Features of a Spyderco knife best for fishing

[opusxpn]

I usually go for H1 models but VG10 also will work it has better edge retention on PE. My preferred knife is a Salt 1 SE and a DGF H1 SE(have it with an attached key floater to it) that is for utility and everything else but for cleaning fish I just use one of those Rapala Martini 7 1/2 fillet knives.

[Surfingringo]

Hi Jack, I can offer you my two cents on this one. I just came back from 10 days fishing on the Amazon river. I put a good bit of thought into what knife to carry and ended up bringing my serrated pacific salt. In retrospect I kind of would have preferred one of my PE knives. Corrosion in freshwater isn't really an issue and 95% of my freshwater fishing use is cutting line and a serrated edge just doesn't cut braided line as well as a razor sharp pe. Serrated edge definitely has its uses too though so honestly I think you would have a hard time picking a better folding fishing knife than your new Dyad! From the steel to the dual blades to the blade profiles, that thing might as well have been made and marketed specifically as a fishing knife. Stick that one in your pocket and call it a day. I think you made a great choice with the Dfly salt too. The beauty of h1 is you can be more cavalier with maintenance. That one can live in the tackle box and can even get put up and forgotten wet and dirty and it will be none the worse for wear. So honestly I think you already have the perfect setup. Now as soon as Spyderco decides to make one of Phil Wilsons fillet knives available to us you will obviously need one of those too!! :rolleyes: :D

[Cliff Stamp]

.... a serrated edge just doesn't cut braided line as well as a razor sharp pe

You might want to have a look at Boye's work. He is an avid fisherman and has a line of knives specifically designed as boat knives including a serration pattern he designed for ropes. I prefer a plain edge for the reason you noted, but it might be something you would be interested in. He makes plain edge versions as well.

[jackknifeh]

.... a serrated edge just doesn't cut braided line as well as a razor sharp pe

You might want to have a look at Boye's work. He is an avid fisherman and has a line of knives specifically designed as boat knives including a serration pattern he designed for ropes. I prefer a plain edge for the reason you noted, but it might be something you would be interested in. He makes plain edge versions as well.

Is it possible that a serrated edge, after quite a bit of use will cut rope better than the razor sharp plain edge after approximately the same amount of use? Therefore the serrated edge may be the better choice for a fishing boat or anywhere that a lot of rope cutting is involved.

I think about this possibility because of how everyone seems to think Spyderco's H-1 serrated edges stay sharp longer than the H-1 plain edges. I can't imagine the "steel" being any different. So maybe it's the physics of how a serrated edge cuts compared to a plain edge. I have tried to picture how a serrated edge cuts. I'm pretty sure the entire inside of every serration isn't involved with every slice. Not like the plain edge is. I've also wondered about how the entire edge of a SpyderEdge edge makes contact with the corners of the sharpmaker rods when sharpening them. I've always pictured it like a dirt bike riding over the small, continuous hills I've seen on tv. The tires of the bike don't even touch the down hill side. I'm thinking that when pulling the spyderedge across the Sharpmaker rods too quickly it would be a similar thing. Along the same lines when slicing with a spyderedge the entire surface of each serration may not have a lot of cutting to do, even if it does make light contact with the rope. I've tried sharpening serrated edges so that every single spot on the edge will easily slice thin paper. What I found was that even when 100% of the edge apex isn't super sharp the edge as a whole still performs at what seems like 100%. I think to explore it further testing would be required that I'm not equipped or prepared to do.

Jack

[Stuart Ackerman]

Remember that serrations also increase the linear edge of the blade length, compared to a PE...it may be a little bit, but it counts...

[Cliff Stamp]

Is it possible that a serrated edge, after quite a bit of use will cut rope better than the razor sharp plain edge after approximately the same amount of use?

Jack, I think that is an interesting question and it has some particular aspects. As one point of discussion :



This is David Boye slicing very thick rope. Now look at that pile of rope and ask is it practical to want/need more edge retention than what was demonstrated? The obvious answer is no - but does that end the question? Boye was cutting clean materials, which a lot of people do in edge retention trials. But unfortunately when you do actual work the opposite is true, especially on boats.

