The Fisherman's Pal isa  traditional fishing utility knife that is still being made today by R. Murphy.   There was a time when several American Knife Companies offered a knife of this pattern.  Today, only a few bother to make such a knife, especially in the United States.  The knife is exceedingly affordable.

Above:  The R Murphy Fisherman's Pal;  a sturdy, no frills utility fish knife made proudly in America.

R. Murphy Fisherman’s Pal

First impressions: 

I paid $23 for the Fisherman’s Pal.  While still in production, today, the Fisherman’s Pal is a traditional style Utility Fishing Knife and R. Murphy has been making this knife for decades.  For this reason I consider it a classic fishing knife.  The Fisherman’s pal

The Blade: 

R. Murphy describes the steel used in the knife as Cutlery Grade High Carbon Stainless Steel.  It is believed to be 440A Stainless Steel.   The blade is said to be 1.7mm thick which is slightly more than 1/16 of an inch.  The spine has a fish scaler.  R. Murphy promotional material says it can also be used to scrape hide. The knife has a visible partial tang that extends about half way through the handle.  The wide clip blade has little, if any flex.

The Handle:

The 4 inch handle is made of Bubinga Wood.  This is a hard, dense, oily wood that is sheds water and is extremely mildew resistant.  It has been a choice of wood for use around marine environments for well over 100 years.  The handle is held onto the partial tang of the blade with two brass compression rivets.

 Above: The sheath for the knife is the basic one size fits all sheath used for many R. Murphy Knives.  It is simple, well made and quite functional.

The Scabbard:

The Fisherman’s Pal comes with a pancake style soft leather sheath.  The sheath is sewn and riveted.  There is no retaining strap and the knife remains in the sheath through friction.  R. Murphy uses this same sheath for a variety of the short bladed knives.   A more expensive hard leather tube style sheath can is optional.  The loops will fit a belt upt about 1 ½ inches wide .

End of the day:

I’m really impressed with the knife but was not overly impressed with the ones size fits all sheath; at least not at first.  However, I have to admit that the sheath does what it is supposed to do quite well. It molds itself to the knife and grips it quite well. It is also well stitched and riveted.   The sheath has grown on me over time.  It does a great job holding the knife despite its lack luster appearance.

The knife is not full tang.  This is trait shared by many modern bait knives and several older utility knives. While a full tang knife provide more strength, the half tang allowed me to easily rectify another one if its short-comings; the lack of a lanyard hole! 

Above:  My personalized R. Murphy with a new lanyard hole and fish etch.

I thought that drilling a hole in the handle would be easy but I was wrong.  The Bubinga wood proved to be exceptionally hard and much more difficult than anticipated.  If you should opt to drill a lanyard hole, start with an exceedingly sharp drill bit. I would suggest first drilling a smaller pilot hole and then widening it with a drill bit of your preferred diameter to lessen the chance of splintering.  After drilling the hole, I further shaped and smooth the hole using a set of round files. As a final touch I carved a fish in the wood handle and high-lighted the engraving with white enamel. 

In all, the blade holds an edge quite well but is more prone to rust that some of the higher chromium stainless steel blades.  What really drew me to the knife is its traditional look and feel, its low price point and the fact that it is made in the USA.  If you’re looking for a quality utility fish knife at a low price with a traditional look, that can cut up and process fish and handle light camp chores then this knife is for you.  Just remember the knife doesn’t come with a lanyard hole unless you drill it yourself!

Above:  The Fisherman's Pal in its sheath. The sheath is well suited for wearing around the neck, as is the practice of the Inuit and other  indigenous Americans.   

Specifications:

Name:  Fisherman’s Pal
Brand:  R. Murphy
Country of Manufacture:  USA
Pattern:  CRX 125
Blade Steel:  [440A] High Carbon Stainless Steel
Length, overall:  8.25 in [10.8cm]
Length, blade:   4.25  in [20.96 cm]
Blade Style:   Clip point with fish scaling spine.
Tang:  1/2 tang.
Handle:  Bubinga Wood
Lanyard hole:  No
Sheath:  Leather sheath.