Thanks Caleb, I enjoyed your experiment. A statistician would employ a t-test and very very likely tell you that there was likely no difference in your times between the 2 methods. I think that other factors should also be considered when deciding which is best for oneself: cost of knives, ease of operation (e.g., no need to charge the conventional knife), how strenuous on your hands, safety of both methods, cost of replacement blades, time to sharpen conventional knife, etc. We did a simple blind taste test of fresh walleye and largemouth bass fillets in my house. Four tasters, 3 samples of walleye and 3 of bass. For each bite each individual would have to assess whether he was eating bass or walleye. If you just randomly guessed, each person should score 3 of 6 correct. Person A had 1 of 6 correctly identified; Person B 2 of 6 correct; Person C 2 of 6 correct; and Person D 3 of 6 correct. So, for fresh walleye (from and 18-inch fish) and fresh bass (15-inch fish), caught from same lake and cooked side-by-side in a frying pan, these 4 people could not correctly identify walleye vs. bass. I concluded that walleye is over-rated as a food; OR that fresh largemouth bass is under-rated. I've considered labeling my packages of bass fillets that I give away as "walleyes" to see if anyone would notice. I had my son do a similar blind taste test on me with crappie vs walleye. He slightly mashed each cooked piece to obscure the texture. I incorrectly identified them . (Again, walleye might be over-rated.) I did a blind taste test on my wife; perch vs bluegills. She said that the taste was identical. She was able to identify them, she says, only because the texture of the perch was firmer. I'd love to see you do some taste tests comparing walleyes, bass, pike, bluegills, crappies, and perch with your friends/family. My hypothesis would be that for most of our local fish, people can't tell them apart, especially if texture is obscurred. Thanks for considering, Dave (Spooner)
Thanks for the comment! Yes, I agree the time difference was negligible enough that I could have declared a tie. But what fun is that? 😂 also, I’m a big advocate for eating smaller largemouth bass. I agree, if taken care of properly, largemouth bass are equal to walleye in table fare. Maybe I’ll do some taste testing this winter!
I like the electric better. I never cut out the pin bone. I use the 7" conventional Bubba to carve them off the fillet because I can get much closer and save meat, but the pin bones seem to dissolve when I fry them. I've never tried grilled crappie but I'm sure they would not dissolve if grilled. In the early 80's I would fillet with a conventional knife, but when I found the cheapo Mr Twister I have used it since. Tried a Rapala 25yrs ago and hated it, but would like to try the bubba electric knife.
Very cool. I’ve just gotten into fishing a few months ago and learning all I can. I’ve been pulling them up but I’ve only kept 2 so far lol. A 6” bluegill and a 21” 5 lb bass. I absolutely murdered the fillet on the bluegill but we still got a few bits in the pan and the kids had a blast watching me massacre the process. The bass went much better. Way more meat and I actually got all the bones out except these little mystery bones… I need to look up the pin bones you were cutting out. I’m assuming that’s what they were. Either way, neither fish was done with an actual fillet knife. I did the bass with a very sharp boning knife that a friend of mine that an fda meat inspector gifted me. Did a much better job than the knife I used for the bluegill but I can see where the flex of a true fillet knife would make things easier. Great video.
I have the Bubba blade Pro Lithium & that's all I use to clean my fish & I know I'm faster with it than a conventional knife. I love my Bubba Blade Pro Lithium & I'll never go back to a conventional knife unless I have a break down with the electric. My opinion, I'm sure there are some that feel differently. Just giving my 2 cents worth!! Tight lines & be well!!👍👍 Danny W
I feel like you have a good handle on the electric until it comes time to get the ribs out. Maybe that can be done well with an electric with some practice, but in the electric knife fillet videos I've seen on other channels, they use the electric knife to get the fillet off the fish and then use a conventional knife to remove the ribs and pin bones. That might save you a couple seconds per fish and give you cleaner fillets at the end.
Yeah. It’s probably best to do it that way if you have a pile of fish. Just cut the fillets off the carcasses and cut ribs out later all together with the conventional.
@@calebwistad Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. This is just based on what I've seen though. I'm still very inexperienced and have been watching a bunch of your videos to learn and get better lol
I don’t know if anybody’s told you, but I just watched one of your programs. I’m using electric knife on crappie instead of going back to redo your pin bones. Take your cut there and just cut the pin bones and the Ribs right out the same time.
Enjoy all the videos. You have definitely sold me on a Bubba knife as my next purchase! I had a question on the fillet table..did you make it yourself?
