillet knives". Look for ones used by commercial fishermen, and ones with stiff blades that won't slip and make a mess of the fish or your fingers. Also try to find one with a good grip with a finger guard, like the Victorinox Fibrox or Dexter Russell, so your fingers won't slide onto the blade when you're applying force.

Good example here: http://ca.shop.com/amos/cc/main/prod/act/13754585,20195350/ccsyn/261
13754585.jpg



I have a couple of Dexter Russell oyster knives, that are most excellent. For fish, I've been happy with an old Silver Horde knife (carbon steel), made in Washington state, that I got when I was commercial salmon trolling. Takes a razor edge. It's a six-inch stiff blade, full tang, continuous piece of steel ending with a spoon butt-end, for scooping out the kidney line along the backbone. Wooden handle scales. I do have to be careful using it, though, because there is no finger guard.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. THe cleavers would probably work best, but I would also like to use something to gut the fish as well.

CMD the knife you suggested sounds like the perfect knife. If it can cut through the backbones of Cobia, and larger fish like that, then it should have no problem going through a snook. Does anyone know of a link to this fish knife?
 
I have spent 10 months in the last 4 years in the Canadian Arctic (Cambridge Bay) filleting Char all day long and the only knife I use is a Cold Steel 9 inch fillet knife. Its finger grooves work well for every grip change and help reduce wrist fatigue when working for 12+ hours. The Carbon V takes and holds an edge well, whether cutting through the spines of 20+ pound char or trimming the skin off. The big Eddy is a second choice but the handle thickness near the blade and the fact that it narrows toward the butt of the knife made it harder to hold on to for extended periods. I do not know the fish you are cutting but that is my professional opinion. Good luck fishing!
 
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