Go down to a local mooring and have a look at the ropes. They will be piled on the ground, people walk on them, the pot ropes get pretty encrusted - but that is what is being cut with the working knife a lot of the time, not clean and store bought rope. Now I am not saying all work cut rope is dirty, but some of it is obviously just like a lot of utility materials are as well. A lot of people cut cardboard with knives but again what kind of cardboard, would they do trials on the dirty boxes on the ground or carefully select the clean / new ones. I don't think that difference in media being cut can be trivially ignored.

I think there are two kinds of interesting questions :

-if we were to cut a pretty harsh material and stop when the cutting simply became difficult / inefficient, then how would a plain and serrated edge perform

and then do the same with a mild material. How much different are the numbers? I confess that I have attempted to do this several times but never completed it because trying to get a serrated edge to simply stop cutting effectively is very difficult even on abrasive media. You take a plain edge to a piece of carpet and you can hit one grit which rakes along the edge and blunts the entire thing down, this won't happen to a serrated edge.

My brother has a serrated Salt that actually has the points all rounded off from wear. I don't think he has ever sharpened it, but it can still cut. In contrast he had the plain edge for one week (he works horses as a hobby) and returned it and it was blunt to the point it was basically a butter knife, it simply could not cut at all. The edge and spine were near identical in that respect. In fact I was going to use that as a testing ground and just record the number of times he had both sharpened in a year. The problem was he never asked for the serrated one to be sharpened and gave the plain edge one back in a week and never wanted to see it again.

I don't think that answers the question fully but maybe provides some points of discussion. I would end with that in general, very general, a big point of concern in the comparison is going to be how sharp is the stopping point? The lower it goes the more it will favor the serrated edge. Similar to the more harsh the material the more it will favor the serrated edge.

[jackknifeh]

Is it possible that a serrated edge, after quite a bit of use will cut rope better than the razor sharp plain edge after approximately the same amount of use?

Jack, I think that is an interesting question and it has some particular aspects. As one point of discussion :



This is David Boye slicing very thick rope. Now look at that pile of rope and ask is it practical to want/need more edge retention than what was demonstrated? The obvious answer is no - but does that end the question? Boye was cutting clean materials, which a lot of people do in edge retention trials. But unfortunately when you do actual work the opposite is true, especially on boats.

Go down to a local mooring and have a look at the ropes. They will be piled on the ground, people walk on them, the pot ropes get pretty encrusted - but that is what is being cut with the working knife a lot of the time, not clean and store bought rope. Now I am not saying all work cut rope is dirty, but some of it is obviously just like a lot of utility materials are as well. A lot of people cut cardboard with knives but again what kind of cardboard, would they do trials on the dirty boxes on the ground or carefully select the clean / new ones. I don't think that difference in media being cut can be trivially ignored.

I think there are two kinds of interesting questions :

-if we were to cut a pretty harsh material and stop when the cutting simply became difficult / inefficient, then how would a plain and serrated edge perform

and then do the same with a mild material. How much different are the numbers? I confess that I have attempted to do this several times but never completed it because trying to get a serrated edge to simply stop cutting effectively is very difficult even on abrasive media. You take a plain edge to a piece of carpet and you can hit one grit which rakes along the edge and blunts the entire thing down, this won't happen to a serrated edge.

My brother has a serrated Salt that actually has the points all rounded off from wear. I don't think he has ever sharpened it, but it can still cut. In contrast he had the plain edge for one week (he works horses as a hobby) and returned it and it was blunt to the point it was basically a butter knife, it simply could not cut at all. The edge and spine were near identical in that respect. In fact I was going to use that as a testing ground and just record the number of times he had both sharpened in a year. The problem was he never asked for the serrated one to be sharpened and gave the plain edge one back in a week and never wanted to see it again.

I don't think that answers the question fully but maybe provides some points of discussion. I would end with that in general, very general, a big point of concern in the comparison is going to be how sharp is the stopping point? The lower it goes the more it will favor the serrated edge. Similar to the more harsh the material the more it will favor the serrated edge.

