20 Best Knife For Filleting Salmon (2023 Updated)

Nice knife, good gripping handle, good shape of the blade for filleting most most fish. good sheath snug fit, only thing I don’t know yet is how well the edge holds up to use before needing sharpening? only time will tell/.

I like the feel of the handle! I like the sheath, and the length of the blade and the flex! Needs sharpened right out of box! Cleaned a few Crappie and I just don’t know if it’s going to hold an edge! Seemed to dull quick! Have a little Kershaw folding knife that flips open and I love it, so I thought I would try just on the brand name.

Comes very dull but sharpens up and holds an edge. Rusted after first use despite filleting and rinsing in fresh water. Decent for the price but I would not buy again. Would rather spend an extra $10 and buy something nicer.

Purchase this knife to fillet so texas bass and was really disappointed in. I like the way it felt in my hands but the blade was not sharp. With the price and name Bubba I would not have to work at making a cut.

It was so dull I couldn’t even use the tip to puncher thru to start a cut. Would not recommend this knife.

This is the most AWESOME knife in the world!!! It takes no effort in cutting ANYTHING!!! I LOVE IT!!!

Dullest knife I have ever purchased. Pure garbage. Couldn’t fillet Crappie. Flex was not there should say extremely unflexible. Dont waste your money!

The “locking mechanism” on the sheath is on the side, rather than on top as with most other fillet/bait knives with a plastic sheaths. Tried opening the sheath with one hand while holding a live bunker in the other hand and got a deep and painful sliced thumb.

Yeah, I should have used both hands to take the knife out of the sheath, but bottom line, this injury would not have happened if the “locking mechanism” was on top of the sheath rather than on the side.

Rapala and others offer better options.

Best knife for the money. Holds an edge decently and easy to resharpen. I’ve used the cheap rapala fillet knives my whole life for smaller fish and just general kitchen work. Cant go wrong

Good knife. Very sharp. Handle was a bit awkward for me.

I find the 4″ long blade the perfect length for filleting perch and removing the rib cage from walleye. I have a number of fillet knives but the 4″ blade allows me more control for precision cutting and feel for how the blade is running along the surface of the bones.

The blade hold a sharp edge and is easy to keep a razor sharp edge. I have let a number of my friend use my knife and they have purchase the same knife for the same reason that I like it. If anything happened to the one I presently own, I would replace it with the same model of Rapala fillet knife.

I started fishing off shore in south Florida. I bought a few Dexter knives that a lot of guys use at my marina, I bought a couple of stone to sharpen the blades, but when it came time to clean my Mahi, Tuna & Wahoo, I had the hardest time cutting cleanly, trimming, and taking the skin off.

Trust me, I spent a lot of time sharpening those knives, but every time I was the guy at the cleaning station hacking up & wasting a lot of good fish meat. I looked around & finally ordered this knife.

It was sharp right out of the box, but I honed the edge with my 1000 grit stone just to fine tune it. And it did not disappoint! I caught a 10 lb Blackfin Tuna & a 25 lb Wahoo and I sliced the meat right to the bones, then trimmed the filets, cut out the blood lines and finally pulled on the skin and the sharp blade cut cleanly, ridding the skin and leaving beautiful meat chunks a plenty.

Buy this knife and you will not be disappointed. This size works for me, but they have a smaller and larger size that might be better for your use. CheersMP.

Dang son!!! This grip is so soft. It’s like it spent a month just sitting it a tub of lotion. And that good stuff you get at the target. It fits so perfectly in my hand. I can hold it all day and not slip off.

It stays sharp and cuts so clean. Only downside is the sharpener it’s what you’d want if you plan on using it oodles and oodles. Oh and it doesn’t come in colors that would match my American Flag shorts.

Great purchase. Versatile and reliable. Flexible blade

Just what I was after. Needed honing to bring to sharper edge- can’t wait to try once we are allowed out on the water after Covid lockdown.