Thanks! Yes, I built it. I designed it to overhang my utility sink so I can squeegee the table off right into the sink. The cutting top is made from an discarded plastic road sign. Made a perfect cutting surface! If you are going to buy a Bubba I’d appreciate a purchase through one of the links in my video descriptions. That way I get a little commission for the sale which really helps me be able to make more videos. Tight Good luck and tight lines!
I will definitely purchase through you! Great videos! I have a utility sink. What would you recommend for a fillet table? Other than a sign? Or an old stop sign
To me if you can fillet a panfish under a minute that’s great👍I probably have filleted with regular and electric about the same mostly bluegills, crappie, perch. Bluegills way more and either way is good, I use electric more cause it’s convenient and no sharpening!!
I have really come to like and prefer electric knives b/c the double serrated blades don't seem to need resharpening. I catch speckled trout (saltwater trout) and have fillet probably close to a thousand over the years and for most of that time i had one electric fillet knife with the same set of blades on it and they cut just as good years later as they do in the beginning and have never been resharpened. A regular knife you have to keep the blade sharp and you might have to resharpen while you're filleting a large batch of fish if it's a cheap steel. That's just one thing you dont have to worry about with electric knife and they are actually very low in cost usually - $20-30 for an electric corded knife.
leave the skin on to rib the fillet, WIll make ribs come out easier and cleaner. skin after ribbing. With practice you will be way faster with the electric. Its all I use now...
It seems there is a bit more waste with the electric one, the filet with the manual one was looking better. With the electric one, there was no meat under the pin bones after you took them off. That’s why I prefer to take my time with a conventional one, it is more precise.
I guess on bigger fish it’s nicer but probably a combination of a rough job with the electric one and a finest job with the conventional could be a good idea.
On larger panfish and game fish there is a row of bones that runs down the spine and is left in the fillet once you remove it from the fish. In small panfish the bones will cook out but in larger fish, especially game fish, they are very noticeable.
@@calebwistad I guess one question I forgot to ask. I don’t think you mentioned it. Is how long does the 7” blade last, before having to buy a replacement? I’m thinking there’s no way to sharpen them?
as someone in the food industry and a lifetime fisherman. I prefer a good conventional knife over an electric. more precise cuts. but with the electric I would just take the pin bones and ribs in one cut. same meat loss basically.
When filleting smaller fish the electric knife and regular knife are going to have results close to the same but when filleting larger fish like deep salt water fish that's where the electric knife is going to come out ahead by a landslide. None of the deck hands that fillet red snapper, triggerfish, etc at the end of a charter fishing trip use regular knives. All of them use electric knives. They can fillet an entire giant cooler of fish in a really short amount of time and the fillets are gorgeous. Electric knives have a harder time with smaller fish like crappie/bream.
On smaller panfish like crappie an electric knife won't be a major time-saver over a conventional blade. For larger fish, electric knives make a huge difference. I'm not great with a conventional knife and cut through backbone, etc. every now and again. I own a Bubba Pro series Li-ion, the blades just rip through with far less effort compared to a conventional knife...the flex blades ride perfectly along the backbone and don't cut through it. Once you get used to the powered reciprocating blades, there's no going back to conventional knives.
It is true, you get better fillets and waste less meat with a conventional knife. However if you have alot of fish to fillet, the electric knife will safe a whole lot of time, at-least for the “average guy”, crappie are also an easy to fillet fish. I think you would notice a much larger difference when filling other types of fish.
@@calebwistad I like the American Angler best but they don’t make a cordless model. Best other option is a rapala R12 model. Fast motor and smooth cut.
Thanks Caleb, I enjoyed your experiment. A statistician would employ a t-test and very very likely tell you that there was likely no difference in your times between the 2 methods. I think that other factors should also be considered when deciding which is best for oneself: cost of knives, ease of operation (e.g., no need to charge the conventional knife), how strenuous on your hands, safety of both methods, cost of replacement blades, time to sharpen conventional knife, etc.
We did a simple blind taste test of fresh walleye and largemouth bass fillets in my house. Four tasters, 3 samples of walleye and 3 of bass. For each bite each individual would have to assess whether he was eating bass or walleye. If you just randomly guessed, each person should score 3 of 6 correct. Person A had 1 of 6 correctly identified; Person B 2 of 6 correct; Person C 2 of 6 correct; and Person D 3 of 6 correct. So, for fresh walleye (from and 18-inch fish) and fresh bass (15-inch fish), caught from same lake and cooked side-by-side in a frying pan, these 4 people could not correctly identify walleye vs. bass. I concluded that walleye is over-rated as a food; OR that fresh largemouth bass is under-rated. I've considered labeling my packages of bass fillets that I give away as "walleyes" to see if anyone would notice.
