I recently received the Dark Water Fillet Knife to test, just in time to test it out on removing the rib bones on some silver salmon that I was about to smoke. Me and my family flew to Alaska and fished with the legendary Waterfall Resort in July and brought back a supply of fresh fillets that will carry us through the winter.

I'm sure that there is something better than smoked salmon, but.... God hasn't created it yet! Salmon are the perfect fish to smoke. They're oily, so they'll soak up your marinate. Here's how I smoke mine. Mix brown sugar, salt, a little white sugar, a teaspoon of pepper, a teaspoon of ginger, and a bowl of warm water in a bowl. Warm water helps all of the ingredients dissolve. After stirring, pour into a bag big enough to hold the fillet flat. Next, pour in ½ bowl of cool water that will cool down the marinade.

Now, slip the fillets into the bag, ensuring they're laying flat. I used to marinate my fillets in a pan, but doing it in a bag covers all of the surfaces with marinating better. Lay in the frig skin down so the meat is covered. Flip every hour or so. You'll want to marinade for 4-24 hours.

Then slap the fillets on a previously soaked wood plank and throw on your Camp Chef pellet smoker and smoke. For fish I like to use fruit wood such as apple wood. Five minutes before pulling off, drizzle on honey. Feast!

Now back to the Dark Water Fillet Knife. The rib bones pop off easily after smoking but I like to remove them before smoking/marinading for ease of eating and so the marinate permeating the fillet a little better. (I also pull the upper row of bones with a small pair of needle nose pliers. This also lets the marinate permeate the fillet better).

Since I had to remove the rib bones from some silver fillets that I was about to smoke, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to check out the Dark Water Fillet Knife. At first glance, I thought the width of the blade was a little too small, coming in at 5/8", but upon using it, that fear was dispelled.

The Dark Water Fillet Knife has the correct amount of flex for filleting out your fresh catch. Of course the first test that a new knife gets is if it is sharp. It sliced the rib cage off like hot butter. It was razor sharp. The next test. You can remove the rib cage with a fire axe but it is not the proper tool and would leave too much meat on the bones.

After removing the rib cage, I held it up to the light. I could easily see through the thin sheet of meat that was left holding the rib bones together. No meat is wasted using this knife.

Everyone has a different sized/shaped hand, but the handle on the Dark Water Fillet Knife fits my hand perfectly and is comfortable to work with. I also like the front finger guard. It not only prevents your pointer finger from slipping forward onto the blade but it also greatly enhances your grip. It has a slight swell in the middle of the handle to further enhance your grip. If you like a lanyard on your knives, it has a hole to tie on one.

It also comes with a functional nylon sheath that has a belt loop. This will protect you from getting cut when you carry it in your boat or throw it into your tackle box. Don't buy a straight-bladed knife if it doesn't come with a sheath.

I could not find the MSRP on the company website for the Dark Water Fillet Knife but it is listed on the internet at $7.24 on up to $15.98.

About Tom Claycomb

Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman and an outdoor writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net, and freelances for numerous magazines and newspapers. "To properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening #ad for $.99 if you're having trouble."