Great entry level knife. Sharp out of the box. Good length. Great KG Whiting knife

This blade has spine. Does not flex tip or bow in middle when skinning a wide fillet. Holds its edge and sharpens quickly on 600 & 1200 diamond stone. The handle looks decorative until you hold it, and it becomes a hand extension.

Blade reminds me of a similar, wooden handled, rudimentary, work knife on the Bering Sea. This blade would be faster there for sure. I bought one and just to be safe, bought another.

This little knife is surprising with its good looks titanium bonding meeting all the criteria of the perfect fillet knife to have with you in any freshwater or saltwater boat, on the Beach or the bank, for cutting your bait , line, shortening your heavy Stringer, or any other utility you might need while fishing! The Full Tang offers a super solid feel , as the shape of the handle offers Comfort through multiple grips.

The titanium bonding makes this Cuda tooth as if it were petrified into stone! All this and it makes a wonderful boning knife for your wild game such as deer, wild boar, bear, and anything else you might bring in from the wild to eat! The custom sheath that comes with it protects the blade and your fingers while not in use it fits tight enough to even keep it in your backpack.

for the use I can get from this knife the price is a phenomenon! It is the epitome of modern technology in Generations of experienced users design! If you can only have one try this one!.

As the title of the review states, this filet knife is Sharp and Flexible. Perfect for filleting smaller fish because the blade is thin and flexible and just the right length. The handle has great grip even when wet.

Great to have in your tackle box!.

So I had bought a bad pair of pliers and gave bubba one star cause for the price they where horrible. So after I gave them a bad review I was contacted by bubba and they offered me a new pair at no additional cost and had a new replacement pair in 6 days and the new improved pliers and that is what a real company does stand behind there products like bubba.

Thank you for your fast reply and the delivery of my new pliers which I love. Totally worth buying all there products they are top of the line.

Bubba Blade Knife is the best knife I have ever used in 45 years of grilling, smoking, hunting, fishing, etc. I smoked 16 racks of ribs, 8 briskets, 54 lbs of chicken breasts, 40 lbs of sausage, 40 lbs of pork tenderloins on a Men’s Retreat over the weekend.

Never once thought about sharpening the knife! I am not sure I can get a knife that sharp! So happy over that weekend, I bought another 7″ filet knife! I now own 3 Bubba Blade knives and the electric one!!!.

Great knife with tons of torque. I’m retired and live at the lake, and I fillet my fair share of fish. If and when I wear mine out I’ll buy another one, no question. My buddy has the rechargeable Bubba, it’s good for about 50 fillets before it’s starting to loose power.

But even then it has as much torque as many electrics we see at the fish cleaning station.

I picked this knife up at Walmart because i liked the way the handle felt and looked. I actually used it for processing up a deer this winter, and i loved how comfortable this knife felt in my hand and fingers.

it was stiff enough to control my blade, but flexed around the boned and such without dulling as fast as most of my other knifes. resharpens nicely too. i use it in the kitchen a lot, and so does the wife, i feel like it is a lot safer knife then most my thin fillet knifes are.

Will be buying more!.

The extremely toxic coating being “non stick” is horrible and cancer causing. While were on the topic find alternatives to lead weights. This bs makes absolutely no sense when it comes to fishing in our great waters that provide so much.

We need to stay away from the toxic stuff that absolutely destroys all of us. Thank you for reading this but NO thank you to this toxic knife from Rapala. Very disappointed in Rapala.

Great product for fishing! When it comes to making fish. In order to make sure you get a nice clean cut filet you got to have a good knife. This knife makes it easy for you to cut the fish and prepare it for throwing on the grill.

These Rapala fillet knives haven’t changed a bit in decades. Why? Because they’re exactly what you need to fillet a fish. The blade is sharp, thin, and flexible- exactly what you need to fillet a fish.

I’ve had the smaller version for over 25 years, it’s my go to not only for fish, but for ducks and geese too. Every tackle box should have one!.

So far, I really like the feel of this knife. The handle has a solid, grippy feel to it. Its nicely balanced and the sheath fits very snug. But moreover, the blade is insanely sharp. The only reason I didnt give it five stars is the size of the blade.