In the example of your brother it seems for the work he is doing no testing is even needed. Not unless you just wanted more accurate data. But I think your brother's story has enough data for the salesman selling knives to someone who explains the type of work he will use the knife for. Another thing about testing is you are spot on about the condition of the material being cut. You never know what you may cut in a day. Other than rope, a good example is carpet. Cutting new carpet and cutting carpet that has been removed from the average home is completely different. There is lots of dirt, sand, doggie poop, etc. in carpet. How come we track all this stuff into the house but we never track it out? :confused: And when we see the old carpet being removed and what is still on the floor it's usually amazing. And we think our vacuums work! :) This is sort of funny to me because I have some experience selling Rainbow vacuums. Oops, I mean Rainbow cleaning systems. :)

Jack

[Surfingringo]

.... a serrated edge just doesn't cut braided line as well as a razor sharp pe

You might want to have a look at Boye's work. He is an avid fisherman and has a line of knives specifically designed as boat knives including a serration pattern he designed for ropes. I prefer a plain edge for the reason you noted, but it might be something you would be interested in. He makes plain edge versions as well.

Is it possible that a serrated edge, after quite a bit of use will cut rope better than the razor sharp plain edge after approximately the same amount of use? Therefore the serrated edge may be the better choice for a fishing boat or anywhere that a lot of rope cutting is involved.

I think about this possibility because of how everyone seems to think Spyderco's H-1 serrated edges stay sharp longer than the H-1 plain edges. I can't imagine the "steel" being any different. So maybe it's the physics of how a serrated edge cuts compared to a plain edge. I have tried to picture how a serrated edge cuts. I'm pretty sure the entire inside of every serration isn't involved with every slice. Not like the plain edge is. I've also wondered about how the entire edge of a SpyderEdge edge makes contact with the corners of the sharpmaker rods when sharpening them. I've always pictured it like a dirt bike riding over the small, continuous hills I've seen on tv. The tires of the bike don't even touch the down hill side. I'm thinking that when pulling the spyderedge across the Sharpmaker rods too quickly it would be a similar thing. Along the same lines when slicing with a spyderedge the entire surface of each serration may not have a lot of cutting to do, even if it does make light contact with the rope. I've tried sharpening serrated edges so that every single spot on the edge will easily slice thin paper. What I found was that even when 100% of the edge apex isn't super sharp the edge as a whole still performs at what seems like 100%. I think to explore it further testing would be required that I'm not equipped or prepared to do.

Jack

Hey Jack, yes, that is quite possible but not relevant to my fishing use. When we cut line it is usually a very precise cut of the tag line coming off a knot. i.e. Very close to the knot without cutting the main lines and without creating any fray. The way I do it is by pinching the braided line (or mono) against the side of the blade with my right thumb and folding the line across the edge where it needs to be cut. A very sharp pe will push through even heavy braid on contact. I do the same thing with my serrated knives but use the inside of a single scallop. As sharp as I am able to get my SE knives, it's hard to keep them at that same level so what can happen is instead of instantly cutting, the braid will slide across the edge and fray/bunch up the braid. It's not a huge deal and I can make a se work just fine by adjusting the angle and pressure (and of course by keeping them extra sharp) but if I knew that I was going to be cutting line like that all day I would use a pe knife because it just flat out works better. I like se knives but honestly the number one reason I favor them on my kayak is because se H1 outperforms pe by such a wide margin. If I was choosing an ideal knife for freshwater fishing it would be somethhing with pe in a highly stainless steel with higher wear resistance than h1. When I go with H1 for low maintenance and corrosion resistance I always go serrated. Again, just my 2¢

One other observation. I often hear people talk about fishing, serrated edges and rope cutting in the same sentence. Where is all this rope?? :). I don't really recall cutting any rope while fishing...pretty much ever. Some folks' experience might vary and obviously a sailor or long liner would have a different set of needs but ask your local bass, perch, pike, inshore fisherman how much rope they have cut in the last year. You will hear a lot of them answer "zero". On top of that I much prefer a low grit finish plain edge for rope cutting over a serrated edge. So there...now I'm up to 4¢. :D

[arty]

I have been going fishing since I was a little kid, and I have been collecting Social Security for a few years now. I have never cut rope with my fishing knife, or with any knife while going fishing.
I have cut lots of rope when moving, or preparing to move, but not while fishing.

[BTG]

I just got this yesterday, but think it would make a great fishing knife.
Tasman salt

[Doc Dan]

I was going to suggest a Manbug and a Dyad, but I see you got it covered.

