How To Sharpen Your Fishing Knives

While many fishing enthusiasts will argue that catching a fish is the most exciting part of a fishing excursion and filleting the least, preparing your catch for a meal is an inevitable part of the experience. To help simplify the process of preparation, it’s important to have the right tools and to make sure those tools are in top-working condition. Sharp fillet knives are key, but how does one go about skillfully sharpening a knife?

To begin with, you’ll need a quality sharpening stone and sharpening oil. There are a variety of stones, including water lubricated stones and diamond impregnated stones. The latter type does a fantastic job, but is costly. Whatever stone you choose, follow the instructions that come with it to avoid damage to both the stone itself and your fishing knives.

There are two basic methods for sharpening knives. By using the slice method, you will hold your knife at a 20-degree angle to the stone. As though you are attempting to slice off a very thin slice of cheese from a block, you’ll draw the knife blade across and down the stone. Do this three times on each side of the blade, followed by two times on each side, and, finally, one time on each side.

Another option is to follow the circular method in which you will also hold the blade at a 20-degree angle to the stone. This time, you’ll wipe the blade around the stone with a circular movement. Just as with the slice method, you’ll do this three times on each side, followed by two times on each side, and, finally, one time on each side.

While this sounds easy enough, sharpening knives is a skill and there are common problems shared by many beginners. For one, “rounded shoulders” on knives will be make it extremely difficult to create a straight edge. Once the rounded shoulder is removed from the knife, it is much easier to maintain the angle necessary to properly sharpen a knife. These days, there are tools that will help rid your fishing knives of their rounded shoulders should this problem develop. Once the rounded shoulders are removed, you will then be able to sharpen and hone your knives far easier.

The final step in sharpening your knife will be to hone it. Honing with steel realigns the feathered edge created from sharpening. For this step, you’ll simply pass each side of the knife’s edge over the steel a few times. You’re now ready to test your fishing knife.

By: Danny Sweeney

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