my kayak knives.

[Darth-Baiter]

I never gotten myself in a pickle on my kayak that required a knife, but I can only imagine.  the worst was when I sent a frog into Tule reeds and got snagged.  I paddled into it to rescue my lure,  and somehow managed to get reeds, braid, and other cords all tangled into the same mess.  I used the tiny knife to cut the reeds so I could float free. the small (tiny) is clipped into that minuscule pocket in my PFD.  the big one, I carry when I plan on eating a fish I catch.  I will bring it on my ocean trips for sure.   it is a very good lake side fish butchering knife.  I dont filet fish.

 

I am pretty sure they can cut me free from 65lb braid.  these knives are the "Salt" series from Spyderco, so they will not rust.  ever.

 

big: Spyderco Aquasalt

small: Spyderco Dragonfly 2

 

 

[Jig Man]

Those look like they would get the job done.  I don’t have those  kinds of knives but I keep a folding knife and a fillet knife in the boat and carry my Uncle Henry Rancher and a Swiss army knife all the time.

[VolFan]

Those are great great knives - From a practical standpoint, I have found that a good quality scissors (I actually have a couple pairs in different sizes) more functional for me on the boat. Everything from cutting bait to cutting and anchor line. 
 

I do have a quality and sharp knife on me all the time though.

[CountryboyinDC]

The Japanese Spydercos are spendy for what I'd use them for.  I mainly carry knives to cut me free from something that might drown me or someone else.  That could be some 550 cord or might be as thick as 3/8" rope from a throw bag.  Really, braid could pose as much as much of a drowning risk, now that I think of it and you've described.  I carry the small NRS knife on my fishing PFD, as I run an anchor and drag chain.  It's not that great, tbh, but I've sharpened the non-serrated edge to where I feel that I could use it to cut free.  For whitewater, I either carry a Gerber EZ-out or a Wichard Marine Offshore rescue knife.  The first is folding, the latter fixed blade.  Both have blunt tips, so you could hope to cut free froma wrapped cord/rope without severing an artery.  

 

Those Spydercos are definitely sharper, and they make a blunt-tipped one that could work.  If they weren't $120, I might try one.  I'm with @VolFan, though.  I use some sort of scissors for most of my cutting while fishing.

[Revival]

Good choices.  I am a Spyderco guy myself.  Being a bank guy that hikes, I usually have 2 Spydercos and a Esse-4 on me.

 

Here is my Native Salt that I brought home to Hawaii.

 

 

 

[NYWayfarer]

 

I have returned to my ready edge Cold Steel knife seen in this pic with the blue handle.

 

I had a Cuda knife with a plastic sheath. Lost the knife still have the sheath…

[TnRiver46]

I never take a good one on the water, but I’ve always got a few and they are sharp. I’m never without one in my pocket

[TheSwearingAngler]

I carry Kershaw. So far only needed to cut my lures out of trees.. happens more than I care to admit.

[scaleface]

I usually have three knives when I'm fishing . A Swiss Army knife  , Leatherman and a cheap San Ren Mu for easy one hand opening .

[Jrob78]

I'm a big Spyderco guy too and always have one clipped in my pocket. I don't have any I specifically use for fishing though.

[Smells like fish]

Yup, a lightweight alox Swiss Army in my pocket and a Swiss Army Explorer and a Leatherman on my belt when fishing. 

[Jmilburn76]

I have a Gerber River Shorty attached to my PFD. Thankfully I haven’t had to use it except to cut line out of branches that other people have left.

[GRiver]

I carry a leatherman skeletool, every day, all the time. It’s a small multi-tool …..it’s got me home.

[Darth-Baiter]

24 minutes ago, GRiver said:

I carry a leatherman skeletool, every day, all the time. It’s a small multi-tool …..it’s got me home.

Me too. 

[bulldog1935]

Titanium neck knife.  These are more functional than scat and self-sharpening.  The carbonitride edge is a metal matrix composite - microscopic shark teeth that make short work of nipping braid.  Impervious to salt.  Most common use - putting Beach Cliff on crackers. 

An outrageous tide phenomenon day.  We paddled across 300 redfish hunkered in the tide pass on a winter low tide, grazing the incoming tide.  Between us, released 45 of them.  Best part, put my buddy on these for his first trip from Colorado - starting at the top. 

I have the same Spyderco Salt for back-up.  Kind of funny, where they stamped the H-1 salt-resistant trademark in the blade, residual steel from the stamp leaves a rust stain on the blade. 

When Spyderco was closing out the prototype run of the Native, they were selling knives for $25/.  I bought half a dozen, gave a couple as Christmas gifts - along with those, every one of my bike bags and fishing bags carries a clipped-in Native or Native II. 

[FishTank]

I carry a Leatherman Signal. It has worked great for whatever I have encountered. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Deleted account]

On 12/31/2022 at 12:47 PM, VolFan said:

From a practical standpoint, I have found that a good quality scissors (I actually have a couple pairs in different sizes) more functional for me on the boat.

Yup, we get the used poultry shears from the DelMarVa chicken factories, they make short work of anything you want to cut on the boat, specially crab baits.