[jackknifeh]

Dragonfly serrated salt came today. It has the normal yellow handle. I have no idea why it looks like this. I took the first picture with a camera then copied it to my computer then uploaded it to photobucket. The picture on my pc looked normal. Once it got on photobucket it changed. :confused:



This picture I uploaded directly to photobucket by taking a picture from my tablet. It looks similar. :confused:


But it's here. :) Does anyone have any ideas what has happened to my photobucket uploading? Don't have time to play with it right now.

Jack

[JD Spydo]

I was going to suggest a Manbug and a Dyad, but I see you got it covered.

I've been preaching for at least 8 years how good a fishing knife that any of the Dyad models could potentially be. But by all means before you take a blade of that caliber out fishing you definitely want to rig up some type of lanyard system. The heartbreak of having a knife that means that much to me falling overboard would have me going to the doctor for a script of Prozac or something like it if I lost one of my Dyads :rolleyes:

Even the smaller C-39 Dyad Junior models or even the Micro Dyads would all be good but don't do it without a lanyard.

[jackknifeh]

I was going to suggest a Manbug and a Dyad, but I see you got it covered.

I've been preaching for at least 8 years how good a fishing knife that any of the Dyad models could potentially be. But by all means before you take a blade of that caliber out fishing you definitely want to rig up some type of lanyard system. The heartbreak of having a knife that means that much to me falling overboard would have me going to the doctor for a script of Prozac or something like it if I lost one of my Dyads :rolleyes:

Even the smaller C-39 Dyad Junior models or even the Micro Dyads would all be good but don't do it without a lanyard.

There was a cermercial on tv many years ago regarding the warranty on Craftsman tools. While narrator was talking saying there's only one way we won't replace a craftsman tool is like this. As he was saying that there was a guy in a fishing boat and he dropped his Craftsman pliers (I think) in the lake. :eek: Of course you can picture the look on his face. :)

[jackknifeh]

I"m back. :) I would appreciate any info on the products I purchase if anyone cares to. Having been away from fishing for so long I have no idea what is out there, what is considered good, bad, great quality, etc. Yesterday I bought a small(er) and a larger tackle box, quite a few lures, box of soft lures (worms, crawfish, etc.) and a rod and reel. I got a Quantum rod/reel combo at Wal Mart. Cost $50 I think. Its a TRX60F reel and a QX36S662M rod.
ROD
http://www.quantumfishing.com/product/4387/QX36.aspx" target="_blank
REEL
http://www.quantumfishing.com/product/4087/Triax.aspx" target="_blank

Based on the cost of this rod/reel I'd consider it on the low end of average quality. However, in the past buncha years technology has come a long way. Some products are better quality even at the lower costs. Like Tenacious or a Manix2 example. I'm thinking I bought a Tenacious type rod/reel. Can anyone give me an idea of what is good or bad about this set, what I could expect from something else, basically any info. I casted in the yard some and it feels ok. But again, since it's been about 100 years since I held a rod I wouldn't recognize how sensitive it is or anything. Especially until I actually cast it into some water. :) Even if I bought a great quality rod/reel I doubt if I'd be able to tell the difference in it and the one I did buy. My thinking is I'll be fishing for a max weight fish of 5 lbs. I remember catching a bass when I was a kid and it was just under 5 lbs. It was quite a bit larger than any other fish I remember catching. Bass and bluegill a lot. So how is this rod/reel for fish 5 lbs and under? I got two spools (220 yds) of 14 lbs Spider Wire line. A couple of guys were standing there talking and I asked them about line. According to them I should stay away from the $2-$3 spools. The others are pretty good but the Spider Wire is about as good as it gets. Accurate? Not accurate? Personal opinion? How much "personal opinion" is a part of how good or bad a particular rod or reel is? I'm guessing it's about 20% quality and 80% just what you like. Similar to knives and personal opinion.

Pictures of what I'm starting with. Any comments, good or bad are welcome. I want to start with a decent assortment but I don't want to buy tons of stuff I wind up not using.

Tackle box


Tackle box open. Recommendations on lures. Anything.


Reel spray and lure spray. Good and bad about these things please.


