Keith Lusher 01.15.25
When I was a kid, I had one saltwater fishing pole and one freshwater fishing pole. Life was a lot less complicated then, and the lack of choices kept fishing simple.
Today, I have a rod and reel specifically dedicated to each type of lure I use. The reasoning is simple: using lure-specific rod and reel setups allows me to maximize the casting, retrieving, and presentation of each kind of lure.
I’ve recently applied this “lure-specific” strategy to my choice of fillet knives, and it has made a huge difference. For 40 years of my life, I used one electric fillet knife. Nothing fancy – just a simple 120-volt electric knife. It lasted a while, but to be honest, the knife was best suited for cleaning mid-sized inshore fish like speckled trout and flounder. When I brought back a mess of bluegill, I would cringe at the thought of using the overbearing blades on such small, tender fish. After doing some research, I came up with a solution: I would buy a fish-specific fillet knife that would make it easier to clean smaller fish like bream and crappie.
I settled on the Berkley 120-volt Electric Fillet Knife. Out of the package, the set includes two detachable 8-inch blades, a power cord, and a zipper bag for storage.
Assembly was simple. After a quick, instruction-free session of sliding the blades together and inserting them into the body of the knife, I was ready to test it out on 14 bluegill and 3 bass.
As I began to fillet the fish, the blade thickness was the first thing that stood out. The blades were very thin, which made slicing through the smaller fish a breeze. The 8-inch, serrated, stainless steel blades moved back and forth separately like any standard electric fillet knife.
Throughout my entire cleaning session, the blades stayed firmly in place. I had worried about this since I’ve had problems with blades ejecting from the bodies of other electric knives.
The body of the knife was ergonomic enough to prevent hand fatigue. It had a comfortable grip – as comfortable as an all-plastic knife can be.
The cord was short at 2 feet, but the coils were a nice touch as they allowed it to stretch up to 4 feet.
I must admit that this little knife allowed me to clean this mess of fish quickly – I was done within 10 minutes.
As for cleanup, the blades detach by pressing a release button on the side of the knife. I detached the blades, rinsed off the scales, and tossed them into the dishwasher. After passing a wet rag over the body of the knife, I wrapped the cord around it and tucked it into the carrying pouch to store in the cleaning station – easy peasy!
If you’re looking for an affordable, lightweight electric knife for fish under 12 inches, I highly recommend the Berkley 120-volt Electric Knife. The blade sharpness and thin design made slicing up those bream and bass a cinch. It looks like I’ve found my finesse blade – now my search continues for a heavy-duty electric knife to handle my offshore trips!
You can find them on Amazon for around $35.
