Fillet Knives

[Snakeriver]

The lodge in Alaska that I go to has a cool dude who is a master at fileting fish. He uses a large stiff blade. I want to buy him one as a thank you. Does anyone have any recommendations? Knives of Alaska has one I was looking at, and Aftco has a 12 inch as well?

[fast60eddie]

I little pricey but nice.

http://www.dunnknives.com/products/

I have a few of them I enjoy.

[Remnar]

 Unless you know him well and that he wants a knife . Give him cash $ ...

[Skillet]

  Let the artist choose his own tools. It's his livelihood, he's using the knife he wants to use.

Maybe get him a nice skinning knife for hunting? Good cigars are always appreciated by those who enjoy them.  Maybe something unique and fishing related that would be cool to display in his man cave - like an antique Tlinget halibut hook. A shaft of baleen from a whale (available in a few native-owned stores in Alaska)?   I've given old spermaceti candles to fellow fisherman that make highly appreciated gifts.  How about an old Japanese glass float etched by a local artist?  We have a native fellow in town that makes display pillows out of sea otter pelts... These are the kind of things most guys up here really appreciate.  You might hit it out of the park with the exact type of filet knife he would use, but that's pretty risky compared to other options.

 

[GWP]

Unless you know him well and that he wants a knife . Give him cash $ ...

This.

[ctwiggs1]

Unless you know him well and that he wants a knife . Give him cash $ ...

 

It's a nice thought but if he does it for a living, then he's already using the knife he likes. 

[Snakeriver]

Thanks for your guys input. Yes I do know him well. If anyone has knife recommendations that would be nice.

[Snakeriver]

This guy is a native Alaskan. Leads a very simple life. Fillets fish every summer and doesn't do a whole lot through the winter. We hang out with these guys and see them as equals. They are  good guys who have chosen a different lifestyle than most. They shared with us that our group is the only one who doesn't treat them as "servants". They use victorinox and dexter knives. Just looking to get him something a little better than that.

[GWP]

Here is what I will tell you:
My nephew is a chef for his living. He came to visit while there was a knife show in the area. He picked out a custom filet knife after much looking, handling, flexing the blades and asking questions. That was years ago.
He stated he had 'a number' of filet knives but was looking for something specific. While I am sure he would have appreciated me picking something out for him, to get something truly useful, and what he wanted as a professional, he needed to do 'hands on' choosing of his own tool.
Maybe tell the guy to pick out a knife and you would pay for it?
I have had people buy me different 'Thank You' items over the years, that while they were appreciated, I can think of at least two expensive custom made items that have never been out of their packaging. I don't want to sell them, or give them away, but they are not useful to me. Someone will probably pick them up at auction or yard sale after I am gone and be tickled to get them 'unused'.

[ctwiggs1]

If you're deadset on it, I can say that the best fillet knife I've owned is a Bubba.  That sucker goes on every fishing trip and stays in the house for meat prep when it's not on the boat or dock.  If I were handling a large assortment of halibut and salmon in Alaska, I'd probably choose the 9" flex.  If I could choose two, I'd probably add a 9" stiff.

https://www.bubba.com/knives/fillet/9-flex/BB1-9F.html#prefn1=bagRestType&prefv1=Fillet%20Knives&start=1
https://www.bubba.com/knives/fillet/9-stiff-fillet/BB1-9S.html#start=1

Just my

Curtis

[Skillet]

This guy is a native Alaskan. Leads a very simple life. Fillets fish every summer and doesn't do a whole lot through the winter. We hang out with these guys and see them as equals. They are  good guys who have chosen a different lifestyle than most. They shared with us that our group is the only one who doesn't treat them as "servants". They use victorinox and dexter knives. Just looking to get him something a little better than that.

Just throwing this out there - after troll dressing 10's of thousands of salmon, I choose to use the cheap yellow handled Dexter salmon knife to use on deck. I have tried many expensive knives, but keep coming back to the Dexter.  The angle of the factory grind, ease of maintaining an edge, width and stiffness of blade, buffed edge on the spoon, and the fact it won't completely ruin my day if I drop it on deck or it goes out the scupper, are the reasons I spend $9 on a knife instead of $349.  I have a couple $100-$200 Swedish made salmon knives in my drawer, but the Dexter always gets seems to get the nod.

My favorite filet knife for bigger salmon and lingcod is a Dexter 10" breaking knife. They are just really good tools for the money, and easily replaceable. 

I get the desire to gift him a special item to show your appreciation, but still think choosing this specific tool for him (an extension of his arm, basically) might miss the mark. Unless you go really over-the-top and get him a display piece with a walrus baculum handle and custom engraving that he can look at while making magic with his Dexter.

That's all of my  and a little more.

 

[ctwiggs1]

This guy is a native Alaskan. Leads a very simple life. Fillets fish every summer and doesn't do a whole lot through the winter. We hang out with these guys and see them as equals. They are  good guys who have chosen a different lifestyle than most. They shared with us that our group is the only one who doesn't treat them as "servants". They use victorinox and dexter knives. Just looking to get him something a little better than that.

Just throwing this out there - after troll dressing 10's of thousands of salmon, I choose to use the cheap yellow handled Dexter salmon knife to use on deck. I have tried many expensive knives, but keep coming back to the Dexter.  The angle of the factory grind, ease of maintaining an edge, width and stiffness of blade, buffed edge on the spoon, and the fact it won't completely ruin my day if I drop it on deck or it goes out the scupper, are the reasons I spend $9 on a knife instead of $349.  I have a couple $100-$200 Swedish made salmon knives in my drawer, but the Dexter always gets seems to get the nod.

My favorite filet knife for bigger salmon and lingcod is a Dexter 10" breaking knife. They are just really good tools for the money, and easily replaceable. 

I get the desire to gift him a special item to show your appreciation, but still think choosing this specific tool for him (an extension of his arm, basically) might miss the mark. Unless you go really over-the-top and get him a display piece with a walrus baculum handle and custom engraving that he can look at while making magic with his Dexter.

That's all of my  and a little more.

 

This is why I just bring the scotch 

[pianoman9701]

Thanks for your guys input. Yes I do know him well. If anyone has knife recommendations that would be nice.

@Rainshadow makes terrific knives but I don't know about a filleting knife - site sponsor. @A.Cole makes some exceptional knives and he's a site sponsor, as well. But I don't know about filleting knives from him, either.

[Stein]

Most of the serious meat cutters I have known all use pretty utilitarian blades as mentioned.  Dexter, Victorinox, they all work well and are inexpensive to replace.  Knives used often are sharpened often and wear out and replaced with another cost effective knife.

If you want to get him something he can look at or pull out every once in a while, sounds like you know him well enough to have a better idea of something that would be important to him, it's more of a personal thing than a question of quality or effectiveness.

[Karl Blanchard]

Most of the serious meat cutters I have known all use pretty utilitarian blades as mentioned.  Dexter, Victorinox, they all work well and are inexpensive to replace.  Knives used often are sharpened often and wear out and replaced with another cost effective knife.

If you want to get him something he can look at or pull out every once in a while, sounds like you know him well enough to have a better idea of something that would be important to him, it's more of a personal thing than a question of quality or effectiveness.

beat me to it and spot on. Those guys are blowing through knives pretty quick and anything of high quality or value likely wouldn't be used