How to sharpen a fillet knife

Ok, so you have realised you need to sharpen your fillet knife, knowing that you need to sharpen your knife is 90% of the problem with all knives, but especially fillet knives. Anglers think that because they have sharpened their fillet knife at the start of the season it will remain sharp, not so. You should never try to fillet a fish without first sharpening your knife. It is like everything, there is a technique to doing it, and once you have mastered how to sharpen a fillet knife you will not even have to think about it, it will be second nature.

I cannot stress how dangerous a blunt or semi sharp knife is, you should be able to slice through the flesh and small bones without much pressure on the blade. If you have to saw or really push the blade then your knife is not sharp enough and you need to stop, clean your knife and then sharpen it. There are various pieces of equipment on the market for sharpening knives and to be honest all do an average job, but none actually do it as well as a practiced hand and a quality diamond sharpening stone and it does not take very long to be able to put a lovely edge on your blade. In fact I actually find it therapeutic to sharpen a knife; it is satisfying to be able to hone something to near perfection.

You can get into honing and feathering the blade, but I use this technique and it has never let me down. I have filleted trout from 1lb to 13lb and salmon from 6lb to 20+lb (and all types of sea fish) and this technique has always worked for me and made a lovely job of the fish. You can get a perfectly good edge on your blade by copying my technique on the video, the important thing is to use a little oil or water while you are sharpening and keep the same angle on the blade when you sharpen both side. If you do keep the same angle and do equal strokes it stands to reason that the blade will be sharp, just always sharpen down and away from the edge of the knife and that way it is nigh on impossible to cut yourself.

The only thing left to say is that the better quality knife you buy the easier is it to maintain a good level of sharpness, and the majority of the cost of a knife will be in the quality of the steel in the blade and the construction of the handle. Cheap blades are not cost effective long term and can be quite dangerous. If you pay a little bit more for your knife, you are more likely to look after it after you have used it. Your fillet knife should be stored in a loose cotton cloth (not leather or plastic sheaths) and it should be lightly oiled with a light vegetable oil after it has been thoroughly washed and dried (drying is very important).

Good Hunting