Mark Knapp

Wha'd you say?

Grog, I'm glad you answered back. It is sometimes suspicious when someone with 1 post never answers back to answers to his questions. It happens all the time. I call it a "Hit and run" Have fun, fish well, and stay safe.

It takes a smart fly tier to fix these complicated problems.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean. In Alaska, we never get a drought. We have multiple species to fish from warm water to cold water to the ocean. We have about a hundred species to fish and daylight 24 hours a day in the summer. Still, there are some people that don't like Alaska (Mike Chell) This weekend we fished for 20 inch grayling in crystal clear running water. Later this this week, halibut, rock fish and ling in the ocean. Sorry to gloat. (Occupational therapy) Sorry for you, come up here for a bit, we got water.

Really great stuff guys.

One of my wife's favorite slogans.

I see people using electric knives for salmon, sunfish and bass, all species really, but I just can't get my head around it. A manual knife always works (if it's sharp).

Choosing a good or great fillet knife for salmon involves more, what kind of salmon you want to fillet, than what brand to buy. The best fillet knife for Kings (Chinook Salmon) is seldom the best one for any other kind of salmon. I have made a little less than a hundred fillet knives (many more of all other styles) and the question I ask first is what kind of fish one wants to fillet, or more correctly, what size. Many manufacturers make knives in sizes suitable for all kinds of salmon except Kings. Very few manufacturers make them large enough for kings, Bubba is the most notable for king sized knives. For pinks I'd choose about a six or seven incher, for Chum, Coho, Sockeye, and Atlantic salmon I'd get something around 8 to 10 inches and for Chinooks you should get one about 12 inches long. Wielding a blade longer or shorter than you need is really a nuisance and it's easy to do a poor job with one. It should be long, narrow and thin, flexible and stainless, with a good grippy handle (some kind of plastic is best for a working knife). Many brands are fine for the 5 smaller species of salmon. The ones already mentioned and some others. Rapala makes salmon size knives, up to about ten inches. Fiskers are good, Cutco, and a few others are good. I have an Orvis that's really pretty good. Forschner and Wusthof knives are both great. Forschner are less expensive than Wusthof. I would stay away from Stanley and Chicago fillet knives. They both make good stuff but not fillet knives IMHO. Just a side note, I just had the pleasure of helping Steve Ross, Bob Ross's son and his business partner make two fillet knives in my shop. It was a real blast, or, as we say at The Cutting Edge, "Never a dull moment" Hope this helps, MK

Both are fine.

Flexiblity is a function of thinness (needs to be thin) not hardness or softness. The steel needs to be hard to flex, and hold an edge. If not hard enough, it will neither hold an edge nor flex (It will bend and not flex back if not hard enough). When I make knives, I aim for 59-60 Hardness on the Rockwell "C" scale. And, you are right, a fillet knife needs to be flexible. Rapala or Normark are both fine makes.

I do not have one, my wife has one. Yours sounds very cool but much larger than I had expected. I see girls have some so I expect you can handle it pretty good😁.

I have often tied without a bobbin holder on "survival trips" with found feathers and fur and sock yarn. Then, caught fish with them. It's a worthwhile endeavor.

Wow, Nice water, nice flies and nice fish. You are very fortunate. Thank you for showing us your stuff.

We don't use any cleats because we use a lot of rubber boats here. It's against the law to use felt because of fear of spreading invasive species. T^hose are the only two drawbacks to living in Alaska that I can think of. ( Mike Chell). We have calks we can slip over regular waders when we are wading.

A friend of mine says only people that are too lazy to look for a tool put them away after each job.

I personally would not cross the street to see him.

I figured out it's the contrast of colors in flies like these that make me like them so much

I like the spruce moth muddler. Lots of applications up here.

Nice find. Have fun.

The highlight was the 112 pound halibut I caught. It was on conventional gear. The weather was not suitable for fly fishing. I wish the best health for everybody.

Getting old is not for sissies. Glad you are not one.

Flytier has him.

I thought he'd say that.

I'd give a few bucks for just a handful of Squatches fur.

Getting older is not for wimps. Thanks all for the well wishes, and well wishes for all.