Damascus Fillet Knife, 9 Inch Blade with Stag Antler Handle

A whole salmon is a long cut. It runs from the collar to the tail, and a short blade turns that into sawing. This one carries a 9 inch blade, enough to travel a big fish in one pass. The steel is Damascus over a carbon core. The handle is stag antler, which is why this one tends to sit out on a shelf between trips.

Specification

The blade

The blade is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core, etched so the ladder pattern shows in bands down the blade. The edge is taken to a fine bright line. Ground thin and narrow, with an upswept tip for starting under the skin. There is give in it. Enough to follow the ribs and ride along the backbone, enough backbone of its own that the tip goes where you send it. Under the pattern it is carbon steel. It darkens with use, and it will spot if you leave it wet.

The handle

Stag antler is not smooth. The outside keeps its ridges and hollows, and that texture is what you want with wet hands and fish oil on everything. Two brass pins hold the scales on a full tang that runs the whole way to the butt, keeping the weight back near your fingers. Five inches of handle gives you room to move. Choke up behind the heel for the collar, then slide your hand back for the long run down to the tail.

The leather sheath

The sheath is vegetable tanned leather, stitched by hand. The face is hand carved with an oak leaf pattern, cut and shaded into the leather rather than printed on it. A welt sits inside the edge so the stitching stays clear of the steel, and a snap strap closes over the handle. It covers the blade only, so think of it as storage and carrying rather than a belt rig.

Who it suits

This is the longest fillet blade in the range, and it goes out to people working on big fish.

• Anyone filleting salmon and other long bodied fish
• Buyers who want to take a side off in one pass
• People who prefer a natural handle to a synthetic one
• Anyone who wants the knife on show between trips

What comes in the box

• The 9 inch Damascus fillet knife
• The hand carved leather sheath
• A care card
• A free laser engraving quote on request

Every piece is different

Every blade is forged and finished by hand, and no two come out the same. The ladder pattern never lands the same way twice. Antler is a grown thing, so color and thickness change from handle to handle, and the carving on the sheath is cut by a person. Yours will not match the photographs.

Looking after it

Hand wash it, and do it as soon as you are done. Dry it straight away, right into the joint where the scales meet the steel. Then a light coat of food safe mineral oil before it goes back in the sheath. Cut on wood or plastic, not glass or stone, and keep it out of the dishwasher. Gray patina on the blade is normal. More in our care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade, added here on the page. Around 30 characters fits, which covers a name and a date. We send a proof image before the laser runs, so nothing goes on the steel until you have seen it. Add 3 to 5 business days to the order. Free on orders of 10 or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

Is 9 inches too much knife? Not for salmon or anything with length. For panfish it is more blade than the job needs.

What is the ladder pattern? It is how the Damascus was forged and etched, bands running across the steel.

Will the antler stand up to wet work? Yes, if you dry it and do not leave it in a sink.

Will it rust? The core is carbon steel, so it can. It darkens with use, which is normal, and it spots if put away wet.

Can I keep it out on a shelf? Plenty of buyers do. Wipe a little oil on the blade first.

When will it get here? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days. Engraving adds a few days.

For the same pattern on a different handle there is the Damascus fillet knife on camel bone, and for something brighter in a tackle bag there is the Damascus fillet knife with a blue resin handle. The rest sits in fillet and boning knives, the other antler pieces in stag horn handle knives, and it sits in gifts for him as well.