James RickardKeep your knife sharp!
June 4th 2009 00:28
For some, fishing really begins after you catch the fish and have to clean them.
A sharp knife is imperative to fish preparation or any activity requiring a knife. If you use a dull knife and try to cut through something like bone or hard tissue, you end up pushing the knife. Things end up being more difficult than need be and a LOT more dangerous.
To get a really good edge on a blade you need two steps—sharpening and honing.
Begin with a decent sharpening stone. Diamond impregnated stones do a great job, but they are super expensive! For that reason, most people settle for a water or oil lubricated stone. Which ever you use, wet the stone with the appropriate liquid and be sure to let it soak a few minutes and this will make sharpening both easier and quicker and the steel filings will be easier to remove from the stone.
There are a couple of ways to go about this. One is to hold the knife at an angle of about 20 degrees and draw the blade down an across the stone as if you are trying to remove a thin slice. Take two or three "slices" and then do the same for the other side of the blade.
You can also use a circular motion starting at the same 20-degree angle All you do is , wipe the blade around the stone in a circular motion. Again, keep things even and use the same number of strokes on each side.
When you sharpen a blade you actually remove metal leaving a fine edge. However, this edge bends over in time and the blade seems dull. Honing will straighten the feather.
Once your knife is good and sharp, give it a couple of strokes on something like a piece of steel. You're not a barber so forget about what you see on TV! Steel is going to be your best bet when it comes to keeping you knife sharp. Providing you have a sharp edge to begin with, honing now and then is all you're going to need for a few sessions. If you find that cutting is more difficult and honing no produces a sharp edge, sharpening with the stone is in order. Remember, honing itself, is no the act of sharpening.
Remember, once your knife is sharp, you're much better off if you constantly use it for the same task. Refrain from using a filleting knife to cut rope cut frozen bait, or fishing line. A meat knife is a meat knife and that's it! Fillets are hard enough to cut and it never helps to have a dull knife.
This is a quick look at knife sharpening. For a deeper, expanded look click here.
A sharp knife is imperative to fish preparation or any activity requiring a knife. If you use a dull knife and try to cut through something like bone or hard tissue, you end up pushing the knife. Things end up being more difficult than need be and a LOT more dangerous.
To get a really good edge on a blade you need two steps—sharpening and honing.
Begin with a decent sharpening stone. Diamond impregnated stones do a great job, but they are super expensive! For that reason, most people settle for a water or oil lubricated stone. Which ever you use, wet the stone with the appropriate liquid and be sure to let it soak a few minutes and this will make sharpening both easier and quicker and the steel filings will be easier to remove from the stone.
There are a couple of ways to go about this. One is to hold the knife at an angle of about 20 degrees and draw the blade down an across the stone as if you are trying to remove a thin slice. Take two or three "slices" and then do the same for the other side of the blade.
You can also use a circular motion starting at the same 20-degree angle All you do is , wipe the blade around the stone in a circular motion. Again, keep things even and use the same number of strokes on each side.
When you sharpen a blade you actually remove metal leaving a fine edge. However, this edge bends over in time and the blade seems dull. Honing will straighten the feather.
Once your knife is good and sharp, give it a couple of strokes on something like a piece of steel. You're not a barber so forget about what you see on TV! Steel is going to be your best bet when it comes to keeping you knife sharp. Providing you have a sharp edge to begin with, honing now and then is all you're going to need for a few sessions. If you find that cutting is more difficult and honing no produces a sharp edge, sharpening with the stone is in order. Remember, honing itself, is no the act of sharpening.
Remember, once your knife is sharp, you're much better off if you constantly use it for the same task. Refrain from using a filleting knife to cut rope cut frozen bait, or fishing line. A meat knife is a meat knife and that's it! Fillets are hard enough to cut and it never helps to have a dull knife.
This is a quick look at knife sharpening. For a deeper, expanded look click here.
Until next time--watch your line and watch yourself!
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