Leech lake fillet knives

My wife wants to get me one for Christmas so my question is are they really that good to justify the price or are there better ones out there? ( for about the same money) I already have an electric fillet knife and a couple cheaper fillet knives.

As far as a filet knife goes they are very nice knives. They take a little to get used to, but I love mine.

they are nice knives. That being said we use the electric to strip the filets then the knife to de bone and take the skin off. At that point the double sided knife really does not do one any good because you are supposed to use the back side to cut the fillet off the fish then the other side to debopne and skin. Just my opinion.

I received one for Christmas last year and I LOVE it! And best of yet, I’ve yet to cut myself with it! (They are sharp.)

~ Sharon

Tell her to get you a Lithium electric cordless knife. Leech knives are well made and beautiful.. but more of show piece I think. You can fillet circles around folks with the lithium knives these days.

Love mine, definitely a show piece but is great to use as well, looking to get a fish mounted to hold the knife as well when not being used. It also works well for separating cuts of meat while processing deer and great for fowl as well.

I really like mine too. It’s even a good price for a high quality knife. Custom made to boot. They will engeave it for you as well.

My opinion, get this knife over an electric as a gift. This gift will last longer than you will. An electric will only last so long.

I have had my first one for over 20yrs. (free sharped one time is all those years)
My second one is 12yrs old.
They are the best fillet knives I have ever used.
Don’t hesitate or worry about the quality they are one of the best knives made.
Start slow with it so you don’t cut yourself.
Enjoy it. rod-man

I think a lot of guys would like their fillet knives a lot better if they learned to sharpen them properly and kept them sharp. That goes for kitchen knives, hunting knives, and most other knives too.

Most fillet knives need frequent touch ups to stay sharp. IMO it’s the combination of cutting through scales/bones and the fact that often fish get sand or grit on them in the process of being handled before cleaning, which dulls the knife almost instantly.

Grouse

Another big plus for Leech is they use a high-carbon steel blade,the Chinese Stainless just plain don’t hold hold an edge…..

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

IMO it’s the combination of cutting through scales/bones and the fact that often fish get sand or grit on them in the process of being handled before cleaning, which dulls the knife almost instantly.

That’s the main idea behind the sharpened top edge of the blade on the Leech….
From what I understand you are supposed to the top edge to make the 4 initial cuts…..Both sides behind the gills and the cuts down the back….Then the bottom edge for separating the fillet from the ribs and skinning…….

Thanks for all the replies, they really help. I do have an electric fillet knife so I wanted a quality manual one for a when or if I can’t use the electric. We have already looked at them and picked out the color I like just wanted some opinions before she spent the money on one. After all the positive reviews I am sure it will be a good investment and make cleaning fish more enjoyable.

it was worth it to me,I bought mine at scenic by-way baits in Pennington Mn three years ago.
believe it or not,they were thirty bucks cheaper than any one else,and they shipped it to me through the mail for around eight bucks to my home here in Iowa.
I thought I could buy one cheaper here after seeing it there,wrong!!
so that is why it was mailed to me.

custom cutlery in Marengo is who makes them but as stated,you cant buy a custom one from them with that back edge sharpened and tip like it is on the leech lake brand name one.
if you pay the freight to them,they will sharpen it,re-polish the handle and send it back to you.
would buy another one in a heart beat if I needed it.

I had one for 20 yrs. Filleted thousands of fish with it and it was easily my favorite fillet knife. Lost it this summer in 80′ of water on a trout lake north of the border. It was a bummer watching it sink like a stone. I will buy another, just haven’t got around to it yet.

Mudshark wrote:

Another big plus for Leech is they use a high-carbon steel blade,the Chinese Stainless just plain don’t hold hold an edge…..

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>
IMO it’s the combination of cutting through scales/bones and the fact that often fish get sand or grit on them in the process of being handled before cleaning, which dulls the knife almost instantly.

That’s the main idea behind the sharpened top edge of the blade on the Leech….
From what I understand you are supposed to the top edge to make the 4 initial cuts…..Both sides behind the gills and the cuts down the back….Then the bottom edge for separating the fillet from the ribs and skinning…….

I seem to remember watching a video with the inventor who said to use the back side to cut the scales and that the bones don’t really dull the blade.

I love my knife. Just finished its 2nd year and I’d say it’s 90% as sharp as the day I got it. Just bought another one for my dad for Christmas

Here is a link to the video I referenced.

I own an electric, a leech lake, a few plain rapalas, and a folding one made by cabelas.

I definitely use the leech lake knife the most. It’s cleaned probably 500+ fish over the years. The only time I really don’t use it is if I’m cleaning a large number of fish (multiple group members’ limits of fish on large vacations get the electric), or if I’m out camping on the river or BWCA where I bring the folding knife.

It holds an edge better than any high end kitchen knife I’ve used. The sharpened top edge is awesome once you get the hang of it.

I found copies of the double edge Leech Lake knife for 10 to 15 bucks on Ebay a few months ago, but never got around to trying one….very well could be junk. I did, however, purchase two of the Custom Cutlery fillet knives (not the two edge) at their shop at Amana Colonies on our way thru there in August, and am happy with mine. Gave one to a good friend.

Always wanted one but from what I see, the place in Iowa doesn’t have the knives with the top edge for cutting the scales.
Where does a guy get one like that?

Or am I missing something?

Reeds in Walker Minn. sells the knives

St. Cloud scheels also carries them

I have one from 1986ish. My dad bought it for me as a high school graduation gift.

Pre-electric filet knife I used it exclusively. It is a wonderfully crafted tool. It is a tool that has become a keepsake for me.

It is sharp, I always found the backside blade to be effective in cutting rib bones without dulling the front side.

The Leech Lake knife is as good as it gets.

That said, I have used an electric for 20 years and would not clean fish any other way.

The leech lake is always with me though.

Also, I think a good knife is the Cutco Fisherman, it is very sharp, adjustable length and can be sharpened for lifetime for the price of shipping. I mostly use the blue/white saltwater edition of the electric mister twister, but the Cutco is used for anything the electric can’t do.