Keith Lusher 01.15.25
Once I was a child, I had one saltwater fishing pole and one freshwater fishing pole. Life was lots simpler then, and the shortage of selections saved fishing easy.
Right now, I’ve a rod and reel particularly devoted to every sort of lure I take advantage of. The reasoning is straightforward: utilizing lure-specific rod and reel setups permits me to maximise the casting, retrieving, and presentation of every form of lure.
I’ve lately utilized this “lure-specific” technique to my alternative of fillet knives, and it has made an enormous distinction. For 40 years of my life, I used one electrical fillet knife. Nothing fancy – only a easy 120-volt electrical knife. It lasted some time, however to be trustworthy, the knife was greatest fitted to cleansing mid-sized inshore fish like speckled trout and flounder. Once I introduced again a multitude of bluegill, I might cringe on the considered utilizing the overbearing blades on such small, tender fish. After performing some analysis, I got here up with an answer: I might purchase a fish-specific fillet knife that will make it simpler to scrub smaller fish like bream and crappie.
I settled on the Berkley 120-volt Electrical Fillet Knife. Out of the bundle, the set consists of two removable 8-inch blades, an influence twine, and a zipper bag for storage.
Meeting was easy. After a fast, instruction-free session of sliding the blades collectively and inserting them into the physique of the knife, I used to be able to check it out on 14 bluegill and three bass.
As I started to fillet the fish, the blade thickness was the very first thing that stood out. The blades have been very skinny, which made slicing by way of the smaller fish a breeze. The 8-inch, serrated, chrome steel blades moved forwards and backwards individually like several normal electrical fillet knife.
All through my whole cleansing session, the blades stayed firmly in place. I had nervous about this since I’ve had issues with blades ejecting from the our bodies of different electrical knives.
The physique of the knife was ergonomic sufficient to stop hand fatigue. It had a cushty grip – as snug as an all-plastic knife will be.
The twine was brief at 2 toes, however the coils have been a pleasant contact as they allowed it to stretch as much as 4 toes.
I have to admit that this little knife allowed me to scrub this mess of fish rapidly – I used to be achieved inside 10 minutes.
As for cleanup, the blades detach by urgent a launch button on the aspect of the knife. I indifferent the blades, rinsed off the scales, and tossed them into the dishwasher. After passing a moist rag over the physique of the knife, I wrapped the twine round it and tucked it into the carrying pouch to retailer within the cleansing station – straightforward peasy!
For those who’re on the lookout for an reasonably priced, light-weight electrical knife for fish below 12 inches, I extremely suggest the Berkley 120-volt Electrical Knife. The blade sharpness and skinny design made slicing up these bream and bass a cinch. It appears to be like like I’ve discovered my finesse blade – now my search continues for a heavy-duty electrical knife to deal with my offshore journeys!
You possibly can discover them on Amazon for round $35.