Replies to This Discussion

KnifeMakerPermalink Reply by Carl Rechsteiner on August 27, 2015 at 5:36

I always used whatever I had in my pocket - most often a Case 6483 (?) smaller version of 3 blade congress. Now I usually carry one of my small blacksmith knives since they just clip to my belt loop/button hole in a dangler sheath or one of my neck knives like this one:

However my Mom, a very avid trout angler all her life always carried this one I made her....one of my early forged blades.

She was still wade fishing for trout in N GA streams at the age of 82 and still catching fish.

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on August 27, 2015 at 12:43

Carl, that is fantastic about your mother!  I love stories like that.  I bet money wouldn't buy that knife from you!  And aside from that, it is a really neat knife.

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on August 27, 2015 at 12:51

Tobias, I actually don't have a knife in my tackle box.  But when I go fishing I have my normal EDC in my pocket, a Rough Rider RR718 work knife and my Leatherman Micra.  But this discussion had gotten me to thinking that maybe I should buy another RR fish knife and stick it in my tackle box.

Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on August 27, 2015 at 15:35

Charles and Carl, I think your approach towards tackle box knives will probably be par for the course - that is what ever knife you happen to carry regularly.   Carl, both of the knives you showed are great.  Your mom's looks like a great little caper or B&T style of knife.

As this is a knife group, and this list a sub-group of knife collectors who happen to fish, I'm guessing more than one of us happen to collect fish-knives.  I've easily got 50 folding fish-knives and at least 20 fixed blade knives made with the angler in mind.  

I have three folding knives, all Swiss Army Knives,  that are kept with my tackle.  And While Victorinox and Wenger both make Swiss Army Fishing Knives, and I won examples of all of them, none of the ones in my tackle box were made for fishing!  (I also have three fixed blades that I will discuss later)

The three knives are:

The Wenger Manicure knife, the Victorinox Explorer, and the Victorinox Outrider.

The manicure knife isn't really a knife but I use it often and it has proven invaluable.

Not shown in the photo is the small scissors which can be used for cutting line.  However I bought this tool because of the file which comes in handy sharpening hooks and the nail clippers which I use to trim line when typing knots. The tool replaced the small blade with a eyeglasses screwdriver which I'm modifying into a pin point in order to clean out painted over eyes on jig heads. Talk about a handy fishing tool!

Next up is the Victorinox Explorer.

I like it for the magnifying glass, and the Phillips screwdriver and the scissors. It is really just a back up in case I don't have my Outrider.  It fits neatly in a tray in the tackle box so it is there if I need it.

My main knife that gets the most use, even more so than the fixed blades is my Victorinox Outrider.

At 111mm (4 3/8 inches) closed is it is a big knife. I carry it in a belt sheath. It has a locking blade and a saw blade but more importantly it has scissors and scissor often come in handy.   Some of the other tools are not as important but they have seen use, especially the cap lifter.  LOL. I'm thinking seriously of modifying the #1 Phillips screwdriver into a straight spike as this will be more useful than the awl mounted on the spine.

I suppose some one want pliers on a Swiss Army Knife but I have dedicated needle nose pliers and hemostats in the box for hook removal.  I also have other hook removers that are easier to use and cause less damage to fish than the ones found on fish-knives. 

While I could probably clean and gut a fish with the Outrider it would make a lousy fillet knife.  But then this is why I carry it when fishing.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on August 27, 2015 at 16:27

WOW!!   Your mom sure has good taste in fish and knives!

Carl Rechsteiner said:

I always used whatever I had in my pocket - most often a Case 6483 (?) smaller version of 3 blade congress. Now I usually carry one of my small blacksmith knives since they just clip to my belt loop/button hole in a dangler sheath or one of my neck knives like this one:

However my Mom, a very avid trout angler all her life always carried this one I made her....one of my early forged blades.

She was still wade fishing for trout in N GA streams at the age of 82 and still catching fish.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on August 27, 2015 at 16:30

Since this is our first season of smaller fish and no boat, I dont have one in there yet.  So here I am checking out what you all have in yours :)

KnifeMakerPermalink Reply by Carl Rechsteiner on August 28, 2015 at 6:13

Dad was a fish, cut bait, or stay home kind of guy. So Mom decided early on that she wasn't going to cut bait or stay home and learned to fish. She was very competitive which made Dad nuts, because she was faster through the laurels and would beat him to the "spot" most the time. She would have made a great bass fisherman tournament wise, but preferred the solitude of the trout stream.

Had to replace the leather thong several times, but she kept it razor sharp and could unzip a string of trout in a matter of minutes. She dropped it once in a deep hole (10' +/-) and came back soaked to the bone but had her knife (she was 68 at the time). Was a little irritated 'cause she drowned all her crickets. I nearly got a wuppin by an old lady for laughing too loud, but Dad was slower and I escaped. Great memories.

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on August 28, 2015 at 9:38

Carl that is a fantastic story.  Stories like that make for wonderful memories.