Its fine, I just like a slightly wider blade. But, thats just me. Otherwise, its a great quality knife. Thanks!.

This product is of good quality. I recommend it. Sharp as a mother F#cker. And with a good grip handel ! ( However – it contains cadmium. So if ” you ” are afraid of heavy metals, this may not be the knife for you.

That said – it’s under 00. 1% ! So nothing to worry about! EU _ Regulation says it’s fine! I would buy it and never give it a thought! You won’t be disappointed – guaranteed; Rapala is a world known and respected brand.

Sharp sleek compact filleting knife. I love it for its good quality and it was good value.

This fillet knife is stronger than all other fillet knives in this price range. It is solid but flexible enough to follow spines and ribs for maximizing meat yield. Light weight and super sharp. I highly recommend Dexter knives for outdoorsmen.

Steel, design, ergonomics, length…this filet knife has it all. It’s a workhorse and my go-to choice for fish. Sharpens quickly and holds an edge much better than other brands I’ve tried.

The knife was a Christmas gift to my son-in-law. He was surprised and excited when he opened the package, as I have a similar knife that he has borrowed on occasion – now he’s got his own! I liked the knife because it is similar to mine and it has a sheath – most knives don’t come with a sheath which is needed for protection of the edge and the person storing the knife.

Nice Job.

I bought this knife about a year or so ago and loved it. then I took it on a trip to catch salmon on the ocean. One trip 4 days of fishing now it’s destroyed. I cleaned it every night. But now its full of rust and has chips in the blade.

I only used it to fillet salmon so nothing this knife should not be able to handle. Not to happy about the rust or the ships in the blade.

Just love this knife. Was longer than I am used too so ordered a shorter one. Very sharp so should be handled with care. Prefer fillet knife because they cut just about everything and they last almost forever.

Last one I had lasted over 20 years. Works on meats, veggies, breads and other items too numerous to mention. Handle carefully, knife is very sharp.

Great knife ! Goes with my other S133-8 thinner blade Dexter fillet, I often need a stiffer fillet blade at home with some fish and this one is just what I wanted. Besides, having 2 sharp knives on hand speeds up everything, and the plastic handles clean easy.

I also picked up a matching belt-loop white plastic sheath to carry either one with me on my boat to start things there !! AND “NO BRAINER” DEXTER-RUSSEL QUALITY TOO !!!.

Not made in Finland as they used to be. Quality and blade hardness is acceptable. The edge is coarse grind and was polished so it needed touching up. I didn’t like the sheath for home use but that’s ok.

A good value for the low price. handle feels hollow so maybe it floats. Blade has a nice thickness and taper, takes a very sharp edge. Balance feels nice too. Blade is stiff but does have a little flex.

I got this because it seems to be a very popular knife and I needed a fillet knife. The steel seems to be pretty good because it sharpens really well. I had to sharpen it first because it wasn’t sharp enough for my liking.

The small hone that comes with it doesn’t seem to do much so don’t think it will sharpen the knife for you. OK for touch ups I guess. Knife is extremely light due to the type of wood on the handle. The leather sheath that comes with it is thick leather and well made.

I like this knife. For years I have owned and used the longer version of this knife and when I needed another filet knife I decided to try the shorter one. I have only used it a few times but it worked as good as the longer one does.

However, I can see some instances where the longer knife would do better but that said the shorter also has its place. I believe having both would be best. The knife itself keeps an edge and the stone provided keeps that razor sharp with a few strokes before each use.

The shorter knife is a little less flexible than the longer one which makes skinning a little more difficult but as anyone knows when fileting a fish it is sometime desirable to have a more ridged blade.

Depends on the fish and what you are doing. The handle although simple has an excellent fit and grip and the knife is light reducing fatigue when I have a lot of salmon tails to dress out. The shorter blade also helps with control.

I have no problem running the tip along the rib cage with precision, something that was more difficult with the longer blade. The sheath on first glance seem average but I have found it is durable and well designed.