I had my son do a similar blind taste test on me with crappie vs walleye. He slightly mashed each cooked piece to obscure the texture. I incorrectly identified them . (Again, walleye might be over-rated.)
I did a blind taste test on my wife; perch vs bluegills. She said that the taste was identical. She was able to identify them, she says, only because the texture of the perch was firmer.
I'd love to see you do some taste tests comparing walleyes, bass, pike, bluegills, crappies, and perch with your friends/family. My hypothesis would be that for most of our local fish, people can't tell them apart, especially if texture is obscurred.
Thanks for considering,
Dave (Spooner)
Thanks for the comment! Yes, I agree the time difference was negligible enough that I could have declared a tie. But what fun is that? 😂 also, I’m a big advocate for eating smaller largemouth bass. I agree, if taken care of properly, largemouth bass are equal to walleye in table fare. Maybe I’ll do some taste testing this winter!
I’m usually at the cleaning table with my buddies cleaning fish, having a cold beer and enjoying the moment. Speed it’s high on my list.
I get that. Sometimes cleaning fish is therapeutic and you just want to enjoy the process.
I like the electric better. I never cut out the pin bone. I use the 7" conventional Bubba to carve them off the fillet because I can get much closer and save meat, but the pin bones seem to dissolve when I fry them. I've never tried grilled crappie but I'm sure they would not dissolve if grilled. In the early 80's I would fillet with a conventional knife, but when I found the cheapo Mr Twister I have used it since. Tried a Rapala 25yrs ago and hated it, but would like to try the bubba electric knife.
There is definitely a place for both.
Very cool. I’ve just gotten into fishing a few months ago and learning all I can. I’ve been pulling them up but I’ve only kept 2 so far lol. A 6” bluegill and a 21” 5 lb bass. I absolutely murdered the fillet on the bluegill but we still got a few bits in the pan and the kids had a blast watching me massacre the process. The bass went much better. Way more meat and I actually got all the bones out except these little mystery bones… I need to look up the pin bones you were cutting out. I’m assuming that’s what they were. Either way, neither fish was done with an actual fillet knife. I did the bass with a very sharp boning knife that a friend of mine that an fda meat inspector gifted me. Did a much better job than the knife I used for the bluegill but I can see where the flex of a true fillet knife would make things easier.
Great video.
Good to hear you are venturing into the world of fish prep! Good luck to you!
I have the Bubba blade Pro Lithium & that's all I use to clean my fish & I know I'm faster with it than a conventional knife. I love my Bubba Blade Pro Lithium & I'll never go back to a conventional knife unless I have a break down with the electric. My opinion, I'm sure there are some that feel differently. Just giving my 2 cents worth!! Tight lines & be well!!👍👍 Danny W
It’s a great knife!
I feel like you have a good handle on the electric until it comes time to get the ribs out. Maybe that can be done well with an electric with some practice, but in the electric knife fillet videos I've seen on other channels, they use the electric knife to get the fillet off the fish and then use a conventional knife to remove the ribs and pin bones. That might save you a couple seconds per fish and give you cleaner fillets at the end.
Yeah. It’s probably best to do it that way if you have a pile of fish. Just cut the fillets off the carcasses and cut ribs out later all together with the conventional.
@@calebwistad Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. This is just based on what I've seen though. I'm still very inexperienced and have been watching a bunch of your videos to learn and get better lol
Great video man. Go with the electric, I watched nervously as you ran the conventional blade back towards your wrist and forearm.
I keep hearing people say that. 😆 I’ve never cut myself more than a scratch after thousands and thousands of fish. Must be working for me I guess. 😂
I don’t know if anybody’s told you, but I just watched one of your programs. I’m using electric knife on crappie instead of going back to redo your pin bones. Take your cut there and just cut the pin bones and the Ribs right out the same time.
I know you can definitely do it that way. You lose a little meat but it’s quicker for sure.
Enjoy all the videos. You have definitely sold me on a Bubba knife as my next purchase! I had a question on the fillet table..did you make it yourself?
Thanks! Yes, I built it. I designed it to overhang my utility sink so I can squeegee the table off right into the sink. The cutting top is made from an discarded plastic road sign. Made a perfect cutting surface! If you are going to buy a Bubba I’d appreciate a purchase through one of the links in my video descriptions. That way I get a little commission for the sale which really helps me be able to make more videos. Tight Good luck and tight lines!
I will definitely purchase through you! Great videos! I have a utility sink. What would you recommend for a fillet table? Other than a sign? Or an old stop sign
To me if you can fillet a panfish under a minute that’s great👍I probably have filleted with regular and electric about the same mostly bluegills, crappie, perch. Bluegills way more and either way is good, I use electric more cause it’s convenient and no sharpening!!
