What would you recommend as a fishing SAK?

[Steelej1976]

I was thinking about getting a Farmer for fishing.  I fish from shore and I frequently have to break branches that are in the way or to retrieve a miscast lure that gets snagged in a tree.  I heard that Deet in Mosquito spray can damage the cellidor scales and I always put Mosquito spray on when I am fishing so there is a concern about that.  Whether that is true or not I felt the Alox might be more durable for a fishing environment anyway (I have never used an Alox model before).  I also heard they might be coming out with a Farmer X but that may just be chatter and I am not sure I want to wait that long as fishing season is coming up soon.  I was curious to see what you guys thought, would the Farmer be my best choice or are there better suggestions? 

I posted this on another thread but will repeat it here as it was suggested it might be more appropriate and I would get better feedback.

[JK]

I was thinking about getting a Farmer for fishing.  I fish from shore and I frequently have to break branches that are in the way or to retrieve a miscast lure that gets snagged in a tree.  I heard that Deet in Mosquito spray can damage the cellidor scales and I always put Mosquito spray on when I am fishing so there is a concern about that.  Whether that is true or not I felt the Alox might be more durable for a fishing environment anyway (I have never used an Alox model before).  I also heard they might be coming out with a Farmer X but that may just be chatter and I am not sure I want to wait that long as fishing season is coming up soon.  I was curious to see what you guys thought, would the Farmer be my best choice or are there better suggestions? 

I posted this on another thread but will repeat it here as it was suggested it might be more appropriate and I would get better feedback.

You could get a Farmer and mod it to replace the saw by a fish scaler. Unpopular but cool.

[cbl51]

You're on the right rack with alox.

An alox SAK with no back tools will her 100% easier to clean up. Fish slime can make cellidor smell and the back tools make a cavity in the center of the knife with the internal spring space that collects gunk.

Smooth back alox will do well.

[Steelej1976]

You could get a Farmer and mod it to replace the saw by a fish scaler. Unpopular but cool.

Actually that isn't that crazy of an idea but I am catch and release only.  I am more concerned about branches like I said, thanks for the suggestion though.  If I could get a SAK with a saw, scissors, and gps/sonar I would be all good, lol.  Actually I could get by with just the saw because I do have a set of Boomerang snip line cutters that works great on braid, fluorocarbon, and nylon mono.  I just thought if they were actually coming out with the Farmer X it might be worth the wait to get the scissors as well.  I suppose I could always mod a Farmer down the road if I really wanted to, so you may be on to something.   

[Steelej1976]

You're on the right rack with alox.

An alox SAK with no back tools will her 100% easier to clean up. Fish slime can make cellidor smell and the back tools make a cavity in the center of the knife with the internal spring space that collects gunk.

Smooth back alox will do well.

Hey thanks for confirming what I was thinking, that helps a lot.  I am definitely leaning that way, I like the idea of the inline awl and heavier duty tools on the Farmer as well.  You are right about fish slime after handling a fish, even though I bring wipes (even pre-Coronavirus) I could see accidentally getting fish slime on the knife.  Great point. 

[JK]

What about a Walker? It's 1/3 of the price of a Pioneer X. Agree that it's cellidor, but you get blade, combo tool and saw in a very compact package with no backtools to mess with. If you mess it up you can always upgrade later.

[magentus]

Another one here for the Farmer - Rock solid, not too expensive and you can always get a Farmer X down the line if that's what you really want. Or you could get an alox Classic for the scissors.

[Steelej1976]

What about a Walker? It's 1/3 of the price of a Pioneer X. Agree that it's cellidor, but you get blade, combo tool and saw in a very compact package with no backtools to mess with. If you mess it up you can always upgrade later.

I just looked at the walker after you mentioned it, that may be a viable alternative that I hadn't considered.  I will definitely take a closer look at that one.  Thank you

[JK]

I just looked at the walker after you mentioned it, that may be a viable alternative that I hadn't considered.  I will definitely take a closer look at that one.  Thank you

It's a Bantam with a saw. The Bantam is a proper classic. Now, with a saw.

[cody6268]

Personally, I'd go for the Hercules, and use a separate scaler.  While I carry an older Craftsman from the '70s with a scaler while fishing, I have never used its scaler aside from making measurements and using the hook disgorger for various improvised tasks, like taking the spring bars out of my watch.

But Farmer is perfect. I'm moving more towards 93mm due to Cellidor fragility (had a week-old, brand new Recruit have a corner of the scale break off) and the thinness of 111mm liners. They are very soft, and bend the first time they're dropped.

[nate j]

Another one here for the Farmer - Rock solid, not too expensive and you can always get a Farmer X down the line if that's what you really want.

 

[Barry Rowland]

I use a Classic.  It's lightweight, inexpensive, and trims line like a hero.

[cody6268]

I use a Classic.  It's lightweight, inexpensive, and trims line like a hero.

   Took one camping with me, and that's the tool basically everyone used. Small blade, screwdriver, and scissors--weight basically nil; and you can't tell you're even carrying it.

[Barry Rowland]

I'm becoming a 58mm fan more and more with each passing year!