Spyderco Forums

Hello all,

I am looking for a new fishing knife to use saltwater fishing around southern California. This would primarily be for preparing bait, cutting lines, gutting fish, and other various non-filleting tasks. My primary choices are currently the Southfork and Sprig, but I am not tied down to only those options. I would love to have some input on those fixed blades, or if there happens to be a better knife out there for this application.

Definitely want to stick with something fixed. Does the extra blade length make a big difference on the Southfork, and is its thicker grind noticeable when cutting? I already have a fillet knife for the finer slicing and fish prep.

Thanks in advance!

Welcome. :)

No doubt he will chime in here but in the interim, search the forum for posts by member Surfingringo. He knows his way around salt and water and Spydercos!

Although those two knives you mentioned are absolutely awesome blades, corrosion might be an issue in a saltwater environment. Check out the aqua salts. Also, the new fish hunter might be just about perfect.

Hi Matardel. The Southfork is a great design for a fishing fixed blade, as is the Sprig. I have both and I end up using the Southfork more as it suits my fish cleaning style better. The Southfork is also significantly more "robust" so if you have the tendency to be ham handed sometimes (like me) then it's a better choice. I have tested s90v extensively in saltwater and it shows very good corrosion resistance but is nowhere near the corrosion proof nature of Lc200n and H1. I think you will enjoy either and s90v should be corrosion resistance enough as long as you aren't constantly bathing it in saltwater.

Regarding a fixed blade Salt suited to fishing and fishwork, I am eager to see something like that. My choice would be Lc200n in a 4-4.5" blade with a fairly narrow blade profile and a prominent finger guard. Something that would make a capable utility/bait knife on the water but still be optimized for removing fillets.

Surfingringo wrote:, I am eager to see something like that. My choice would be Lc200n in a 4-4.5" blade with a fairly narrow blade profile and a prominent finger guard. Something that would make a capable utility/bait knife on the water but still be optimized for removing fillets.

Yes, this please. I recently got a sprig for this type of service but even s90v needed to be wiped down religiously. Spyderco! More LC200N please.

Would love to see a frame lock Millie w/LC200n and a Phil Wilson fillet with whatever steel is decided. Hoping if I bring this up enough some day it might happen. :spyder:

Another vote for a southfork in lc200n. For a general purpose fishing/bait knife I think the fabulous Sal designed swick or even better the caspian salt in lc200n. What a great robust knife that would be especially for kayak fishing or sailing. I have lived on a 44 ft catamaran in australia for the last 13 years and this would be exactly the sort of all round boat duty knife I need. The swick with its semi hands free utilitarian design would be fantastic and definitely another vote for the fixed blade fillet knife with the long skinny blade in lc200n there could be no better. My EDC onboard is my trusty dragonfly salt. It is light and unobtrusive and the perfect size blade for most jobs around the boat. I have both the spyderedge and plain and find that for most fine rope work the plain is better suited however the edge retention issue is a problem. If sailing on the edge I carry the spyderedge blade to cut sheet ropes should the need arise. I also have two spyder edge aqua salts that are strategically positioned around the boat for the same reason. My greatest hope is that we see the dragonfly salt in lc200n that is probably my ultimate knife. As for a fillet knife I have searched for years for the ultimate fillet knife and it seems to be a largely untapped market that the guys at spyderco should explore. The sport of fishing is huge in australia and yet the rusty knife in the tackle box is still the norm. I worked on the game boats in Cairns years ago and the rust in the tropics was amazing. Guys in game fishing circles pay big money for all there gear but still no decent knives available for the sport I really don't understand it. The only fillet knife, other than the 400 dollar customs, that I have seen is the cabelas alaskan guide series S30V blade and they don't ship that knife overseas. I think a blade similar to that in lc200n with a bigger frn handle would be the ultimate fillet knife. Obviously the question is will the lc200n be suitable for these types of blades and that is for the guys that know a lot more about steels than I do to decide. Sal we wait with baited breath, pardon the pun, but if nothing else please please please the dragonfly salt for me followed very closely by both the southfork and the swick.