Yep. I averaged just under 50 seconds with both methods. My conventional knife fillets were definitely nicer though.
I have really come to like and prefer electric knives b/c the double serrated blades don't seem to need resharpening. I catch speckled trout (saltwater trout) and have fillet probably close to a thousand over the years and for most of that time i had one electric fillet knife with the same set of blades on it and they cut just as good years later as they do in the beginning and have never been resharpened. A regular knife you have to keep the blade sharp and you might have to resharpen while you're filleting a large batch of fish if it's a cheap steel. That's just one thing you dont have to worry about with electric knife and they are actually very low in cost usually - $20-30 for an electric corded knife.
Yes. They stay sharp forever!
leave the skin on to rib the fillet, WIll make ribs come out easier and cleaner. skin after ribbing. With practice you will be way faster with the electric. Its all I use now...
Good to know!
It seems there is a bit more waste with the electric one, the filet with the manual one was looking better. With the electric one, there was no meat under the pin bones after you took them off. That’s why I prefer to take my time with a conventional one, it is more precise.
That’s my go to as well. The electric is nice in certain situations though!
I guess on bigger fish it’s nicer but probably a combination of a rough job with the electric one and a finest job with the conventional could be a good idea.
This whole "cutting the PIN BONES out" thing is a new one on me.
I don't even know what you're talking about. 🤔
On larger panfish and game fish there is a row of bones that runs down the spine and is left in the fillet once you remove it from the fish. In small panfish the bones will cook out but in larger fish, especially game fish, they are very noticeable.
@@calebwistad Never noticed them in White bass/Hybrids 🤷♂️
Another good video and demo. I’m liking the electric 👍🏻
Thanks man!
@@calebwistad I guess one question I forgot to ask. I don’t think you mentioned it. Is how long does the 7” blade last, before having to buy a replacement? I’m thinking there’s no way to sharpen them?
@@calebwistad Question for ya. What blade do you like best on your Bubba electric? I used the 7” flex today. Found it pretty flexy
as someone in the food industry and a lifetime fisherman. I prefer a good conventional knife over an electric. more precise cuts. but with the electric I would just take the pin bones and ribs in one cut. same meat loss basically.
I’m with you. Unless I have a ton of fish to clean I typically stick with the conventional.
Another great video…… thank you
You bet!
When filleting smaller fish the electric knife and regular knife are going to have results close to the same but when filleting larger fish like deep salt water fish that's where the electric knife is going to come out ahead by a landslide. None of the deck hands that fillet red snapper, triggerfish, etc at the end of a charter fishing trip use regular knives. All of them use electric knives. They can fillet an entire giant cooler of fish in a really short amount of time and the fillets are gorgeous. Electric knives have a harder time with smaller fish like crappie/bream.
Yes. True!
I tend to cut through the back bone. Too much down pressure on smaller fish.😞
Yeah. Doesn’t take much!
On smaller panfish like crappie an electric knife won't be a major time-saver over a conventional blade. For larger fish, electric knives make a huge difference. I'm not great with a conventional knife and cut through backbone, etc. every now and again. I own a Bubba Pro series Li-ion, the blades just rip through with far less effort compared to a conventional knife...the flex blades ride perfectly along the backbone and don't cut through it. Once you get used to the powered reciprocating blades, there's no going back to conventional knives.
I believe it would work well on larger fish. I just need to use it a little more and get some more larger fish under my belt I think.
It is true, you get better fillets and waste less meat with a conventional knife.
However if you have alot of fish to fillet, the electric knife will safe a whole lot of time, at-least for the “average guy”, crappie are also an easy to fillet fish. I think you would notice a much larger difference when filling other types of fish.
Yes. I’ve used both for all kinds of fish but still find myself going back to the conventional.
For quick, electric. Convential can really get more meat of the fillet.
Choose whats important to you
Right on.
Good stuff
Thanks!
Electriv would be nice for cleaning 40 or 50 fish otherwise I would stick with the regular knife.
I’m with you.
Prefer the conventional knife. I tried an electric knife and it was brutal. Agree, you left more meat on the conventional knife.
I actually find the electric more useful for larger fish.
@@calebwistad Like you I guess. Just need more practice
I just don’t like the way the bubba electric blades cut.
What is your favorite electric knife? I’ve since moved to a Rapala lithium and it’s waaay faster.
@@calebwistad I like the American Angler best but they don’t make a cordless model. Best other option is a rapala R12 model. Fast motor and smooth cut.
Too much waste with electric. If you’re doing five guy limit at walleye maybe. I don’t like em.
I’ve been experimenting with both. I’m still pretty much using my conventional 80% of the time.
What a waste
Whatever you say Soosilly79.