Box of soft lures





My son and I are going to Jackson Guard (military base permit, info.) tomorrow and hope to learn a lot about the local area. What fish are where. Just about anything we learn will be info we don't have now. I was looking at the Bass pro site and saw a few things I may want. One is a couple of rod holders for bank fishing. My grandson, being 5 probably won't want to sit there watching a bobber. That will get boring after about 2 minutes (if that). So he can sit his rod in a holder and fart around. Either my son or I will probably be next to his rod to watch it and call him if he gets anything. I don't remember fishing when I was 5. I was older and actually wanted to catch fish. Jackson (grandson)? I have no idea what he will like about it. I'm looking forward to how he feels about fishing or will he rather throw rocks? :)

Any input in appreciated.

Jack
Edit
The smaller tackle box has 4 or 5 plastic boxes in it and pockets for other stuff. I haven't put anything in it yet.

[jackknifeh]

I went to a lake this morning. I got lots of casting practice. :) I have a spinning reel and needed to get used to using one again. I've very uncoordinated right now. This was the first time casting in many years except for out in the yard. If I had even gotten a bite it would have been more than I was really after. Would have been good though. There was a fixed something (man made) out in the water about 40-50 feet from me. I used it as a target plus I thought there may be a big bass hiding under there. It was a little chilly and a little windy. Son, grandson and I are going tomorrow. Probably make an afternoon fishing trip since it's still a little chilly in the mornings. Lots of learning going to happen this summer I think. :) Locations, what fish are where, what baits to use, etc. I'm thinking about getting a small used boat. I don't have the money to get a "real" fishing boat. :)

Jack

[Surfingringo]

Hey Jack, looks like you've got a great start there. I don't see any worm hooks but I assume you have some in there. Learn to fish those Flukes! That is a great lure!! The spiderwire is good stuff but I prefer their braided line. Whatever, you can look at that next year. :).

You are correct, there is going to be a lot of learning going on this summer. That would be a very exciting idea for me because learning and getting better at something is by far my favorite part of any hobby. The number one piece of advice I can give to you would be to find out who is a good fisherman in your area and find a convenient way to have a conversation with them. I imagine if you explained what you were doing with your grandson and pleaded ignorance you would get some great tips! Most folks love sharing knowledge when someone is genuinely interested in what they have to share.

Have fun!

[PiterM]

Fishing Spyderco? Catcherman of course! Like this one:

[- SpyderMan -]

Hey Jack, looks like you've got a great start there. I don't see any worm hooks but I assume you have some in there. Learn to fish those Flukes! That is a great lure!! The spiderwire is good stuff but I prefer their braided line. Whatever, you can look at that next year. :).

You are correct, there is going to be a lot of learning going on this summer. That would be a very exciting idea for me because learning and getting better at something is by far my favorite part of any hobby. The number one piece of advice I can give to you would be to find out who is a good fisherman in your area and find a convenient way to have a conversation with them. I imagine if you explained what you were doing with your grandson and pleaded ignorance you would get some great tips! Most folks love sharing knowledge when someone is genuinely interested in what they have to share.

Have fun!

All great advice!

Also, get yourself a couple packs of Yamamoto Senko's (I use 5" most often) and some Owner or Gamakatsu 4/0 EWG hooks. Texas rig it weightless, toss it out and let it work it's magic! :)

[jackknifeh]

Pleading ignorance is one thing I think I can handle. Won't even need to practice. :) I would love to get a catcherman in the future. I saw one the other day somewhere on the computer. Ebay maybe. It was $99 I think. I think that's high compared to when they were readily available but I wasn't surprised. But I have plenty of knives to get me buy and since I had absolutely nothing in fishing equipment a couple of weeks ago the needed fishing gear is taking priority.

I may find a local friend sometime this summer. Time will tell. Met one guy at the lake today and talked just for a minute. He was photographing the lake so we didn't talk fishing. But fishing always has been a great friend maker. I'm out to a good start though. I did hook my thumb this morning. :) Just a little prick though. Not even close to sinking the barb. :eek: No ER visits yet. :p

I have a selection of hooks. One thing I bought is a round pack with a variety. I don't remember all the different hooks before. Now there are all sort of shapes. Maybe they were available before and I just didn't use them. :confused:

There is a small store a couple of miles from the lake. I stopped in there the other day and they had worms. May try them with a bobber tomorrow. I prefer lures just because I don't like watching a bobber. But if fish are biting you don't need to stare at it for long. :) Maybe someone in there can give me some tips about how to fish in Karick lake.

Jack