The LC200N mules just came out a good price for a fixed blade. They will make a great bait, and general purpose saltwater knife. I have 2 in the mail. Can't wait to try one. Also ordered a boltaron sheath to get free shipping. Imo these sheaths are better around water than the leather sheaths. Halpern was out of the scales I wanted, should be available in early May according to Jennifer. Welcome Sailhand and Mattardel, may want to consider one of the Mules. Been on our boat in the Keys the last couple weeks. Steady 20 knot winds for the last 10 days A bit better today.

is it a FACT that LC200N is better that H1 in every aspect or does H1 have come characteristic better than LC200N?
How are the LC200N mules behaving?

Thanks for the warm welcome and excellent replies! Surfingringo, I must've read all of your comments on this in the past at least three times each. I was leaning toward the SF, and I definitely want more versatility, so it's now the frontrunner for sure.

I love the idea of an LC200N SF or similar! Might pick up the Mule to complement my 20CV MT23. That's what I've been using so far, and it has got to be one of my favorite fixed blades overall. Also considering getting the Aqua Salt for heavier tasks that would just kill me to use the SF on :D

I'm a new-in-the-house Sprig-ster so this is just a thought, but seems its (nicely) thinner blade width at the bevel might make it less desirable as a fishing utility knife? Otoh its a bird & fish knife, so is probably designed for some contact with bone right?

tonijedi wrote:is it a FACT that LC200N is better that H1 in every aspect or does H1 have come characteristic better than LC200N?
How are the LC200N mules behaving?

I think H1 probably has it beat in toughness but lc200n has proven to be plenty tough in my use. I prefer lc200n in pretty much every way.

roger-roger wrote:I'm a new-in-the-house Sprig-ster so this is just a thought, but seems its (nicely) thinner blade width at the bevel might make it less desirable as a fishing utility knife? Otoh its a bird & fish knife, so is probably designed for some contact with bone right?

No worries there. The sprig is about 15 thousandths behind the edge and that is plenty thick enough for s90v...even on big fish with thick ribs.

roger-roger wrote:so is probably designed for some contact with bone right?

My Sprig has cut more hard fish bones than anything else! :rolleyes:

I'm pretty hopeless with a knife and if I can't cut bones or anything with brute force I use more brute force! If that doesn't work I'm not adverse to a little lateral pressure either. :D I've slammed it into a hardwood chopping board numerous times going through bones and all I've managed to do is snap less than 0.5mm off the tip. :eek:

Maybe S90V isn't everyone's cup of tea and the Sprig isn't the best fishing/filleting knife per se. It is however a handy little knife that does all things fishing better than average ... at least for me. :)

Bloke, Surfingringo,
Thanks for the great feedback on the Sprig. I'm definitely a fan of both of your knife/fish videos!

Hi Matterdel, Sailhand,

Welcome to our forum.

sal

Hi Guys, probably not the type of fishing that you are looking at, but I'll put a data point down here for reference. I am an enthusiastic trout fisherman (mostly spin fishing for browns and rainbows, little bit of fly fishing). I don't keep many fish, just the odd one for family friends and special occasions and mostly try to cover a lot of water during my fishing trips, working my way up a small river in semi wilderness/farmland. I am not opposed to carrying a larger fixed blade/folder but have found that a smaller blade is more convenient for most of my fishing tasks. Trimming line, tying knots, gutting/cleaning fish (trout, don't know about sea types or other types) I have used a Dragonfly in H1 plain edge which worked very well, however since I first bought my Swick 4 it hasn't missed a trip and the Dragonfly has mostly stayed at home. I find the design brilliant for just about any task I have while fishing.

An argument could be made for me to use scissors instead of a knife for a lot of this, Nah, I'm going to use a knife

Bring back the Swick #Swick5.

Would you guys consider the Sprig a bird and trout knife, or is it better suited for fish only?

I've only used my Sprig on fish but only because I haven't had a shot in a awhile.

Personally I wouldn't have any qualms field dressing anything I'm likely to encounter. Looking at it, It may not be the best skinner but I reckon like everything else this mighty little knife does it'll likely skin better than average too. :)

Has anyone compared the (Bradley) Junction to the Sprig, in terms of apex thickness and slicing ability? I figured I'd prefer the Junction over the Sprig due to its thinner overall dimension, but chose the latter for corrosion resistance. Still wondering, though.