When storing these knifes in a drawer I always keep them in the sheath which protects not only the blade from nicks but also my fingers. The only issue I have is that inserting the blade into the sheath requires a deliberate effort as the plastic liner sometimes catches the blade but then handling anything as sharp as these knifes should require your full attention at all times.

Sorry but I can not tell you how well they would hold up in a salt water environment. I use them in my kitchens and they get washed and dried after each use but I believe any good knife should be given this minimum of care and effort.

With so many products “cheapening up” over the years it was refreshing to see the same quality and pride of workmanship to be present in this new knife as found in the knife I purchased years ago. Could you buy a better knife? Yes.

Could you buy a more expensive knife? Yes. Could you get a better value than what these knifes offer? Doubtful and I tell you this with conviction as I own knifes that cost hundreds of dollars each but these are my “go-to” knifes when I reach for the block.

I have fileted literally thousands of fish and tell you that for the cost you have nothing to lose buying either one or both of these knifes.

I need to say this about this knife. It’s all about the handle. Look at the grain patterns right through to the butt end. I think the batch of steinbits I’ve had employed the same person selecting the wood.

It’s been varied, but stunning. Aside from the awesome grain pattern of this particular knife, the notch design in the handle makes it ultra easy to control and turn as you fillet. It’s what makes this model my favorite and the choice for many fishermen.

I bought this knife for a fishing trip to Canada where I just knew that I was going to have to filet my own fish and the fish of other fishermen. What happened was some guy brought an electric knife that cut the time in a quarter.

I filled one fish when I was there. But, the knife worked will and looked even better on my hip. If you want to look like a true fisherperson this knife goes a long way towards keeping that charade going.

The knife came to me plenty sharp and I would recommend this knife or others of the brand to anyone who knows a guy with an electric knife. ,,,, ,,.

I’m a big fan of the helle knives. This knife is the same great quality as all the other knives I’ve bought from helle.

I bought a Bubba Blade and a Penn because I was looking for a better fillet knife. Out of the box the Penn was sharper. I used them this weekend on 20+ sea bass. Bubba claims it’s coating lets it slide through the meat easier, I didn’t find this true.

The Penn on the other hand did slide easy through the meat. The Penn followed the spine better too. The Bubba cut well and is a good knife, but at 2. 5 times the price of the Penn, it is a no brainer.

Penn wins hand down, cheaper, sharper, cuts better etc.

The “breaking knife” broke… snapped at the top of the handle. The tang of the knife only partially goes into the handle giving it a weak point at the top of the handle. Very disappointed.

I personally prefer the serrated dexter. The penn has an aggressive serration on the edge but seems dull. I also find the blade to be very stiff. Just personal preference. The knife seems quite sturdy the coating is nice.

Seems like it would last but only time will tell. I am making this our new bate knife. Would not even attempt to clean a fish with it.

If you buy Aftco you need to know that they do not stand behind their product. You are buying, what used to be, a good name. I like the knife, just enough flex to get a clean meat from the skin but not so much that it can’t be used elsewhere.

The nylon sheath is garbage! Nice to look at the first day but day two it gets a nasty twist that makes it difficult to insert the knife. I have hyperextended it the opposite direction and it held for a day.

Yes, I’m bitter about the garbage sheath and I won’t buy another Aftco knife as long as they sell that sheath. Moreover, I would like a new sheath that works sent to me from Aftco but I’m sure they don’t give a tug about it.

Many other venders that sell similar products that are willing to stand behind theirs. We will likely be shifting over to them.

Knives appear to be well made, perhaps a tad stiffer than perfect. However the sheath is tight fitting nylon with plastic liner that is tight fitting. I much prefer a hard plastic sheath that allows for air circulation and ease of cleaning—the included sheaths allow for neither.

May end up buying new sheaths for the knives.

The Aftco knife is a decent knife, however the sheath/ Holster is ****! When I was done filleting the fish and cleaning the knife I slid the knife back into the sheath. Well it came out the side of the sheath into my hand.

The bone stopped the progression or it would have gone all the way through my hand! Aftco do a better job keeping your customers safe from this cheap sheath!.